Digital Marketing 484 Exam 1
Credibility
-Looks - does it look professional and beautiful? -Prominent phone numbers and addresses are easy to locate - this assures the visitor that there are real people behind the website and that they are easily reachable. -Informative and personal 'About us' - some customers want to see the inner workings of a company and are interested in the head honchos. Consider including employee pictures and profiles to add personality to the site. -Genuine testimonials - testimonials are a great way to show potential customers what your current customers have to say about your organisation. Trust is vital and this is one way to encourage it. Video testimonials can be particularly effective, assuming your audience does not face data restrictions. -eCommerce - using a reputable sales channel helps your websites credibility. -Social media - having a social media presence often goes further towards establishing credibility than testimonials, which could have been faked. -Logos of associations and awards - if you belong to any relevant industry associations or have won any awards feature them. Not only does this go a long way towards establishing your credibility, but it will show that you're at the top of your game, a notch above the competition. -Links to credible third-party references or endorsements - this is a way to assert your credibility without tooting your own horn. -Fresh, up-to-date content - a news section that was last updated a year ago implies that nothing has happened since or that no one cares enough to update it. -No errors - spelling and grammar mistakes are unprofessional and while the large majority of readers may not pick them up, the one or two who do will question your credibility. This extends to broken links, malfunctioning tools and interactive elements that don't work as advertised.
Simplicity
-Lots of empty space. In design terms, this is referred to as negative or white space. Though, of course, it need not specifically be white. Dark text on a light background is easiest to read. In general, the more effectively 'breathing room' is placed between various page elements, lines of text and zones of the page, the easier it is for the user to grasp where everything is. -Fewer options. Studies have found that people faced with fewer choices generally choose more quickly and confidently and are more satisfied with their decision afterwards (Roller, 2010). -Plain language. Unless your website is aimed at a highly specialised technical field, there's usually no need to get fancy with the words you use. Clear, simple, well-structured language is the best option when creating a great user experience. -Sticking to conventions. As we've said before, conventions are excellent shortcuts for keeping things simple for users. There's no need to reinvent the wheel and try to teach your users a whole new way of navigating a website.
Usability and conventions
-Reduce loading time. Try to keep content and actions on the same page as this ensures better performance as there are fewer page loads. Encourage exploration, especially on touchscreens. Users like to browse elements and explore. This makes them feel in control. -Give feedback. Ensure that it is clear when the user performs an action. This can be achieved through animations and other visual cues. -Communicate consistently. Ensure that you deliver the same message across all your touchpoints. For example, using the same icons on the website as you would on the mobile app prevents users from having to relearn how you communicate. -Predict what your user wants. Include functionality, such as autocomplete or predictive text. Remove as much manual input as possible to streamline user experience.
media queries
-are bits of code that allow websites to ask devices for information about themselves. The website style that will suit the device best is then selected from a list of styles defined in a CSS -ask for information about the device's browser window size, orientation (landscape or portrait) and screen display quality
Brochure Sites
-is a static site -It provides content that does not need to be updated regularly and there is very little interaction with the visitor
UX research techniques
1) User-centric design 2)Usability and conventions 3)Simplicity 4)Credibility
6 qualities of good UX
1)Findability. Can I find it easily? Does it appear high up in the search results? How long does it take me to find something on the site? Does the three-click rule work on this site? 2)Accessibility. Can I use it when I need it? Does it work on my mobile phone, or on a slow Internet connection? Can I use it as a person with a disability? 3)Desirability. Do I want to use it? Is it a pleasant experience, or do I dread logging in? 4)Usability. Is it easy to use? Are the tools I need intuitive and easy to find? 5)Credibility. Do I trust it? Is this website legitimate? 6)Usefulness. Does it add value to me? Will I get something out of the time I spend interacting with it?
Navigational Cues
1. Where am I? Navigation should let the users know where they are in the site. Breadcrumb links, clear page titles, URLs and menu changes all help to show the user where he or she is. The larger your site is and the more levels it has, the more important it becomes to give your users an indicator of where they are in relation to everything else on the site. This helps the users to understand the content of the page that they are on and makes them feel more confident in navigating further through the site. 2. How did I get here? Breadcrumb navigation often indicates the general path a user may have taken. In the case of site search, the keyword used should be indicated on the results page. 3. Where can I go next? Navigation clues let a user know where to go to next, such as 'add to cart' on an eCommerce site, or a contextual link that indicates 'read more'. The key is making the options clear to the user. 4. How do I get home? It has become convention that the logo of the website takes the user back to the home page, but many users still look in the main menu for the word 'home'. Make sure that they can get back to the beginning quickly and easily.
long-tail words
3 or more words, more specific, often less competitive
readability online
? being able to read easily
Convention
A common rule or tried-and-tested way in which something is done.
Heat Map
A data-visualization tool that shows levels of activity on a web page in different colors.
Conversion Funnel
A defined path that visitors should take to reach the final objective.
SMART Objectives
A marketing objective that is: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
BERT
A new update created by Google. It uses AI to analyze search queries that tend to be more lengthy and are in conversational tone. B- Bi directional —> they look at the word before and after the keyword.
Call to Action (CTA)
A phrase written to motivate the reader to take action such as sign up for our newsletter or book car hire today.
Page Tag
A piece of JavaScript code embedded on a web page and executed by the browser.
CSS
A programming language that defines the styles, such as fonts and colours, used to display text and content. Web pages are one of the places that this language is used.
Cookies
A small text file that is used to transfer information between browsers and web servers. They help web servers to provide the right content when it is requested.
Event
A step a visitor takes in the conversion process; A recorded action that has a specific time assigned to it by the browser or the server.
anchor text
A text link, or backlink, that refers visitors to your site from another with SEO benefits, passing relevance and authority from the referring site.
Returning Visitor
A unique visitor who makes two or more visits (on the same device and browser) within the time period being analysed.
New Visitor
A unique visitor who visits the website for the first time ever in the period of time being analysed. (I know it says unique visitor, but this is the definiton for New visitor, so don't get confused!). New visitors show that you are reaching new audiences and markets, while returning visitors are an indicator of brand loyalty. Most websites should aim for a healthy balance between the two.
Conversion
A visitor completing a target action; Completing an action that the website wants the user to take. Usually a conversion results in revenue for the brand in some way. Conversions include signing up to a newsletter or purchasing a product.
Web Page Zones
A web page can be broken down roughly into four zones: 1) The header (at the top of the page) - used to identify the site and provide basic tools: -Logo or identifying mark (possibly including the brand's tagline) -Main navigation -Login feature -Search bar. 2)The central content area - used to present the main content:The actual content specific to the page, such as text, images, videos and more (this can be broken into several columns)CTAs of various kinds, such as "Sign up"; "Get started"; "Claim your free trial". 3)The sidebar (either on the left or the right, or sometimes on both sides) - used to present secondary content and tools:Secondary navigation bar, or other navigation features (for example, blog article archive by date) CTAs, including buttons and signup forms Additional content, like links or snippets. 4)The footer (at the bottom of the page) - used for important but non- prominent content and resources.Legal information, privacy policy and disclaimersAdditional navigation elements. The most important consideration for any page layout is the content
AMPs
Accelerated Mobile Pages; Google's is helping to speed up the mobile web
Acquisition
Acquisition lets you compare traffic from search, referrals, email and marketing campaigns. It shows you which sources drive the most traffic to your site.
Data
All the available information about your business
A/B Test
Also known as a split test, it involves testing two versions of the same page or site to see which performs better.
Alt text
Alt text means alternative text. The 'alt' attribute is used in HTML to attribute a text field to an image on a web page. It normally has a descriptive function, telling a search engine or user what an image is about and displaying the text in instances where the image is unable to load. Also called Alt tag.
Visitor
An individual visiting a website that is not a search engine spider or a script.
Session
An interaction by an individual with a website consisting of one or more page views within a specified period of time.
proprietary software
Any software that one or more intellectual property holders own and licence to others in exchange for compensation, subject to certain restrictions. Licensees may not be able to change, share, sell or reverse engineer the software.
Digital Marketing's Power
Audience segmentation, digital sphere is almost completely measurable, decreased information asymmetry, improved customer service
Digital Marketing Funnel
Awareness --> Consideration (Research & Discovery Loop) --> Purchase --> Post-Purchase Experience (Loyalty Loop)
Customer's Journey Online
Awareness: PR, Email Consideration: Blogs, Reviews Purchase: Email, E-commerce Retention: Website, FAQ Advocacy: Promotions, Newsletter
Customer-Centric Brand
Brands that live and breathe their customers and are laser-focused on providing amazing experiences.
Organic SERP (search engine results page) features
Can help increase chances of features by: 1. creating a site structure that makes sense to both search engines and users 2. structuring your content on page such that it is scannable for both search engines and users 3. employing schema markup, or structured code that helps crawlers understand a site better
E-A-T
Components of Content & Quality. Expertise, Authoritativeness, & Trustworthiness.
Sources of Data
Databases, online data, software data, app store data, & offline data.
Hummingbird Update
Designed to improve Google's Semantic Search; helps google respond by understanding intent and context; demonstrates an understanding of what users are interested in and what they would like to learn
Objectives
End goals
Error Messages
Error messages are an important part of validation that is shown to users. Error messages are often ignored in UX development and are a huge source of frustration for users. Some best practices to consider: -These messages should be easy to understand. The user should not struggle to understand the error or how to fix it. -The error message should stay visible until the error has been corrected. -The tone of the message should match the rest of the site. -It is important to remember that a form is a conversation with users. It's an interactive dialogue even though you are not present.
Ockham's Razor
Given a choice between functionally equivalent designs, the simplest design should be selected.
On-page optimization
HTML code, content and structure of website, making site more accessible to search engine, easier for users to find
Leading Indicators
Help you define your strategy for moving the business forward
Image Packs (Carousels)
Horizontal row of image links, appearing for searches where visual content is useful
Navigation
How a web user interacts with the user interface to navigate through a website, the elements that assist in maximising usability and visual signposting so users never feel lost.
breadcrumbs
Links, usually on the top of each page, indicating where a page is in the hierarchy of the website. Breadcrumbs can be used to help users navigate through the website, as well as act as a page index for search engines.
Search
Many sites can benefit from having a search function, both to help users navigate and to make finding specific information easier. Search has 3 useful functions on a website. Not only does it help users to find specific things, it also serves as an essential navigation aid for larger sites and collects valuable data from keyword research about what the user is looking for. From the UX practitioner's perspective, there are some important non-technical principles to bear in mind. For large sites, it can be useful to allow users to search within categories. On Amazon, for example, you can search just within the category 'books'. 1) Positioning Search will either be the primary starting point for your site, or it will be a useful additional tool. In the former case, for example, on a large eCommerce site such as Amazon, the search tool should be positioned centrally and visibly to encourage the user to use this as the main navigational tool. In the latter case, best practice dictates that it should be in the top right corner, or easily accessible in the sidebar. 2) Accuracy The better you can interpret what your user is searching for, the more relevant and accurate the search results can be. Google works very hard to fine-tune its search algorithm to ensure that users don't just get what they searched for, but what they actually wanted in the first place. User research can suggest why users would search your site in the first place and what they would typically be looking for. Popularity and recentness of content are other key considerations. 3) Results When it comes to displaying search results, there are a few key questions to ask: How many results should be displayed per page? Ten to 20 results per page is generally a good benchmark. What order should results be in? Most popular first? Cheapest? Newest? Closest match? This will depend on the nature of the site. Can results be filtered? Some websites allow users to do a second search constrained to the results of the first one. What happens if there are no results? If no search results are found, the search function should provide hints and tips to the user on how to search better on the site. The fact that there are no results should be stated clearly, followed by a list of the closest match of content to the search query. It's quite possible the searcher didn't know the exact term from what they are looking for or made a typo, though the site should be forgiving of these. Hints could include wildcards or breaking up the terms into smaller pieces. The message shown to users should be helpful and relevant and not simply copied from Google's advice.
Mobile Users
Mobile users are: Goal orientated. Mobile users turn to their mobile devices to answer a question, quickly check email, find information or get directions. They often have a distinct purpose in mind when using their phone. Time conscious. There are two aspects to this. On the one hand, mobile users are often looking for urgent or time-sensitive information, such as the address of the restaurant they are looking for, so answers should be available as quickly as possible. On the other hand, the mobile device is also frequently used to kill time or as a source of entertainment, such as reading articles on the couch, or playing games while waiting in a queue, so content is also crucial. User research will tell you which of these groups your users fall into and how you need to structure your site accordingly. Search dominant. Even users who know what they are looking for tend to navigate there via search, for example, typing the brand name into Google, rather than accessing the page from a bookmark or typing the URL directly into the browser bar. Locally focused. According to Google search data, 30% of all mobile searches are for location (Think with Google, 2016). Since mobile phones are always carried, users turn to them to find information on things in their surroundings, from local businesses to more detail on a product they have just seen.
types of site maps
On a website, a page that links to every other page in the website and displays these links organised according to the information hierarchy. While this is often physically available on a website (HTML sitemap), it should also be created as an XML file and included within the Robots.txt. -two types= HTML and XML
inverted pyramid style or F structure
On the web page, use an inverted pyramid style or F structure for your copy. The important information should be at the top of the page, to make for easy visual scanning. The heading comes first and is the largest and boldest type on the page. The subheading or blurb follows this and then the content is presented in a descending scale of importance. Sentences should be short and important words should appear early in the sentence, especially in bullet points. Eye-tracking research has shown that the F structure is the still the most user-friendly structure, as this is the natural flow of the eye (Hanes, 2016). see figure on page 99 in E-textbook, chapter 5.
Nature of Growth in Business
Pace of business is accelerating quickly, scope of competition is expanding, new business models are emerging almost overnight
Lagging Indicators
Past data, such as financial results and sales history
Current Indicators
Pieces of information from right now
What do search engines look for in their algorithm?
Popularity, authority, relevance, trust, importance
autocomplete or predictive text
Predict what your user wants. Include functionality, such as autocomplete or predictive text. Remove as much manual input as possible to streamline user experience.
Stats on the Significance of Search
Search is #1 traffic driver to content sites . 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine.
Components of Trust
Security, Privacy, and Transparency
SVOC
Single View of Customer. Achieved when all customer information is available in a single, central location.
limitations of mobile design
Small screens. Even the largest smartphones are screens many times smaller than a standard laptop and tablets fall somewhere between the two. This means that the user has a much smaller window through which to perceive and understand the website, so it may be difficult to get an overall impression of where things are or what's important. Difficult inputs. Mobile phones don't come with full-sized keyboards and mice, so they are usually a lot more difficult to operate fluidly and accurately than desktop computers. Touchscreens may be the exception here, although they also have their own pitfalls. Slow connection speeds. Many mobile phone users, especially in developing countries, are on slow Internet connections. Even fast options such as 3G can often be more sluggish than a desktop equivalent. This makes loading large websites or images slow and frustrating and can be expensive in terms of data costs. Slow hardware. Sometimes the slowness comes from the hardware itself. The more basic the phone, the slower its processing components making the simple act of opening the browser and loading a page time consuming.
Snippet vs. Rich Snippet
Snippet includes the little blurb of information found under the title of the search result. Rich Snippet is the same as a snippet but also includes an extra line of information such as ratings, hours of operation, etc.
Tactics
Specific tools and approaches to achieve a goal
Ways to Measure Success
Success should primarily be measure against your objectives. You can also examine: site measures, sales, services, technical performance, operations, & marketing.
New Marketing Organizational Model
The "Orchestrator Model" : increasingly operate as orchestrators, tapping talent from both inside and outside the company to staff short-term task forces for specific initiatives.
Audience
The audience section helps you understand the characteristics of your audience, including their demographics, interests, and behaviour (level of engagement). This section also shows the mix of new and returning users and how their behaviour differs, as well as the browsers, networks and mobile devices they are using to access your site.
above the fold
The content that appears on a screen without a user having to scroll.
Accessibility
The degree to which a website is available to users with physical challenges or technical limitations.
Click Path
The journey a user takes through a website.
KPIs
The metrics that are examined to determine the success of a campaign. KPI stands for: Key Performance Indicators.
Unique Visitor
The number of individual users visiting the website one or more times within a set period of time. Each individual is counted only once.
Page Views
The number of times a page was successfully requested.
User experience design (UXD)
The process of applying proven principles, techniques and features to create and optimise how a system behaves, mapping out allthe touchpoints a user experiences to create consistency in the interaction with the brand; UX is the overall satisfaction a user gets from interacting with a product or digital tool.
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
The process of improving website rankings on search engine results pages.
Directory
The process of submitting a website URL to create backlinks
Wireframe
The skeletal outline of the layout of a web page. This can be rough and general, or very detailed.
User interface (UI)
The user-facing part of the tool or platform i.e. the actual website, application, hardware or tool with which the user interacts.
One-Page Site
There is an increasing number of one-page websites, especially for sites with limited content and large images. One-page sites load quicker. Check out this article that provides guidance on what types of sites should opt for one-page sites: www.webinsation. com/should-i-have- a-one-page-website. This approach is less effective in countries where data costs are prohibitive.
Ratios
These are interpretations of the data that is counted.
Counts
These are the raw figures that will be used for analysis.
How is HTTPS different than HTTP?
They both move data between browsers in the same way, however, HTTPS has SSL-secure sockets layer-that encrypts data and transports it safely across the web
How google indexes sites/pages
They change their algorithm 500-600 times each year using 200 different factors
Behaviour
This section shows how users interact with your content, how the content performs, its searchability and its interactivity. You can see how fast your pages load, how successful users are when searching the site, how any interactive elements on your site are being used, popular content, which pages drive revenue and more.
open source
Unlike proprietary software, open source software makes the source code available so that other developers can improve on or build applications for the software.
Validation
Validation means giving the user feedback on the inputs they have submitted, whether correct or incorrect. Validation can happen at two points: after the user has submitted the form, which is submission validation, or during the process of filling out the form, which is live inline validation. Submission validation is essential for protecting the database, but will also assist in catching user errors. Live inline validation usually results in much better user experiences as the users then know that their information is correct before submitting the form.
responsive web design
Websites that fluidly respond to a user's device or screen resolution based on media queries sent between the site and the device regarding the specs of the device.
User-centric design
When designing for the user, you need to ask the following questions: Who is the user? What are the user's wants and needs from your platform? Why is the user really coming to your website? Where is the user most likely to be in their customer journey when they visit your site? What are the user's capabilities, web skills and available technology? How can the site facilitate the customer journey to conversion and purchase? What features would make the user's experience easier and better?
Word Cloud
Word clouds are becoming popular ways to visualise data, where the size of the word represents its importance or frequency.
summary
a brief statement or account of the main points of something (idrk what harms wants w this one)
a business-oriented website that lets users post their professional profiles to connect to a network of businesspeople
Splash Pages
a page that site visitors encounter first before reaching the home page; Do not use entry or splash pages (not user friendly)
Link Farm
a set of web pages created with the sole aim of linking to a target page, in an attempt to improve that pages SERP
Rich Snippet
additional visual component in a traditional result
Invisible web
also known as the deep web this is a large area of the internet that is inaccessible to search engines
Active White Space
an area on the page that is intentionally left blank
Title tag
boldest, most obvious element in a search result; major part in decision making process of whether a searcher will click on your result or not; long been considered one of the most important on-page SEO elements; should read like a legible sentence
Off-page optimization
building inbound/backlinks to site, social media, digital PR
Social Media's role in searches
can appear in SERP's: use social media properties to dominate brand SERP's, social links are used as signs of relevance, personalized results are influenced by your online social network, optimize for social search engines
"No follow" links
can be included when you don't want to vouch for the target URL
2019 search trends
change of customer behavior driven by technological developments, data protection, privacy and regulation, rise of voice search, rise of machine learning, personalization
mobile specific site
copy of your main website which have fewer pages, and those pages are built specifically to format on the mobile phone.
How to get links to your site?
create useful content for your target audience, infographics, create tools and documents that others want to use, create games, consider software and widgets, interviews with experts and the transcript, competitor analysis, use google search console
Data Visualization
data visualisation, which involves placing data in a visual context to help users understand it. Data-visualisation software can help demonstrate patterns and trends that might be easily missed in purely text-based data reporting. It can refer to something as simple as an infographic, or something as complex as a multi-point interactive program that lets users decide what to compare.
resolutions of images for download time
dots per inch (dpi) measures resolution -higher resolution images take longer to download
Penguin Update
focused largely on targeting spammy links; Google will look at a site or page's backlink profile to determine rankings
web safe fonts
fonts common to all computer users
Mobile update (2015)
google warned website users in advance; forced sites to become mobile-friendly or risk losing visibility to sites that were
Featured snippet
highlighted block at the top of the search results page, often with summarized answer to a search query and link to the source
# of colors and fonts to use
internet says 4 diff colors or less but idk
Brand Assets
items that a designer requires to start working on a website including -brand guidelines -logo, key brand elements -image libraries -fonts folder -brand colors -existing creative assets (ads, designs, copy)
Optimizing for local
local phone number and business address, lots of visible customer reviews, verify your google my business page, use consistent contact info across all online profiles and 3rd party sites, embed a google map on your website, include geo tag in local search engines, apply business related rich snippets, include city in your heading H1 tag, show location on website in as many places as possible, use locations in image alt tags, logo of your site should be optimized with local key words
site's visual identity
look and feel of the website, logos, colors. styling elements
posts, videos, articles
on social media
Responsive site
one website which is specially designed and coded so that the content reformat's to suit the device (tablet, mobile phone or desktop).
newjacking
paying attention to breaking news, understanding keywords being searched for in a particular news cycle, producing high-quality well-researched content that serves a specific demand for information, syndicating content very quickly to be found when other news organizations search for sources; TIMING IS CRITICAL
banner photo
pic at the top of your socials
front end layer of a website
presentation layer seen by user
reCAPTCHA
reCAPTCHA is a free service offered by Google that requires users to answer questions to prove they are not bots. It helps to protect websites from spam and abuse, but does reduce conversions and in certain instances can render the site unusable for users. Despite these accessibility issues, reCAPTCHA is still an important factor when developing forms in order to protect your website.
Instant answers
results that pop up when google can give a quick answer to a searcher's query; no link to any source site provided
Knowledge cards
right-aligned panels showing key information about a search term
Why optimize images/videos?
search engines cannot decipher multimedia content so they rely on how it is described
short-tail words
searches with only one or two words
back end layer of a website
server-side layer
meta description
short paragraph of text placed in the HTML of a webpage that describes its content; will appear under your page's URL in the search results and when people share your articles across other websites and social channels; should be descriptive, attractive and relevant to encourage CTR and SERP; do not influence Google as a ranking signal
AMP's
simplifies HTML, CSS, and JavaScript elements to serve stripped-down pages containing only the most essential elements to mobile users; speeds up the site anywhere from 15%-85%
open source software
software makes the source code available so that other developers can improve on or build applications for the software.
Panda Update
targets sites with low-quality content and prevents them from ranking well in SERP's; separates quality content from spammy, too many ads, and excessive duplicate content
URL
the address of a World Wide Web page.
kinematic load
the amount of physical activity needed to achieve a goal
cognitive load
the complete amount of mental activity forced onto working memory in an instant
false bottom
the point on a page where a visitor believes the page will not scroll further, despite the fact that there is more content below that point
Anchor text
the visible, clickable text in an HTML link
When are keywords useful?
title tag-use keyword in title and close to the front H1 header tag-use keyword in header tag and other H tags Body Content-use keywords and their synonyms and aim for 350 words of content
Technical SEO (back-end)
uniform URL structure, no orphan pages, page load speed, XML sitemaps
Rankbrain (fall of 2015)
unique changes to google's algorithm; AI and machine learning; has become the 3rd most important ranking signal; used to handle ambiguous or unique questions that have never been asked before (15%)
Domain names
unique names which identify Internet sites and businesses
How to optimize images/videos?
use descriptive, keyword filled filenames; specific alt tags and title attributes; add meta information to the image; use descriptive captions and place relevant copy near the media; header tags and images are relevant to each other
Alt tag content
used in HTML to attribute a text fiel to an image on a web page; tells a search engine or user what an image is about and displaying the text in instances where th image is unable to load
Voice search
usually appear in the form of questions; queries are usually longer; should include local keywords that are geographically relevant; 4 times faster than typing
Wireframes - high fidelity
very detailed, complex layouts including creative elements
Wireframes - low fidelity
very rough and basic sketches, barely resembling the final output
flat design
when things you click on a website are flat and not looking like a button
Local Pack
when you search for a business that has a physical location, the search results will be a map and list three businesses (these three are the local pack). You want to be one of those three results.
Attribution
which shows you how traffic from various channels converts.
fluid css layouts
will allow the site to manipulate its contents based on screen size
headshot
yo sexy ass pic on linkedin
