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Internet Marketing Start to Finish: Drive measurable, repeatable online sales with search marketing, usability, CRM, and analytics

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Internet Marketing Start to Finish: Drive measurable, repeatable online sales with search marketing, usability, CRM, and analytics

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Description

  • Copyright 2012
  • Dimensions: 6" x 9"
  • Pages: 320
  • Edition: 1st
  • eBook (Watermarked)
  • ISBN-10: 0-13-267449-1
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-267449-2

Internet Marketing Start to Finish

A breakthrough system for attracting more customers on the Internet

Internet marketing is the fastest, most efficient way to attract profitable new customers—if you run it strategically and systematically. This book shows you how. You’ll discover how to integrate marketing, sales, and operations functions to work together far more effectively, capture the right real-time data for decision-making, and apply it to drive dramatic improvements in performance. Drawing on extensive in-the-trenches experience, the authors help you implement a more iterative, measurable, and repeatable approach to Internet marketing, deliver better-qualified leads, build an online sales engine to track and improve every customer relationship…and, above all, grow profits!

You’ll Learn How To:

• Craft flexible strategies that can quickly learn from experience

• Eliminate "silos" that prevent effective measurement and execution

• Overcome obstacles ranging from culture to processes to individual behavior

• Build a powerful online sales engine to track customers through the entire relationship

• Avoid dangerous data and weed out junk leads

• Integrate web KPIs into business decision-making

• Link web to lead to CRM analysis

• Redefine messages to respond to your key audiences’ personas

• Architect and design sites to improve user experience and conversion

• Write highly findable content, and then make it even more visible

• Start a feedback loop for continually optimizing both tactics and strategy

• Globalize Internet marketing for diverse languages and cultures

• Translate your performance into boardroom-ready reports

CATHERINE JUON, Co-Founder & Catalyst of Pure Visibility, has worked in the Internet space for nearly 20 years. She has extensive experience helping companies develop integrated online marketing strategies that leverage online advertising, search engine marketing, and social media.

DUNRIE ALLISON GREILING, Director of Happiness at Pure Visibility, works with analysts to derive actionable recommendations from complex web data and develop strategic Internet marketing plans. She has more than a decade of web content and project-management experience.

CATHERINE BUERKLE has 18+ years of experience in usability design, web-based media, technical communication, project management, and marketing. She founded ArborComm, Inc., and co-founded the Digital Design Institute of Michigan.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4789-1

ISBN-10: 0-7897-4789-8

Sample Content

Table of Contents

1 Why Online Sales Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

First Things First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

    Internet Research Equals Internet Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

    Advantages of Internet Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

The Bird’s Eye View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

    Standard Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

    Your Online Sales Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Back to Basics: Business Strategy 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

    The Customer Is King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

    Understanding the Buying Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

    Remove Organizational Silos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

    Get the Most Bang for Your Buck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

    Find Out What’s Working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Lessons We’ve Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

    Keywords, Keywords, Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

    Paid Search Mismatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

    Get the Fundamentals Right First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

    Bigger Is Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

    Content and Inlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

    Websites Are for Spiders and People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

    Small Business Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

    Budget for Marketing the Website Itself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Learn by Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

    B2C Example: Happy Puppy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

    B2B Example: TropiCo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Online Sales Engine Success Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

    Case Study: Moving into New Global Markets . . . . . . . . . . . .16

    Case Study: Manufacturing Company Improves Sales . . . .16

    Case Study: Large Childcare Provider Increases Web Conversions . .  . . . . . .17

    Case Study: Major Software Company Grows Sales . . . . . . .17

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

2 What an Online Sales Engine Can Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

What Is an Online Sales Engine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Why Adopt the Online Sales Engine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

    The Online Sales Engine Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

    The Components Form a Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Avoid “Dangerous Data” Nightmares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Case Study: Identifying Junk Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

The Customer-Driven Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

    1. Define Your Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

    2. Configure Tracking and Set Goals for Metrics . . . . . . . . . .28

    3. Conduct Research and Improve the User Experience . .30

    4. Sell Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

    5. Manage Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

    6. Increase Visibility with SEO and Paid Search . . . . . . . . . . .34

    7. Revisit the Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

    Close the Loop with Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

    Maintain Your Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

The ROI-Driven Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

3 Building a Metrics-Driven Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The New Era of Website Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Which Metrics Matter Most? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

    Influencing Leads and Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

    The Conversion Funnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

    Lead-Generation Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

    E-Commerce Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

    Choosing a Contact Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

What to Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

    SEO Key Performance Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

    Paid Search KPIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

    Use Business Analysis to Define Your KPI Benchmarks and Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

When to Measure Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Integrating Web KPIs into Business Decision Making . . . . . . . . .58

    Case Study: Landing Pages with Custom 800 Numbers . . .59

Web to Lead to CRM Analysis: Close That Loop! . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

    The Impact of Internet Marketing on Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

    Case Study: Reviewing Customer Conversion Data in Salesforce . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .62

    Moving Data into Salesforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

KPI Reporting on Leads and Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

    Quantity Versus Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Projections for Future Gain Based onPast Performance . . . . . .65

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

4 Breaking Down Silos to Get the Metrics You Need. . . . . . . . . . . 69

Do More Than Gather Data: Build a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Web Analytics: Types, Purpose, Popular Tools for Each . . . . . .70

    Logfile Versus Script-Based Analytics Tracking . . . . . . . . . . .71

    Click Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Call Tracking: Why It’s Essential and How to Select Granularity Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

    Measuring If the Phone Rings (Memory Doesn’t Count) .82

    Selecting the Granularity Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Lead Management: SFA/CRM Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

    CRM Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

    CRM Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

    Next Steps for Follow-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

    Next Steps for Analysis: Quantifying “Assists” Through Lead Attribution . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .88

A Case Study in Lead Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

5 The Audience Is Listening (What Will You Say?). . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Where Do You Start? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

Start with the Tasks and Goals of Your Potential Audiences . . . .94

    Other Important Audiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

    Listen to and Watch Your Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Develop Website Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

    Persona and Scenario Development Process . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

    Sample Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Adapt Your Website to Your Personas’ Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

    Next Steps: Gather More Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

    Consider Their Path to Your Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Case Study: Persona-Driven Redesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Speak Your Audience’s Language: The Real SEO . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

    Do Your Keyword Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

    Evaluate Your Keyphrases in the Context of the Entire Word Market . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . .110

    Case Study: Word Market Focuses Tutor Time on the Right Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

6 Putting It All Together and Selling Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Designing Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

    Incorporating Information Architecture Techniques . . . .118

    Experiment with an Unconventional User-Driven Architecture: McKinley.com . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .119

    The Information Architecture Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

    Investigate and Inform Your Information Architecture . .122

    Develop a Website Skeleton or Wireframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

    Test the Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Graphic Design Comes Later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

    A Process Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Information Architecture Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

    User Personas and Keyword Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

    High-Level Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

    Page Templates with Content Specified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

    How the Website Mission Can Affect Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . .133

Designing Your Landing Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

    Landing Page Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

    The Design Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

    Getting More Granular: When Do You Need a New Landing Page? . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .138

    Long-Term Maintenance Is Critical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Optimizing Your Landing Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

    When to Optimize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

    Use Your User Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

    How to Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

    You Have Data. Now What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

7 Making Websites That Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Improving User Experience and Conversion Rates . . . . . . . . . .148

The Basics: What to Fix Before Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

    Follow Web Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

    On Key Pages: Form Optimization Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

    Template-Level: Automated Attention Analysis . . . . . . . . . .151

    On Every Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Beyond Best Practices: User Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

    Where Do Surveys Fit In? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

    Quantitative User Research: Form Analytics, and A/B Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

    Qualitative User Analysis: Observations, Usability Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

UX Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Website Planning and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

    Plan for Graceful Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

    Website Maintenance Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

    Planning a Website Refresh or Relaunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

Case Study: Poor SEO Execution Hurts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

8 It’s All About Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Who Sees What and How . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

    What Search Engine Spiders See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

    What Search Engine Visitors See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

Writing Web Content for Users and Spiders: On-Site Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

    Page-Level SEO Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

    Page-Level SEO Guide: An Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Case Study: Call It What It Is to Increase Findability . . . . . . . .185

Special Considerations: Blogging for SEO Benefit . . . . . . . . . . .185

    Blogging Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

Get Out of Your Own Way: Make Sure Your Content Is Findable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

    A Digression into the Guts of Web Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188

    Watch Your Web Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

    Take Advantage of Universal Search: Tag Your Media

    Files with Target Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

    Have Fun with Widgets, but Avoid Putting Interesting and Relevant Content Inside Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

    Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin: Consolidate Your Content Power on Your Main Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194

    Crawler Control: Speak to Your Spiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194

Increase Your Findability via Link Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

    How to Approach Website Owners for Links . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Increase Your Findability: Claim and Maintain Your Local Business Listings . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . .202

    Monitoring, Responding to, and Encouraging Reviews Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

Advanced Visibility Strategies: Going Social . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Extending Your Reach with Paid Search Advertising . . . . . . . .205

    Search Engines as Paid Search Vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

    Effective Paid Search Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

    Define Your Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

    Qualify Your Market with Specific Ad Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

    Convert Your Visitors into Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211

    Revisit, Refine, and Refresh Your Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . .211

Advanced Visibility Strategies: Display Advertising . . . . . . . . .212

    The Best Ways to Target Display Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215

9 Running the Feedback Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Revisiting the Project Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

    Your Goals Will Change as Your Process Matures . . . . . . .218

Analyzing Across the Online Sales Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220

    Pulling Data from Various Silos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221

    Common Data Analysis Pitfalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223

Proving ROI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226

    What to Consider When Calculating ROI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226

    When ROI Doesn’t Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

    How to Set Projections for Future Performance . . . . . . . . . .229

    How to Set Projections for Future Performance . . . . . . . . . .229

Boardroom-Ready Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234

    Provide Context for the Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234

    Boardroom Reporting Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

10 Special Considerations for International Organizations . . . 239

Going Global in the New World Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

    The Return of the Silo Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

    Triage for International Disorientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

The Impact of Language, Culture, and Transparency . . . . . . . .241

    Working with Translators and Localization Experts . . . . .241

Case Study: Spidering to Keep All Localized Websites Up-to-Date . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246

    Basic Mechanics for a Global Metrics-Driven Practice . .246

    Use a Single Website Analytics Program Globally . . . . . . .247

    Set Your Web Analytics to Track Across Top-Level Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247

    Unify Your CRM or SFA Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248

    Talk to Each Other! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248

Basic Mechanics for Global Organic Search Visibility . . . . . . .250

    Focus on the Correct Search Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250

    Tune Your Social Strategy to the Right Channel . . . . . . . . .252

    Mind Your Website Top-Level Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252

Basic Mechanics for Global Paid Search Configuration . . . . .253

    Create Regional Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253

    Set Geographic Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254

    Use the Right Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254

    Working with Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256

Basic Mechanics for Global Usability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258

    Before You Translate: Character Set Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258

    Working with Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258

    Working with Other Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

    A Note for E-Commerce Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

    Making It Usable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262

Appendix: TropiCo’s State of the Web Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

    About Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

    About Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

    About Part III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Part I. The Year in Review: The Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

    General Traffic Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

    Geographic Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266

    Traffic Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267

    Quarterly Leads Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268

Part II. How It Happened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269

    Paid Search (Setup, Management, and Expansion) . . . . . .270

    Search Engine Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

    Usability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275

    Strategy, Analysis, and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276

    Local Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278

    Referral Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279

Part III. Looking Forward to 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

    Localize the Online User Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

    Engagement: Move Online Strategy Toward

    Interactive Brand Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281

    Maintain Momentum from FY 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281

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Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020