Can You Hear Me Now? I'm Podcasting

With a little bit of effort and a microphone, you can use podcasting to talk with millions of people. They key is creating something that is worth listening to.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2005). Articles>Technology>Interactive>Podcasting

Checking Out or Getting Out? Reasons for Shopping Cart Abandonment

People used to abandon online shopping carts because they didn't understand how online shopping works. Now, it's because they do.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive. Design>Web Design>E Commerce>User Centered Design

Clicks that Stick: Retargeting Users that Leave Your Site

98 percent of Internet shoppers leave ecommerce sites without buying. That is why Internet-savvy marketers are starting to use retargeting technology to pursuing customers who have left their website and recapture lost sales.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2007). Articles>Web Design>Marketing

Competitive Analysis: Are you Gathering Information or Intelligence?

Finding online information about your competitors is easy--The difficult part is finding meaning. When researching the competition, you can avoid pitfalls by seeking 'intelligence' instead of 'information.'

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2004). Articles>Research>Business Communication

From Web 2.0 to Web 2.007

When Tim O'Reilly coined the term Web 2.0 in 2004, the Internet was still 'a place for people to go.' Now, it's what he imagined: a place where people are. It has become integrated into our daily lives, where we collaborate with others. It has also become a place where our electronics and appliances collaborate on our behalf.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2007). Articles>Web Design

Garbage In, Garbage Out: The Dirt on Google's New Algorithm

In 2004, Google's new search algorithm has search-engine savvy web marketers scrambling for content instead of search engine rankings.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive. Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization

Governing Good Web Site Design

Looking for a means to judge the quality of a web design? A good place to start is with the US Federal Government, which provides more than 175 research-based guidelines.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2004). Articles>Internet>Web Design>Standards

Great Service. Full Service. Self Service.

Great customer service used to mean providing a memorable, high-touch, face-to-face experience for customers. Now, it's the opposite.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive. Design>Web Design>Usability

How Good Does Your Web Site Look on Paper?

Paper prototyping is a fast, low-cost method of testing web site designs. It involves creating rough sketches of a web site design and inviting some of your users to take the design for a test drive using their pen, instead of a mouse, to complete important tasks.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2004). Articles>Web Design>Usability

In-Text Ads Swap Clutter for Context

The prevalence of online banners and text ads have made all but the most annoying online ads nearly transparent to online users. To stand out from the crowd, some marketers are turning to a simple, relevant and transparent advertising format: the text link.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2007). Articles>Web Design>Marketing

It Takes More than Money To Reach The Top

To get the first spot on Google, Yahoo, or MSN, all it used to take was the highest bid. Today, even the experts aren't sure exactly what it's going to take.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2007). Articles>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization

Keyword or Trademark? Beware of PPC Poachers

When it comes to online advertising, one of the tools your competitor has may be your company's name, trademark or service mark. Google and Overture allow advertisers to purchase company and product names as keywords in pay-per-click campaigns. This allows companies to poach potential customers from their competition by having their ads appear whenever a consumer searches for a competitor by name.

Janisch, Troy. evolt (2005). Articles>Intellectual Property>Trademark

My 50 Cents Worth: Web Sites and Pinball Machines

Instead of thinking of your web site in terms of flowcharts and site maps, consider these five reasons your web site is like a pinball game.

Janisch, Troy. icon Interactive (2004). Articles>Internet>Web Design>Marketing

RoI: How Hard is Your Web Site Working?

Accountability is a good thing — as long as it's based on sound objectives. ROI objectives can represent tangible things such as cost savings and intangible tings such as the projected impact your Web site will have on customer perception and behavior. They identify how you plan to use the Internet recover your financial investment and to achieve some specific communication goals and marketing efforts.

Janisch, Troy. evolt (2005). Articles>Web Design>Assessment

ROI: How Hard is Your Web Site Working?

Every web site needs to provide a tangible and timely return on investment (ROI). Your company's web site should be one of the most active and accountable members of its marketing team.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2005). Articles>Web Design>Assessment>Marketing

Silent Partners: Selecting The Best Web Host

Web hosting companies are the ‘silent partner’ of every online business. A good partner makes going online a natural extension of your business. A bad one costs you time, money, and customers.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2005). Articles>Technology>Hosting>E Commerce

Technology for Change

If you're not using these technologies now, your thinking is already outdated.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive. Articles>Technology>User Centered Design

The Text Ads Deliver What You Pay For -- And More

Search engine text ads can outperform most banner ads, even when users aren't clicking. Five tips to make your text ads more effective.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2004). Articles>Web Design>Marketing

The Best and The Rest: Rating Web Developers

When you've got the budget to implement a web project, there is no shortage of vendors who want to be your friend. But how do you determine the best choice?

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2005). Articles>Internet>E Commerce>Web Design

To Boost Advertising Results, Consider Improving Your Web Site

Web sites are an important resource for consumers using traditional advertising. A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh identifies the affects the Internet has on advertising media.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2004). Design>Web Design>Search

Universal Search Impacts Google Results on Large Scale

The introduction of Google's 'Universal Search' has had a large-scale negative impact on the natural results of many online retailers and vertical market websites.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2007). Articles>Web Design>Search

What the Hell is XML?

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is the Eurodollar of web development. Both XML and the Euro bring order to chaos; both offer undeniable, wide-ranging benefits; both are poised, in 2002, to change the way we do things. Frankly, both scare the crap out of people. For web developers, 2002 is a time to conquer fears and take their first hands-on approach to XML. It's time to examine XML and realize the practical benefits that it can provide to web projects today. The bankers can fend for themselves.

Janisch, Troy. List Apart, A (2002). Design>Web Design>Information Design>XML

Your Customer is a Search Engine

While consumer confidence in advertising is at an all-time low their confidence in search engines is growing. Why? Search engines offer consumers what advertising does not: relevance.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2004). Articles>Internet>Marketing>Search

Talking 'Bout My Generation: The Evolution of Online Marketing Research

Utilizing reliable market research on an ongoing basis is the most effective way to ensure a successful marketing campaign. Nevertheless, for many companies, the benefits of conducting marketing research and the costs of conducting marketing research always seem to be at odds. Marketing research can be expensive. Not knowing your customer's needs can be costly.

Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Research