Do you have a Question about Internet marketing
or search engine optimization, or your website?
We'll answer your question privately
or in our next newsletter!
This Month's Question
Q: "I've been interviewing several SEO firms and some of them tell me they have a special relationship with search engines Google, yahoo and MSN and they can get my website higher on those engines very quickly. Is this true?"
A: No.
Unless the company "owns" the search engine, there is no special relationship.
What they probably have is an account in the search engine's pay per click program.
So, they create ads for your website in those pay per click programs to bring traffic to your website.
Of course, the fees for these PPC programs are included in your set up or your monthly fees.
It's a strategy that does work but it's not inexpensive, that's for sure.
The real question here is if the SEO firm is giving you "a line" about a "special relationship", and that's a blatant lie, what else are they lying about?
Following are some resources that I can
personally recommend!
Esther C. Kane
Eckweb Designs, Inc.
Ultimate Guide To Google AdWords- If
you're really serious about managing your Google AdWords account or you want to learn all you can
about Google Adwords so you can provide the service to your clients, this is the book to get.
Click the book above
to buy your copy now!
Web Marketing For Dummies - the dummies
books are a great way for anyone to begin the process of learning just about anything! Web marketing
is no exception. If you're just starting out or even if you're a seasoned old pro, you'll love
this book. It explains things simple enough so that even if you know "how" to do web
marketing, you'll learn how to explain what you do! Something we all struggle with!
Click the book above
to buy your copy now!
101 Ways To Boost Your Web Traffic -
I love these 101 ways books. Many ideas I've already heard of or thought of but inevitably I will
always learn a few new ideas!
Click the book above
to buy your copy now!
Beginning CSS Web Development - if you
haven't begun the process of really learning CSS then you better get cracking. Web designers trained
in schools can't graduate if they create a website with tables. They can only graduate if they
create full blown css websites. So, don't get caught behind the 8 ball. Get cracking!
Showcase Your Patriotism
Celebrate National Black History
Month by celebrating the life of an African American who was important in your industry!
Submit Your Article
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to share with us?
One of the BEST ways to market your web site is to show the Internet audience that you
KNOW your stuff!
If you would like to write an article about any of the following topics and submit it to our Newsletter,
we would love to review it for inclusion in future issues.
Our topics of interest are...
Marketing (General)
Internet Marketing
Small Business Issues
Web Design
Web Hosting
Web site Programming
Because Eckweb works with small and home based businesses we're very sensitive to the cost factors involved in SEO and Internet marketing. But I think that some businesses are just unaware of the costs of marketing to begin with! So, I thought I'd do a little research. (You know how much I love research!)
Average Newspaper Advertisements
A full page ad in a national newspaper - $150,000
A full page ad in a city's newspaper - $10,000
A full page ad in a local town's newspaper - $1000.00
Average Radio Advertisements
A simple voice over radio advertisement - $1000.00
Average Billboard Advertisements
Average cost is between $750.00 - $2500.00 per month
Average Television Commercials
30-second television commercial costs on average of $400,000
Average monthly Search Engine Optimization Fees
10 websites were reviewed for their Monthly SEO Fees - $969.50/month
And since the average ROI (Return On Investment) our clients experience after 12 months of marketing is 200%, we can certainly boast that our prices are low enough!
Maybe the next time I get someone on the phone complaining that our prices are too hgh, I'll just email them this editorial! What do you think?
I receive so many questions about the types of tools that I use not only for Internet Marketing but also for business that I decided I should add a section to the newsletter about them. So, each month (or so) I'll try to add a new tool to this section. Of course, if you have any tools you would like to recommend, please let me know!
Paperless Mail
Many of my clients are home based businesses. So, for protection and privacy, it's best that they don't use their actual address on their websites or any registration process connected with their website.
If getting to a post office or anywhere to open and check a P.O. Box on a regular basis is not convenient for you, then consider PaperLessMail.com.
It's a secure online P.O. Box! For $9.95 a month your "mail" that is sent to this P.O. Box gets scanned and then emailed to you. You never have to leave the house! (For hermits like me, this is GREAT!).
There are several layers of prices but for the $9.95 fee you get up to 200 pieces of mail scanned each month. I'm using it for my registrar information. I think for most home based businesses, this is a great asset.
When you sign up with PaperLessMail.com make sure to use the promo code "eckweb@gmail.com", you'll get a $10.00 credit!
The Buzz About Social Media
5 Ways Social Media Helps Your Small Business
Social media marketing is the wave of the future. What is social media you say? Social Media is the participation of your small business in various social media networks, such as LittleEngine, Myspace, Facebook, Digg, Flickr, YouTube, etc. The media you create about your small business becomes social piece of content and spreads, creating millions of touch points floating around the internet!
Here are five reasons why you should get social:
Primary Traffic Source for Your Small Business Website
If done correctly, a link here and a link there can drive enormous traffic to your website from some of the big social media sites (think digg, reddit, etc.). With enormous traffic, your small business can be a hit without having any physical presence or phone sales. No more annoying people!
Create a Fan/Patron Base
Once you become part of the social world of some of the major websites and make your presence felt, you'll see your fan base skyrocket and people will begin to follow you. For instance, if your providing your expertise to potential customers and other small businesses, they'll easily "Fan" you on LittleEngine. This allows them to easily watch you as you continue to dispense your magic.
Get more Traditional Media Coverage
If one of your blogs posts or content you provided to a social media site (say a video of your small business on YouTube) reaches epic proportions around the social sphere, be prepared to hear your phone ring from traditional sources: newspapers,television channels, etc. The social web is something these traditional powerhouses continue to watch and gather top notch content for their shows, articles, etc.
Brand Awareness
When people visit your site or LittleEngine profile through social media websites or search engines, they'll most likely have a positive brand experience at that moment. They might not stick around for long the first time, but if they stumble upon you again or hear of somebody looking for your line of business, don't be surprise if they ping you and get social with you! If your not on the web in some shape or form, your brand and small business is missing out on some serious recognition!
Sell More!
Here is what all small business owners like to hear! The social media websites will help you sell more, I promise. It might not be a lot at first, but if you provide great expert advice, regularly participate with others on sites like LittleEngine, Digg, Flickr, Facebook, etc., you'll see the sales trickle in for simply being the expert for others.
Search Engine Optimization
Blogging For SEO to Muddy Search Rankings
SEO experts are recommending frequent blogging as the most effective way to raise the organic ranking of one's website. This marketing trend cuts both ways. While companies may become more open in the information that they share with customers and provide some value from the pointed content, the bloggers who are writing primarily to "objectively" cover a subject will likely fall back in rankings.
Ask.Enquiro cited a recent survey claiming that blogging was the most likely activity that companies would use to increase their search ranking. The site recommends highlighting your most successful posts to push them even higher in the rankings and build traffic. Another tip is to mention companies with their stock symbols in your posts so that the companies PR folks will pay attention and link to them in their news sections.
There are numerous useful blogs hosted at corporate websites that span marketing topics and don't seem like PR spew. More voices providing timely information means additional inside information as long as the corporate overlords allow writers some freedom.
For bloggers who aren't advocating a product or service, it could mean you'll have to work harder to rise above the noise.
If you, like a good number of your friends, neighbors and – perhaps more importantly – your business associates, subscribe to the notion that our economy is either approaching or already in the throes of a recession, take a deep breath. Maybe we need to change the “R” word to the “O” word.
As in “Opportunity.”
Welcome to the February edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.
I’m no economist, but I have seen The Ways of Things in my thirty-plus years of doing business, both on the corporate and service-provider sides. Think Stock Market. To re-paraphrase Isaac Newton, what goes down…must eventually go back up.
Here are some heartening observations I’ve gleaned lately by fellow marketing pundits.
Charlie Elberson, Wray Ward Laseter VP of Brand Development, notes in his blog:
“Thriving in hard times is especially gratifying (and certainly more attention-getting) because few can do it. Wisdom, courage, smarts – along with an ability to grasp new realities – these are prerequisites to getting through down times on top. Most important is a steely-eyed commitment to a plan.”
Among which are:
“• Increase share of mind. Increasing brand presence during a recession yields disproportionate increases in share of market. Why? You’re buying real estate in buyers’ minds while the competition is withdrawn. Smart.
• Simplify your world. Bet that your competitors will reduce the scale of their programs but not the scope, they’ll do less of everything. Now is a great time to do a few things really, really well.
• Get ready for the Big I (major initiative). Good times, like the bad, have a way of sneaking up on us. Start getting ready now to have a major initiative (or two) all set to go for when things improve.
Down time is a smart time to lay the groundwork for greater success tomorrow. When the sun’ll come out.”
Robert Midddleton, Internet-based marketing coach, in his weekly e-zine opines:
“Certain words trigger certain feelings. We hear the word recession in the media over and over, and each time it triggers a little fear, a little uncertainty. Before you know it, many people are making the recession a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“The economy is experiencing a bout of flu. But like the flu, it will eventually pass with minimal side effects. If you look at it like that, no problem. You take some precautions, but you don't lapse into hopelessness and despair. You can treat this like a wake up call. You, personally, can make a difference for you, your family and business. You can choose what you think and do. You can take creative action.
"Part of this is taking control of your marketing. You can't leave it to chance anymore. Those who practice proven marketing strategies will attract more business than those who don't - especially when times are tight. Don't let yourself be dragged down by talk of a recession. You can use a downturn as an opportunity to sharpen your marketing skills.”
Then again, you can always heed the words of Steve Forbes, publisher of the iconic business magazine that bears his late father’s name. When asked recently in an interview with The Charlotte Observer, are we headed into a recession, he answered:
“No. As a matter of fact, after the first quarter, the economy should surprise people with its strength. The Federal Reserve is still pumping up boatloads of money. The second and third quarters should come in around 2.5 and 3 percent (GDP growth). Next year I think we’re going to have problems, because the Fed can’t keep inflating, but for now the world is not coming to an end.”
There, Grumpy. Are you smiling yet..?
Check this space again the first Tuesday of next month for another boatload of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips.
Joel Kweskin
Just Wondering Department: Great game Sunday. But watching all those commercials at $2.7 million a pop, I couldn’t help but think – with much talk during this presidential race period about issues like poverty and outrageous health care costs – wouldn’t just one of those advertisers have made quite a PR statement by telling the public that they planned NOT to advertise on the Super Bowl and instead were taking that money and making a “Super” contribution to an appropriate charity/charities to help those in need..?
Okay, this video has nothing to do with SEO but it's a creative, silly little video about a cat but it's been viewed over 6 million times! Just goes to show you can create a commercial about anything!
Article Of The Month
5 Ways Social Media Helps Your Small Business
Social media marketing is the wave of the future. What is social media you say? Social Media is the participation of your small business in various social media networks, such as LittleEngine, Myspace, Facebook, Digg, Flickr, YouTube, etc. The media you create about your small business becomes social piece of content and spreads, creating millions of touch points floating around the internet!
Here are five reasons why you should get social:
Primary Traffic Source for Your Small Business Website
If done correctly, a link here and a link there can drive enormous traffic to your website from some of the big social media sites (think digg, reddit, etc.). With enormous traffic, your small business can be a hit without having any physical presence or phone sales. No more annoying people!
Create a Fan/Patron Base
Once you become part of the social world of some of the major websites and make your presence felt, you'll see your fan base skyrocket and people will begin to follow you. For instance, if your providing your expertise to potential customers and other small businesses, they'll easily "Fan" you on LittleEngine. This allows them to easily watch you as you continue to dispense your magic.
Get more Traditional Media Coverage
If one of your blogs posts or content you provided to a social media site (say a video of your small business on YouTube) reaches epic proportions around the social sphere, be prepared to hear your phone ring from traditional sources: newspapers,television channels, etc. The social web is something these traditional powerhouses continue to watch and gather top notch content for their shows, articles, etc.
Brand Awareness
When people visit your site or LittleEngine profile through social media websites or search engines, they'll most likely have a positive brand experience at that moment. They might not stick around for long the first time, but if they stumble upon you again or hear of somebody looking for your line of business, don't be surprise if they ping you and get social with you! If your not on the web in some shape or form, your brand and small business is missing out on some serious recognition!
Sell More!
Here is what all small business owners like to hear! The social media websites will help you sell more, I promise. It might not be a lot at first, but if you provide great expert advice, regularly participate with others on sites like LittleEngine, Digg, Flickr, Facebook, etc., you'll see the sales trickle in for simply being the expert for others.
Idea Of The Month
Diversity - Helps Your Business To Survive
I'll bet you that the majority of small businesses stick to their services or base products. I mean, they don't think beyond what they're already doing.
If you haven't already figured it out, this is a horrible mistake.
In today's global economy, it's extremely important to continuously change and grow. And part of that changing and growing includes diversifying.
If you've been doing the same thing for 2, 5, 10 years or more, then it may be difficult for you to think about how to diversify so let's go through some examples.
Website Hosting Company
You market website hosting services, of course. But, what else are your customers looking for? Website designers, internet marketers, shopping cart programs, graphic designers? These are just a few! So, give it to them. Create a directory, city by city, state by state, whatever, of lists of designers, marketers, software, etc. You can earn revenue through AdSense and your website gets recognition on every page!
Attorneys
You market your specific services to your geography. So, expand to other geographic markets. How? There are 2 ways.
1) Your knowledge base can be used to provide general knowledge about your field. Example: Let's say you're a divorce attorney. There are certain factors about divorce that are universal. Create a website or blog and write your tips, advice, information, etc. about the procedures, consequences, etc. of divorce.
2) Create a directory of divorce attorneys across the country or the world. Again, Adsense is an excellent way to earn revenue from this new website.
Manufacturing
I market several manufacturing websites. Each one markets their products to a specific audience. EXPAND YOUR AUDIENCE! What else are your products used for?
Fast-Pack.com sells bubble wrap. I bet you didn't think there was anything too creative about bubble wrap. Well, they have expanded their audience by showing all the creative ways you can use bubble wrap. Just take a look at how they use "Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day" to market their product.
These are just a few, very few, ways that you can EXPAND. In today's economy, it's more important than ever to distinguish yourself from others in your field. So, go ahead, take the plunge and grow your business!
Do you have an Internet Marketing Idea or Tip you would
like to share?
Usability and the utility, not the visual design, determine the success or failure of a web-site. Since the visitor of the page is the only person who clicks the mouse and therefore decides everything, user-centric design has become a standard approach for successful and profit-oriented web design. After all, if users can’t use a feature, it might as well not exist.
We aren’t going to discuss the implementation details (e.g. where the search box should be placed) as it has already been done in a number of articles; instead we focus on the main principles, heuristics and approaches for effective web design — approaches which, used properly, can lead to more sophisticated design decisions and simplify the process of perceiving presented information.
we’ll cover more principles of effective design in our following posts. Therefore you might want to subscribe to our RSS-feed.
In order to use the principles properly we first need to understand how users interact with web-sites, how they think and what are the basic patterns of users’ behavior.
How do users think?
Basically, users’ habits on the Web aren’t that different from customers’ habits in a store. Visitors glance at each new page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles the thing they’re looking for. In fact, there are large parts of the page they don’t even look at.
Most users search for something interesting (or useful) and clickable; as soon as some promising candidates are found, users click. If the new page doesn’t meet users’ expectations, the Back button is clicked and the search process is continued.
Users appreciate quality and credibility. If a page provides users with high-quality content, they are willing to compromise the content with advertisements and the design of the site. This is the reason why not-that-well-designed web-sites with high-quality content gain a lot of traffic over years. Content is more important than the design which supports it.
Users don’t read, they scan. Analyzing a web-page, users search for some fixed points or anchors which would guide them through the content of the page.
Web users are impatient and insist on instant gratification. Very simple principle: If a web-site isn’t able to meet users’ expectations, then designer failed to get his job done properly and the company loses money. The higher is the cognitive load and the less intuitive is the navigation, the more willing are users to leave the web-site and search for alternatives. [JN / DWU]
Users don’t make optimal choices. Users don’t search for the quickest way to find the information they’re looking for. Neither do they scan web-page in a linear fashion, going sequentially from one site section to another one. Instead users satisfice; they choose the first reasonable option. As soon as they find a link that seems like it might lead to the goal, there is a very good chance that it will be immediately clicked. Optimizing is hard, and it takes a long time. Satisficing is more efficient. [video]
Both pictures show: sequential reading flow doesn’t work in the Web. Right screenshot on the image at the bottom describes the scan path of a given page.
Users follow their intuition. In most cases users muddle through instead of reading the information a designer has provided. According to Steve Krug, the basic reason for that is that users don’t care. “If we find something that works, we stick to it. It doesn’t matter to us if we understand how things work, as long as we can use them. If your audience is going to act like you’re designing billboard, then design great billboards.”
Users want to have control. Users want to be able to control their browser and rely on the consistent data presentation throughout the site. E.g. they don’t want new windows popping up unexpectedly and they want to be able to get back with a “Back”-button to the site they’ve been before: therefore it’s a good practice to never open links in new browser windows.
1. Don’t make users think
According to Krug’s first law of usability, the web-page should be obvious and self-explanatory. When you’re creating a site, your job is to get rid of the question marks — the decisions users need to make consciously, considering pros, cons and alternatives.
If the navigation and site architecture aren’t intuitive, the number of question marks grows and makes it harder for users to comprehend how the system works and how to get from point A to point B. A clear structure, moderate visual clues and easily recognizable links can help users to find their path to their aim.
Let’s take a look at an example. Beyondis.co.uk claims to be “beyond channels, beyond products, beyond distribution”. What does it mean? Since users tend to explore web-sites according to the “F”-pattern, these three statements would be the first elements users will see on the page once it is loaded.
Although the design itself is simple and intuitive, to understand what the page is about the user needs to search for the answer. This is what an unnecessary question mark is. It’s designer’s task to make sure that the number of question marks is close to 0. The visual explanation is placed on the right hand side. Just exchanging both blocks would increase usability.
ExpressionEngine uses the very same structure like Beyondis, but avoids unnecessary question marks. Furthermore, the slogan becomes functional as users are provided with options to try the service and download the free version.
By reducing cognitive load you make it easier for visitors to grasp the idea behind the system. Once you’ve achieved this, you can communicate why the system is useful and how users can benefit from it. People won’t use your web site if they can’t find their way around it.
2. Don’t squander users’ patience
In every project when you are going to offer your visitors some service or tool, try to keep your user requirements minimal. The less action is required from users to test a service, the more likely a random visitor is to actually try it out. First-time visitors are willing to play with the service, not filling long web forms for an account they might never use in the future. Let users explore the site and discover your services without forcing them into sharing private data. It’s not reasonable to force users to enter an email address to test the feature.
As Ryan Singer — the developer of the 37Signals team — states, users would probably be eager to provide an email address if they were asked for it after they’d seen the feature work, so they had some idea of what they were going to get in return.
Stikkit is a perfect example for a user-friendly service which requires almost nothing from the visitor which is unobtrusive and comforting. And that’s what you want your users to feel on your web site.
Apparently, Mite requires more. However the registration can be done in less than 30 seconds — as the form has horizontal orientation, the user doesn’t even need to scroll the page.
Ideally remove all barriers, don’t require subscriptions or registrations first. A user registration alone is enough of an impediment to user navigation to cut down on incoming traffic.
3. Manage to focus users’ attention
As web-sites provide both static and dynamic content, some aspects of the user interface attract attention more than others do. Obviously, images are more eye-catching than the text — just as the sentences marked as bold are more attractive than plain text.
The human eye is a highly non-linear device, and web-users can instantly recognize edges, patterns and motions. This is why video-based advertisements are extremely annoying and distracting, but from the marketing perspective they perfectly do the job of capturing users’ attention.
Humanized.com perfectly uses the principle of focus. The only element which is directly visible to the users is the word “free” which works attractive and appealing, but still calm and purely informative. Subtle hints provide users with enough information of how to find more about the “free” product.
Focusing users’ attention to specific areas of the site with a moderate use of visual elements can help your visitors to get from point A to point B without thinking of how it actually is supposed to be done. The less question marks visitors have, the better sense of orientation they have and the more trust they can develop towards the company the site represents. In other words: the less thinking needs to happen behind the scenes, the better is the user experience which is the aim of usability in the first place.
4. Strive for feature exposure
Modern web designs are usually criticized due to their approach of guiding users with visually appealing 1-2-3-done-steps, large buttons with visual effects etc. But from the design perspective these elements actually aren’t a bad thing. On the contrary, such guidelines are extremely effective as they lead the visitors through the site content in a very simple and user-friendly way.
Dibusoft.com combines visual appeal with clear site structure. The site has 9 main navigation options which are visible at the first glance. The choice of colors might be too light, though.
Letting the user see clearly what functions are available is a fundamental principle of successful user interface design. It doesn’t really matter how this is achieved. What matters is that the content is well-understood and visitors feel comfortable with the way they interact with the system.
5. Make use of effective writing
As the Web is different from print, it’s necessary to adjust the writing style to users’ preferences and browsing habits. Promotional writing won’t be read. Long text blocks without images and keywords marked in bold or italics will be skipped. Exaggerated language will be ignored.
Talk business. Avoid cute or clever names, marketing-induced names, company-specific names, and unfamiliar technical names. For instance, if you describe a service and want users to create an account, “sign up” is better than “start now!” which is again better than “explore our services”.
Eleven2.com gets directly to the point. No cute words, no exaggerated statements. Instead a price: just what visitors are looking for.
An optimal solution for effective writing is to
use short and concise phrases (come to the point as quickly as possible),
use scannable layout (categorize the content, use multiple heading levels, use visual elements and bulleted lists which break the flow of uniform text blocks),
use plain and objective language (a promotion doesn’t need to sound like advertisement; give your users some reasonable and objective reason why they should use your service or stay on your web-site)
6. Strive for simplicity
The “keep it simple”-principle (KIS) should be the primary goal of site design. Users are rarely on a site to enjoy the design; furthermore, in most cases they are looking for the information despite the design. Strive for simplicity instead of complexity.
Crcbus provides visitors with a clean and simple design. You may have no idea what the site is about as it is in Italian, however you can directly recognize the navigation, header, content area and the footer. Notice how even icons manage to communicate the information clearly. Once the icons are hovered, additional information is provided.
From the visitors’ point of view, the best site design is a pure text, without any advertisements or further content blocks matching exactly the query visitors used or the content they’ve been looking for. This is one of the reasons why a user-friendly print-version of web pages is essential for good user experience.
Finch clearly presents the information about the site and gives visitors a choice of options without overcrowding them with unnecessary content.
7. Don’t be afraid of the white space
Actually it’s really hard to overestimate the importance of white space. Not only does it help to reduce the cognitive load for the visitors, but it makes it possible to perceive the information presented on the screen. When a new visitor approaches a design layout, the first thing he/she tries to do is to scan the page and divide the content area into digestible pieces of information.
Complex structures are harder to read, scan, analyze and work with. If you have the choice between separating two design segments by a visible line or by some whitespace, it’s usually better to use the whitespace solution. Hierarchical structures reduce complexity (Simon’s Law): the better you manage to provide users with a sense of visual hierarchy, the easier your content will be to perceive.
White space is good. Cameron.io uses white space as a primary design element. The result is a well-scannable layout which gives the content a dominating position it deserves.
8. Communicate effectively with a “visible language”
In his papers on effective visual communication, Aaron Marcus states three fundamental principles involved in the use of the so-called “visible language” — the content users see on a screen.
Organize: provide the user with a clear and consistent conceptual structure. Consistency, screen layout, relationships and navigability are important concepts of organization. The same conventions and rules should be applied to all elements.
Economize: do the most with the least amount of cues and visual elements. Four major points to be considered: simplicity, clarity, distinctiveness, and emphasis. Simplicity includes only the elements that are most important for communication. Clarity: all components should be designed so their meaning is not ambiguous. Distinctiveness: the important properties of the necessary elements should be distinguishable. Emphasis: the most important elements should be easily perceived.
Communicate: match the presentation to the capabilities of the user. The user interface must keep in balance legibility, readability, typography, symbolism, multiple views, and color or texture in order to communicate successfully. Use max. 3 typefaces in a maximum of 3 point sizes — a maximum of 18 words or 50-80 characters per line of text.
9. Conventions are our friends
Conventional design of site elements doesn’t result in a boring web site. In fact, conventions are very useful as they reduce the learning curve, the need to figure out how things work. For instance, it would be a usability nightmare if all web-sites had different visual presentation of RSS-feeds. That’s not that different from our regular life where we tend to get used to basic principles of how we organize data (folders) or do shopping (placement of products).
With conventions you can gain users’ confidence, trust, reliability and prove your credibility. Follow users’ expectations — understand what they’re expecting from a site navigation, text structure, search placement etc. (see Nielsen’s Usability Alertbox for more information)
BabelFish in use: Amazon.com in Russian.
A typical example from usability sessions is to translate the page in Japanese (assuming your web users don’t know Japanese, e.g. with Babelfish) and provide your usability testers with a task to find something in the page of different language. If conventions are well-applied, users will be able to achieve a not-too-specific objective, even if they can’t understand a word of it.
Steve Krug suggests that it’s better to innovate only when you know you really have a better idea, but take advantages of conventions when you don’t.
10. Test early, test often
This so-called TETO-principle should be applied to every web design project as usability tests often provide crucial insights into significant problems and issues related to a given layout.
Test not too late, not too little and not for the wrong reasons. In the latter case it’s necessary to understand that most design decisions are local; that means that you can’t universally answer whether some layout is better than the other one as you need to analyze it from a very specific point of view (considering requirements, stakeholders, budget etc.).
Some important points to keep in mind:
according to Steve Krug, testing one user is 100% better than testing none and testing one user early in the project is better than testing 50 near the end. Accoring to Boehm’s first law, errors are most frequent during requirements and design activities and are the more expensive the later they are removed.
testing is an iterative process. That means that you design something, test it, fix it and then test it again. There might be problems which haven’t been found during the first round as users were practically blocked by other problems.
usability tests always produce useful results. Either you’ll be pointed to the problems you have or you’ll be pointed to the absence of major design flaws which is in both cases a useful insight for your project.
according to Weinberg’s law, a developer is unsuited to test his or her code. This holds for designers as well. After you’ve worked on a site for few weeks, you can’t observe it from a fresh perspective anymore. You know how it is built and therefore you know exactly how it works — you have the wisdom independent testers and visitors of your site wouldn’t have.
Bottom line: if you want a great site, you’ve got to test.
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