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eFusion offers a wide variety of integrated modules, included in the technology to make building your website faster, and easier. You are able to setup, and utilize these modules with little, to no programming experience.

The first module I will explain is the Ad Rotators. This is a simple module, which allows you to create groups of images, banners, or ads which will randomly appear on a specific page each time that page is loaded up. these rotating groups can range from simple images. to HTML, to more advanced flash applications. Inserting a group of rotating images is, obviously, the easiest. All you need to do is create the Rotator by selecting this module, and providing a name. You will then be shown a screen asking you to label the image, the images source URL, and any potential click-through URL you wish to attach to the image. In order to determine the source URL of the image, there is a handy browse button that will bring you into the file manager, where you can select any picture you have previously uploaded to your project. You can add as many images as you wish to the ad rotator group.

Adding a flash application is very similar to adding an image. You will see the same screen, but instead of image you will select Flash from the Item Type dropdown list. Like adding an image you can then determine the source URL by browsing for the flash file uploaded to your project. You can again add as many flash items as you wish to your rotation.

Adding a rotating HTML section differs only slightly. Once you select HTML from your Item Type dropdown list you will be provided with a box to enter in the HMTL code instead of searching for the source URL of the item. Using the rotating HTML is particularly useful if you wish to display a graphic banner ad with links to more than one section of your website.

Once you have created your Ad Rotator group you can preview it, and then proceed to add it to a webpage. There will be a button the right-hand side Action Box that says Add Ad Rotator to a web page. Clicking this will show you a list of your various web pages, and then you can choose which one, and where on that page you would like it to display. You also have the ability to add this module onto a template by going into your template, and selecting Add Modules to this template. All you have to do then is select the module, in the case the ad rotator, and add it where you like.

You do not necessarily have to add a click-through link to any of your rotating items, but should you choose to do so, you can come back to the group, and view the performance of the ads you created. You can view the performance based on a set time period of your choosing, be it just for one day, a week, a month, or a year. The performance report will include the Total Impressions, Total Click Throughs, and Click Through Rate.

A concept design is like a puzzle.

We are talking about a composition that makes sense just when all its composing elements are carefully grouped as a whole. Each piece has its own place and role in the big picture of our design. That’s why I would name the base elements –pieces, details; and the whole image –the big picture. The balance of the design can’t stand on it’s own when the base elements are separated, as each element plays an important part in composing the big picture, ultimately designed to be aesthetically pleasing and functional to the viewer.

The relationship between the details and the final concept encompasses a careful arrangement of the elements in such a way that the final image is both aesthetic and practical. During the creative process, the most important elements are credited with the most attention, and are placed to have the most impact and draw the most attention from the visitor, some of them are imposed and others are somehow neglected.

The colour, the letter and the image are elements which if they are correctly combined by using correct quantities can generate a perfect composition. A good designer has both the details and the big picture in mind all the time as he tries to find the best solution to perfectly integrate the details into the big picture.

From the initial concept to its completion, meaning its implementation in technology – there are few more elements which influence the design.

The client is an element that can impose some changes, usually these changes are in the small-details of the design but they can still affect the big picture. A recipe to success is a complex and visually balanced design in which the details are mixed together in order to create the big picture.

For this reason any intervention in the design concept should be made keeping in mind the big picture, taking care not to break the balance that has been in the designer’s mind. To avoid headaches try to show, as clear as possible, the goals and the interests of your client, because the success of the big picture depends on them.

Remember, every piece has its own place in the big picture.

Make wise changes, keep the balance.

eFusion is a user friendly all in one website development platform that offers a number of  easy to use modules, eCommerce, email marketing, hosting, webmail system, built-in analytics and integrated CRM. Setting up a website within the eFusion platform is quick and simple to do. Aside from starting a website form scratch, you have the ability to choose from several pre-designed template layouts for almost any type of website. eFusion also offers the ability to import a current website, outside of the platform, into the system for easier management, and added functionality.

Some of the basic modules included in eFusion are the Ad Rotator, Bookings, FAQ Manager, Literature Module, Photo Gallery, Site Search, Site Map, Web Forms, and Announcements, which functions as a news manager. For more advanced users they also offer a Web Apps module that allows for you to create your own custom applications, which are integrated directly into the system. Aside from these basic modules there is also the added bonus of fully a integrated Blog, Dynamic Menus, and Forums. All of these modules are fully customizable.

Also included within the system is an eCommerce section. With this shopping cart you can several product catalogs, and products with ease. Payment gateways for your shopping cart are included in the eCommerce section, as well as shipping options, gift vouchers for your online store, and the system support multiple currencies. All of your online sales will be tracked with eFusion’s built-in reporting system.

The Email Marketing part of eFusion, used in conjunction with the Web Forms, lets you capture visitor emails, and add them into various email lists for future use in your email marketing campaigns. Much like setting up a website there are several pre-defined email templates you can use to make your monthly newsletters stand out. Or you can upload your own email templates to the system, and use those instead.

On top of all of these great features eFusion has a fully integrated CRM,  so you can easily manage your customer database categorizing your database any way you want, and their built-in analytics make keeping track of all the traffic coming to your website simple as can be.

Stay tuned for future installments of this blog where I will begin to further break down all of the various elements of the eFusion platform, and offer in-depth explanations of all the modules, and the best practices for their use.



Since I started work with web analytics, I have continually seen the same corporate mindset when it comes to web analytics. That mentality is the “Set it & Forget it” mentality. It would shock you to hear how often clients come to us with a web analytics solution already integrated with their website… only to discover that they aren’t actually using it.

What, I ask you, is the point to having a web analytics solution that you are not going to utilize? Every time I see this, I can’t help but imagine the amount of time and money these companies have wasted having their tech department set everything up and tag all those web pages with tracking codes, simply because they happened to hear somewhere that you need to have some form of analytics nowadays.

Guess what? You don’t really have a solution, do you? If you are not actually using the data provided by web analytics, what exactly are you fixing? It only becomes a solution when it’s used to fix a problem. The problems with a web site won’t simply disappear because you’ve integrated web analytics. The issues will continue to pile up until it reaches the point that the bubble simply bursts and you are left standing there wondering how it all went so wrong.

The main problem I see with all of these clients is simply that they have failed to educate themselves on what exactly web analytics can do for them. The data collected by your web analytics solution allows you to make educated decisions regarding your website, fine tuning it and enriching the experience your visitors have on your site. You can quickly identify where visitors are encountering problems by monitoring your top exit pages. Obviously a majority of your traffic is meeting a road block at these pages, else they wouldn’t be leaving, would they?

Many companies fail to realize just how important it is to have someone on staff who understands the vast array of data being gathered. Who knows how to create actionable plans with that data and report on it in a comprehensible fashion to key individuals within the company. Remember, not everyone is an analyst. Most people see all of that data, all of those charts and graphs, numbers and terms… and they completely shut down. This is called information overload. A good analyst will know how to distill all of the information collected and put it into reports specifically designed for certain individuals or departments. This will allow for a greater understanding of the data being viewed and get those individuals or departments on the right track to making things better both for the company and it’s online presence.

For a quick example, the tech department doesn’t really care how many visitors are buying products on the site. That is the marketing and sales department’s turf. However, you show the tech department how many users encountered error pages and what navigation path visitors followed to arrive at that error page and they can act on it, making the site function better and keep visitors from leaving the site.

These are all very simple ways in which web analytics play a role in the company. Web analytics doesn’t end there though. There are a number of things you can do to further improve not only the website and the conversion process, but the internal operations of the company. When you start assigning accountability to certain departments or individuals, you can track the progress of your staff as well.

The tech department is responsible for metrics pertaining to site realted issues such as broken links, missing pages, non-functioning forms, etc. The marketing and sales department are responsible for metrics pertaining to visitor conversion rates, click-through rates of online marketing campaigns and the success or failure of those campaigns. All of this needs to be tracked! If these departments or individuals are consistently failing to meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), than maybe it is time to look for some new employees?

That may sound harsh, but it is reality. If you aren’t doing your job, why should the company continue to pay you?

This leads me to another very important point. KPIs.

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a company build a website and start spending money on internet marketing without ever having given thought to Key Performance Indicators. What is the goal of the website? What do you want it to accomplish for the company? Do you want visitors to sign up for a newsletter, fill out a contact form, purchase a product or register for a service? If you don’t know the goals of your website, don’t expect high conversion rates or any ROI.

Figure out the goals before building and marketing the website, folks! This is very important. If you know what you want the website to do and accomplish in advanced, it becomes very easy to create proper user navigation paths that funnel your visitors towards conversion points. This also raises the issue of knowing your target demographic. If you are trying to sell MP3 Players to male teenagers, putting a pink iPod on your homepage as your featured product is going to be a bad idea, wouldn’t you agree?

There are a number of websites which offer free tools that will help you better determine your target demographic in the online marketplace. Give Quantcast a try (http://www.quantcast.com). Try searching a large competitor website and see what their demographic is like. Below, I have included a screenshot based on the previously mentioned MP3 Player market. When people think MP3 Player now, they think iPod, so I checked the Apple Store’s website and here is what came back…

Be honest… not what you expected to see, is it? And this is just based on U.S visitors! Right away we can tell a few things..

1. 53% of visitors to the Apple Store website are female
2. 23% of their traffic is between the ages of 12-17
3. 35% of their traffic is between the ages of 18-34
4. 32% of their traffic come from households that bring in between $60,000 – $100,000 per year
5. 44% of their traffic have attended college

Some fairly interesting statistics, wouldn’t you say? In a later post, I will discuss how you can use this information to create and track highly focused marketing campaigns.

Cheers!

In our industry the strongest design is that which best conveys the company image to your audience. This means that the main element behind any well crafted design is clearly knowing the identity of whom the design is suited for.

Here are the basic principles of a well branded company who’s message is simultaneously sung internally, to the advertising which represents it, and finally the clients or prospects which it is intended for.

Who You Are = Who You Say You Are = Who People Say You Are

It is a simple mechanic but one that most businesses fail to pay attention to.

A stronger message about who you are, echoed throughout everything you do, ultimately leads to an honest, long lasting relationship with your prospect. This not only allows for great word of mouth marketing (look for this in an upcoming blog) but it establishes a connection with your client which will surely keep them around for a long time to come.

As long as you keep singing the same tune!

“Out of the Box” as it were, Google Analytics is able to recognize a fairly significant list of search engines that send traffic to your website. However, they don’t recognize all of them, and that is a problem for people like me. I always want to know more about the traffic coming to my websites.

Thankfully, the Google Analytics Tracking Code (GATC), is very flexible and allows you to make many modifications to further expand the amount of data relayed to your Analytics Account.

I will now show a quick and easy way which will allow you to “hack” your GATC to include custom search engines in the Search Engines report under Traffic Sources in your Analytics Account.

Step 1
Determine what search engine you would like added. For the purposes of this example, I will use Jayde, The B2B Search Engine. Go to the search engine and enter a quick search query. I used “socialmindz”. The URL that I am re-directed to is:

http://directory.jayde.com/search?a=0&query=socialmindz&search=search

Now, all we need is the the part of the URL which tells us there was a search query. In this case, the only part we need is “query“.

Now then, take your GATC and make the following changes in bold:

<script type=”text/javascript”>
var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);
document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src=’” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));
</script>
<script type=”text/javascript”>
try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-XXXXXXX-X”);
pageTracker._addOrganic(“jayde.com”, “query”);
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}</script>

Notice how we made use of the “query” section of the search results URL from Jayde.

Note: Any edits you make to add custom search engines should be made below the “var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker” call.

Step 2

Add your new GATC to your website and you are done! Very simple, yes?

You can do this with as many different search engines as you’d like. It may require a bit of trial and error on your part however to find the proper portion of the search engine results URL that will facilitate proper data collection in your Analytics Account. Do not be discouraged though. Patience is the key!

Please bare in mind that you need to replace the “UA-XXXXXXX-X” section with your actual Google Analytics user account number. If you are working from your current GATC, don’t worry… it’s already there!

With the current rise of social media and many companies now learning the importance of having a presence on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, the importance of analytics has only grown.

The question I most frequently hear when it comes to social media is, “How can we track social media campaigns when they aren’t happening on our websites?”

Well, the answer is simple folks. Analytics doesn’t end with your domain. You can track the effectiveness of the links you are creating. It is very simple to do, and you can even use Google’s free URL Builder tool to tag your links with the script necessary to track them.

Now, a quick run through of this easy-to-use tool

So, as you can see, it is very straight-forward. Put in the URL of your website or page that you are linking to, and then include some info in the fields below.

Your Campaign Source should be where you are posting the link, so Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc.

You Campaign Medium will allow you select what capacity the link is being used in. Is it the link from a banner?

The Campaign Term will allow you to identify what triggered your ad. If you ad only shows when people search for the term “web analytics” or have an interest in web analytics, that is the term you’d use for this field. It will help you to distinguish how effective that term is and you can then use it in later campaigns.

Campaign Content will let you differentiate your ads in the event you are running multiple ads for A/B (Split) Testing – which you should be, I might add! Make sure what you put in this field matches up with what you’ve named the ad in your advertising account with these different networks. It will make things easier on you when you pull you analytics reports!

Finally, your Campaign Name. This is pretty easy. Whats the name of your campaign? It can be something simple and easy to remember, so don’t worry about it to much. You can see that I named mine “Understanding Analytics” so I know what site it is for!

Once you have filled in these fields, or only the required ones if you like, click the “Generate URL” button and the tool will build your URL for you. Copy it, and paste it where needed for your social media campaigns. People who click on those links will be easily identified in your analytics reports. You will now be able to track how effective your Social Media Optimization is using Google Analytics.

Now, that was nice and simple, wasn’t it?

In closing, always be sure that you are using proper A/B Testing, or “Split Testing”. Every week you should be trying to beat the performance of your control ad. If you manage it, you’ve got yourself a new control ad! Try and beat that one now! This will help you create better performing advertisements, increase your conversion rates and your ROI. This means more money for everyone, which is never a bad thing. Unless you don’t like money. And if you didn’t like money, you wouldn’t be reading this!

Here is to your success folks!
Ryan Dinelle

So, you’ve built a website and now you are ready to start getting some visitors! The question is, how do you do it?

The answer is quite simple. Search Engine Optimization.

If you are new to SEO, then you may be wondering just how to accomplish optimizing your website. Here are a few simple ways in which you can optimize your website to start driving organic traffic to your website.

1. Create Title tags for your web pages which include your main keywords, and correspond to the content on that page. Make it natural and informative as possible while keeping it short. Aim for no more than 70 characters, as this is the number of characters Google will display in an organic search.
2. Create meta-description tags that are unique to each page on your website. Keep it relevant and try to remember that in most search engines, this is what is going to draw people into your website. Try to use your keywords in a natural fashion, while ensuring that it does a good job outlining what can be found on your web page.
3. Use meta-keywords tags for each page on your website. This will assist the search engines in properly indexing your website. You are essentially telling it what terms you consider to be of high importance on each page of your site. Make sure that the keywords can be found in your site content.
4. Create valuable website content. Make sure that important terms are in bold and that terms being used in reference to another service or point which can be found on your site are linked to the most relevant information.
5. Create organized directory structures for your website. A URL that looks like this, “www.yourdomain.com/cms/archive/services3.html” will not benefit you quite like a URL which looks like this, “www.yourdomain.com/seo/search-engine-optimization.html”. Notice the use of keywords inside the second URL. This can be done by naming your page files in accordance with what the page is really about, and naming the containing folder in the same fashion.

These are just a few simple things you can do in which to help optimize your website. For more tips on SEO, be sure to check WSI Buzz frequently!