June 1, 2005
In
This Issue:
1. Yahoo's Mindset
2. In the News - Jux2, Web Writing e-book
3. More News Headlines
4. This Week's Q&A - Shipping choices
5. Wrapping It Up
_________________
Yahoo's Mindset
What do you want? That's what every search engine
tries to figure out when you do a search. You
searched for "saturn" -- did you mean
the planet or the car? Personalized search, which
we've talked about before, is how the search engines
are trying to figure out exactly what you want.
Into the fray now is a new tool from Yahoo called
"Mindset", which Yahoo is billing as
"intent-driven search." It's currently
available in Yahoo's Research Labs area. The premise
is simple: Do a search, and at the top of the
listings use a sliding bar to indicate whether
you're shopping or researching. The further you
slide the bar, the more the search results will
change. The approach is similar to what MSN Search
offers with its "Search Builder" tools,
and much better than Google's seemingly half-hearted
personalized search tool (which is also a test
version in Google's Labs area).
We're in the very early stages of personalized
search, and no doubt the technology will get better.
But with each step we get closer to the day when
the user controls the SERPs, not the search engine.
The idea of a universal No. 1 ranking for your
most important keywords will eventually be a thing
of the past. It'll eventually depend on the individual
doing the search, not the search s/he is using.
Yahoo!
Mindset
_________________
In The News
Goodbye Jux2
Many newsletters ago I mentioned a meta search
engine called Jux2, which provided an easy way
to compare search results between Google and Yahoo.
Search Engine Watch reported Tuesday that Jux2
is gone, a victim of too little time, money, and
resources.
Free Web Writing E-Book
Nick Usborne is recognized as an expert in the
field of writing copy for the web. And thanks
to a mention on Seth Godin's blog, I've learned
that Nick is giving away a free copy of his "Writing
for the Web" e-book to anyone who signs up
for his bi-weekly newsletter. I've read Nick's
posts on various message boards and mailing lists,
and he's always informative. So I'm sure the newsletter
is safe to recommend in its own right, and to
get a 35-page guide to writing on the web is icing
on the proverbial cake.
Excess
Voice Newsletter
_________________
More News Headlines
Here are a few news headlines worth your time to read.
These are just some of the headlines we've posted
to OWTweb.com in recent
days.
Google
chief sees Microsoft as no competition, yet
May 27, 2005 - Seattle P-I
Software giant Microsoft has set out to topple
search king Google, but to listen to Eric Schmidt
you almost wouldn't think the two companies were
rivals.
Five
critical (and overlooked) design elements
May 27, 2005 - ClickZ.com
Usability, intuitiveness, and color. All are critical.
But when designing landing pages or buying/shopping
process pages, these elements alone just aren't
enough.
11
ways to improve landing pages
May 26, 2005 - Digital Web
Attracting traffic is easy. The tricky part is
converting it. And that’s the purpose of
your landing page.
More headlines: http://www.owtweb.com/news/
_________________
This Week's Q&A
Matt,
We're launching a new online store soon, and have
some decisions to make. One that we're struggling
with is shipping. Should we go with UPS or the
Postal Service? What do you typically suggest
to your clients?
Thanks,
David
Hi David --
There are pros and cons to both services, and
one-size doesn't fit all here. The postal service
is much quicker and less expensive for smaller
items. UPS is a better deal on larger and heavier
items. UPS offers tracking and a signature that
shows the recipient accepted the delivery; USPS
only offers confirmation that the item was delivered
to the intended address. And there are other considerations
beyond price and security.
In the end, it really depends what types of products
you're selling. What's right for you won't be
right for the next online store. My suggestion
would be, if possible, to give your shoppers a
choice. You'll find that some customers prefer
the security of UPS and being able to track their
order. Other customers may want the convenience
of having their order delivered to a mailbox,
which only the postal service can do. Whichever
you choose, be sure to clearly state both the
shipping options and prices as early as possible
in the ordering process -- customers want transparency
when it comes to shipping information.
(Have a question? Email questions@owtweb.com)
_________________
Wrapping it Up
Can't believe June is here already. Where is 2005
going? Hope business online is treating you well.
Keep sending in those questions to help restock
for the newsletter....
Thanks for reading,
Matt McGee
The OWT Newsletter is a weekly service offered free to anyone
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