Analyzing Your Google Analytics (Part 1)

According to Google’s Chief Business Officer, Nikesh Arora, Google Analytics, a popular tool for monitoring traffic to a website, is installed in over 10 million websites.

Google Analytics is popular by choice, and many of our clients request it to be added to their site. Once it is added, they can view how many users have visited their site, and know whether or not these are returning visitors, or new visitors. They can analyze how users got to their site, whether it was a keyword search in a search engine such as Google, Yahoo or Bing, or if it was a referral from another website. They can also view which pages were viewed the most and the technical stats such as which browser they were using and if it was on a mobile device.

While all of this information is informative, many might not use this information effectively.

Analyzing your data should be a perpetual means of reanalyzing your own site and customizing it to the interests of your users.


Review your traffic.
How are people getting to your site? Google Analytics is broken into 3 main traffic categories: Search, Referral and Direct. Search refers to the keywords users typed into search engines that resulted in your site. Referral traffic shows how a user got to your site from another domain. This can be important if you are engaged in referral relationships with other websites; you can then see if your relationships are actually generating traffic. Direct traffic is when users directly type in your website, which pages most often appear in auto-completion, or who have it bookmarked.

Put that information to use.
Getting a general idea of why your site generates traffic from certain keywords, referral sites or direct traffic can give you an idea of the most successful pages to your site. You might want to focus campaigns on these particular items users search for, and make sure you keep certain pages that are frequently visited fresh and updated.


What are they looking at?
Take a look at your Content Overview. This outlines the pages that are visited the most on your site and shows you what content users are most engaged in. If you drill down into Overview/Site Content/All Pages, you will have more information about the pages users are looking at. Here you can get an idea of many times a particular page was viewed and for how long it was viewed. Pageviews shows how many times the page was viewed, and includes the amount of repeated views. Unique pageviews shows how many times a page was viewed at least once. Entrances indicates if this particular page was the initial page users gained entrance to your site. Bounce Rate indicates whether or not a user left the particular page without interacting with it. % Exit indicates if this particular page was the last page on your site that was viewed by the user.

Put that information to use.
Content analysis helps you determine on a per page basis the popularity of a page based off of its Pageviews and it’s integrity through Entrances, Bounce Rate and % Exit. If a page comes up frequently as an Entrance page, then you want to make sure the page is updated frequently. If you have an e-commerce site and a particular product’s page is a frequent Entrance page, then you maybe want to offer a special on it to entice your customers. If a page has a high bounce rate, you first need to determine if there are any usability issues such as malfunctioning scripts, or slow loads. If these are not an issue, there could be other factors such as a user needing only the information on that page and/or they have no interest in visiting other pages. Sometimes determining the reason for bounce rates are not very clear.


In this article, we only focused on analyzing your traffic and content analytics. Look out for future articles that discuss other aspects of your analytical reporting. If you have questions about your site’s traffic, feel free to contact us for consulting.

Get Customers to Open Your Email

If you are an email marketer, then a great deal of your time is spent writing emails for your customers and potential clients. These emails not only serve as a means to convey important information, events, discounts, and information on your products, but they also serve as a pathway to your business. While you might dedicate a good amount of your time creating these emails, there is no guarantee that your clients will even open the email. Part of being a successful email marketer is writing read-worthy, and click-worthy emails.

Below are a few pointers in writing successful emails:

1. What would you read? Put yourself in the position of your client. Would you open the email? Think about the emails you decide to open, and the ones you choose to delete. When scripting up your email, write as if you are part of the audience.

2. Make it straight and to the point. When your email is initially opened, what stands out? Let your most important elements that you are trying to convey stick out and use the least amount of words as possible. When an email becomes too lengthy, users might pass up the chance to read your email entirely.

3. Your subject line is your punch line. Make sure your subject line entails what your email is about. Make it interesting, informative, creative, and/or humorous if you have to. It might be the only thing they read from your email, so let it convince them why they should open the email. Many customers will bypass reading an email simply because the subject line does not interest them.

4. Utilize the first few lines correctly. Most email inboxes display the first few lines of an email as a preview to it’s content. After the subject line, this is your next opportunity to grab their attention. Layout your email design correctly; if your email is mainly graphics, make sure to throw in some text at the top so their inboxes pull it in.

5. Customize emails to what the user is interested in. When a user signs up for your mailing list, let them check off what they are interested in. For example, stores can offer emails on the latest coupons, or notifications on new products in a specific department. This idea works great for large businesses that can offer many options.

6. Help people save money. Nothing speaks like “free” or “discount”. If a customer has been contemplating buying a particular product or trying out a new restaurant, a monthly or weekly savings offer could increase the likelihood that they would open your email.

7. Inform Them. People love to learn. When emails offer information relative to a customer’s interest, practice or industry, the chances they would open your email increase. This tactic can even be used when your business is primarily into selling; switch up your content between selling and informing to keep the customer intrigued.

Need some help? Then let Halal Print design an effective email that balances layout, imagery and content to get your information across. Contact us for a quote.

Boost Your Sales at Your Online Store

According to new global estimates by eMarketer, business to consumer e-commerce sales in 2012 grew 21.1% to top $1 trillion for the first time.

E-commerce, or the commerce of trading goods and services online, is a rapidly developing avenue for any business. The convenience online stores provide helps fuel online buyers. But how do you get users to buy instead of browse?

If you are a retailer without a store online, you could possibly be missing out on potential customers. If you have a site online, is it pulling in the traffic you need? Developing content rich sites, user-friendly interfaces, and appealing layouts takes balance.

With a lack of balance, many online stores suffer from frequent shopping cart abandonment, the act of visitors beginning the checkout process but never completing it. This is where analytics can show that a website is pulling in traffic, but not sales. This could be puzzling to ecommerce owners.

Below are a few ideas on increasing your sales with your online store:

Focus on your customer list. The customer list is a valuable tool for any company; these are the people who have already bought from you. The potential to turn a one-time customer into a frequent customer is more likely than it is with turning a potential customer into a one-time customer. On a monthly basis, utilize email campaigns to promote your products and services. Offer discounts and coupons. Through email campaigns to your own customers, you increase your own companies awareness.

Offer bundled products. Combining products into product packages helps take a one-product sale and turn it into a multiple-product sale. This in turn makes it a more profitable transaction. Product bundling works great with items that require accessories, or work in sets.

Offer a range of product prices. Make your ecommerce site appealing to customers of all budgets. If a person with a smaller budget finds your store online and immediately notices the prices are out of their range, you risk to possibility of them leaving your site. By offering low price to high price ranges on your items, you increase the probability that you can net one customer.

Let a cheaper item be the bait. Most customers are enticed by a cheap deal. By offering a cheap, low margin item either through an email campaign or from your home page, then linking other items or “by more items and save” tactics, you increase the possibility that the cheap deal technique reels in a profitable sale.

Free Products. If you don’t offer it cheap, then offer it free. The word “free” rings in anyone’s mind like they are getting a deal. Whether its offering free shipping, or getting another item free when they purchase a certain amount or a certain product, this tactic has helped plenty of businesses increase sales.

Need an online store or need someone to make yours more streamlined and appealing? Then contact us for a free estimate!

Advertise on a Budget

Advertising on a budget? With a bit of money-saving strategies, you can get the word out about your company with minimal costs. Here are 10 ways you can advertise in a budget-friendly way:

1) Get a website. With the majority of people researching and looking online for information on products and services, having a website is a crucial advertising medium. While website design can run expensive depending on the site’s functionality and consumer interaction, having a basic website stating who you are, where you are, what you sell or offer, and how to contact you is worth spending your marketing budget on. Halal Print’s basic website design package can get your company's essential info up and on the web.

2) Get into digital business directories. Statistics show that 61% of global internet users research products online. By adding your business to directories like the Yellow Pages, the Yahoo business directory and Google Places for Business, potential customers can locate you more easily.

3) Give away branded merchandise. People love free stuff. While there are plenty of items to choose from, utilize items that people mostly use such as t-shirts, cups, pens and key rings. Keep with simple layouts and designs to minimize costs, such as using 1 or 2 tone color schemes.

4) Utilize business cards. Even with the advent of digital address books, business cards still uniquely reinforce references and recommendations. To even some business prospects, the business card still stands as a conventional way to maintain contact information. Keep a stash with you on hand so you can hand them out or put them on bulletin boards. Business cards run cheap, just check out Halal Print’s Premium business cards where you can get 500 for only $21.  Want yours to stand out from a stack of business cards from competitors?  Then invest in something that makes your different such as the square business card or silk stock.

5) Sponsor events. Conferences, seminars, television and/or internet programs and special events give advertisers commercial spots, verbal mentions and space in their handout programs to market to target audiences. While sponsorship can get expensive, choosing from lower level sponsorship packages can fit many budgets and still give companies or organizations visibility.

6) Brand your business vehicle. Branding your vehicle gives you advertising on the move; you can easily establish local presence merely while driving around. Vehicles can either utilize full body vehicle wraps that fit over your vehicle’s exterior, or simple car magnets that can be placed on car doors. While vehicle wraps are custom to a model’s design, car magnets can be easily taken off and moved to other vehicles. We offer car magnets starting at $55/per pair.

7) Ask for referrals. Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM), commonly known as referrals, remain as one of the best advertisements for any business. Why? (1) They’re free! (2) They also serve as an authentic customer review – if a customer is pleased with your services or products, they let others know. When people feel that someone they trust can tell them that this company or organization is reliable and provide good service, they are more inclined to try them out.

Elements of a Website

We often get inquiries as to what is required for setting up a website. Every website has basic elements in order to make it successful, informative and functional. These range from the type of website, to the technical and content-related aspects. While there can be enhanced features to your website to make it dynamic, this article mainly provides the basic elements to get your site up and running.

Types of Websites

In order to appeal to the appropriate audience, your website should be designed with the correct layout and functionality so the user gets the most out of your site. Depending on the nature of your business or organization, your site might need custom features. The following categories offer the basic website types:

Informational

Informational websites offer basic information about your company or organization and give you the basic exposure you need to be found on the web. This could be who you are, what you do, what products or services you offer, and how to contact you. These components also serve as the backbone for most websites and customized sites can build their structure from here.)

E-Commerce

Most companies that sell something want an e-commerce website in order make their products available for viewing and purchasing online. Moreover, e-commerce sites help businesses expand their potential client pool to national or worldwide. Mosts e-commerce sites are built within content management systems to help businesses manage their products and content conveniently through a web interface.

Community Websites

Community driven websites offer interactivity for users to register and login to your site. Common features found in community driven sites include blogs, articles, polls, forums, etc.

Blogs

A blog is a term derived from the phrase "web log". Originally, blog sites were built around the concept of offering personal thoughts, advice and information from the everyday user in the form of articles, posts or entries. These days, blog systems such as Wordpress have expanded functionality and plugins so that businesses or organizations can utilize the blog content management system to maintain their own content.


Site Development through HTML Editors or Content Management Systems

For convenience, websites can either be developed using a HTML editor such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage, or through a content management system (CMS). CMSs are being used more often by companies because it lets the company manage their own content easily through a web interface rather than depending on a web designer to maintain the site through a licensed web development application such as the HTML editing softwares. CMSs also provide additional plugins and modules to extend the functionality of their sites flawlessly.


Tech Basics

Domain

The domain for a website is the www.mycompany.com. Domain registration is handled either when a hosting package is purchased or separately from a domain registrar. Domain registration is renewed every year or when the set of years purchased for the domain expire. It is important to make sure your domain registration is up to date, otherwise once your domain expires, your site will not be available online. Many domain registrars also charge additional fees to reinstate your domain after 30 days.

Web Host

A web hosting company maintains the necessary servers so that your site is online. When you purchase a hosting package, not only do they provide you an account where you upload your web files to the internet, but the company makes sure all servers are running efficiently so your site is available online 24/7 and your email servers are functioning normally. They also provide other features and assistance to run your site, enhance its reliability, manage your files, and supervise your site's statistics. Web hosting packages are usually renewed on a yearly basis; if your hosting package is not renewed, your site will not be available on the web.

Halal Print recommends Powweb for it's clients. Powweb is a web hosting company that offers great reliability and functionality for your site at a great price. With Powweb, your domain registration is free for the first year when you also purchase your hosting package.


Other Technical Options

Payment Gateway

A Payment Gateway is service provider that is used to collect and process electronic transactions, such as PayPal or Authorize.net. If you intend to accept payments through your website, you must setup an account with a payment gateway in order to collect your funds. Depending on the amount of transactions and type of transactions you will be accepting, you will need to carefully select an account type so you get the best account suitable for your site. Please be aware that some payment gateways require setup fees, monthly fees, service fees and per transaction fees.

SSL Certificate

SSL, or secure socket layers, certification is necessary for websites that collect sensitive data such as personal information or payment information. Secure sites transition from http pages to https pages, and usually show a padlock icon on the browser's bar to reassure the user that the webpage is secure and that the data that is transmitted is encrypted. SSL Certificates can be purchased from web hosts or from domain registrars, but we recommend them to be purchased from the web host to ensure compatibility. Some web hosts offer shared secure servers for free, but your website's URL will usually change from https://www.mysite.com to https://username.webhost.com for the secured pages.

Alternatively, some payment gateways offer hosted payment forms where the user leaves your site and enters their payment information on the payment gateway's secure webpage.


Content

Content Writing

In order to have an effective website, the content must meet certain criteria. When a user comes to your site, you want them to feel welcomed and informed, all while in a user-friendly environment. You want them to be able to understand who you are, what you do and what you offer, all without having to drill down into your navigation. This is what makes content writing an important element to your website. Moreover, with the surging importance of search engine optimization, you want your content to be appropriately indexed by search engines such as Google or Yahoo so that potential customers can come across your site easily.

If you are unsure of how to compose and layout your content for your site, then Halal Print will help you develop it so that its structure will have the impact you are looking for.

Imagery

Imagery plays an important part of conveying your message on your website. Whether it is for accentuating the look of your site or having the products displayed, the high quality and resolution of your images are essential.

Halal Print's approach to website graphics follows a certain criteria and can be found on our website's About Us page or in our Terms & Conditions and Design Terms.

Make the Most of Your Marketing Materials

With the momentum of the electronic media taking over every industry, marketing through websites, social media, blogs, and maintaining contacts through smartphone address books have made many marketing executives question the use of classic, printed marketing materials.

Conferences and seminars offer company’s the opportunity to hand out brochures and flyers. Business meetings with possible clients let marketing executives pass out presentation folders and sell sheets. Casual gatherings give individuals the opportunity hand out their business cards. As you can see, even in this digital era, there is still the need for print literature.

Literature is the printed pieces that present your company, its vision, its products and/or services. This can include brochures, business cards, flyers, postcards, sell sheets, posters, catalogs, newsletters, letterhead and even your company envelopes. Every single piece of your marketing material gives an impression of your company’s professionalism, uniqueness and expertise.

With the vast availability of desktop publishing programs to make your own print materials, many companies attempt to internally meet the needs of marketing design.

This is where companies need to halt the urge: since marketing is all about your appearance of professionalism, this aspect should be left to professionals who spend time learning about the latest design techniques, utilize the latest design program suites, and study the industry-specific market as to what is appealing, what works, and what doesn’t.

Here are some points to consider in order to make the most of your marketing materials:

Get your logo and your marketing materials professionally done.

Your logo and marketing materials such as the business card, letterhead, envelope, presentation folders and brochures should convey professionalism. By having your marketing materials designed by professional graphic designers, you ensure that it is designed according to industry standards such as design file dimensions, resolution and bleeds. Furthermore, graphic designers can also suggest paper stock and features such as UV or matte coating, silk or linen stock, spot UV, or other printing features to enhance your materials in the most befitting way. Learn about Halal Print’s graphic design services.

Keep them consistent.

Designing your marketing materials around the same theme and layout will help keep a consistent look across the board, therefore making your print appearance uniform and compatible in any marketing combination.

Use stock imagery or professional photography.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what sort of impression do you think you are giving with low-resolution, fuzzy and/or questionable images? Investing in stock imagery or professional images of your products for your print materials helps visually represent your company positively.

Don’t be quick to rebrand.

Branding is the sign, symbol, name or design that identifies a company, its services or products from its competitors. Rebranding is the act of reinventing your company’s image through changing its brand. While many companies want to keep up with the newest trends, before rebranding, you need to consider a few things. Is your logo confusing? Does it not portray your company, its products or services appropriately? Consider your clientele, as many customers grow an attachment to a company’s personality and style. One recent failure in rebranding was the store The Gap; when they changed their brand, the outcry was so immense that the company changed back to its original brand within 2 weeks. They also easily recognize your company through its logo alone, so changing it could make customer’s question if the company has been purchased by another company, or if the company is changing its direction.

Analyze first.

There are plenty of other factors to consider with making the most out of your marketing materials, and each one can be determined when a marketing design specialist analyzes your current materials or helps shape your logo and brand for your start up company. If you need assistance designing your materials or brand, then please feel free to contact Halal Print.