Promoting Internet Communication Efforts
Putting up a Web site is similar to building a billboard in your basement. It may look good, but unless somebody is searching for it, they will not see it. This lab introduces the primary options that are available to Webmasters planning to promote an Internet communications effort. The discussion centers on the promotion of Web-based communication efforts.
Promotion of an effort is important because it informs a current or potential audience member of your organization's efforts and provides an opportunity for end users to initiate communication with you. Since the Internet medium is driven by end-user motivation, it is necessary for your potential audiences to know how to communicate with your organization over the Internet.
The key to promotion, like everything else on the Internet, is targeting the correct audience. Promotion must be targeted at the audience the Internet effort is designed to reach. You must use the appropriate media to reach that audience and inform its members of the Web site and how it will fulfill their wants, needs, and desires.
Your existing audience may need notification of your organization's Internet communication efforts so they can begin transforming communication to this new method. Customers of a manufacturing company will need to be told they can seek product information and order status reports via the Web once those systems are set up. And if those same customers come onto the Web looking for a way to communicate with the company, it is important for the company to be listed in the various search engines and directories in use.
If your organization is seeking a new audience on the Internet, then it's necessary to promote your effort in a way that informs this new audience of your presence. A number of options are available to promote an Internet communications effort. These options fall into two categories: (1) efforts using traditional media and communication channels, and (2) activities that can be conducted on the Internet itself.
The first category includes any and all of the existing communication methods that are available off-line. These methods may or may not be in use for promotion or marketing activities by your organization. If they are in use, then the promotion of a Web site can be built into existing advertising and promotional activities.
If your organization is new or doesn't use traditional advertising methods, then it should consider promoting a Web communications effort. If you are operating a new business or other effort on the Internet, then traditional media channels can be used to drive end users onto a Web site.
Traditional media channels include the following options. Other methods exist as well, but these methods and their descriptions are a good place to begin promoting a Web communications effort.
- Mail-based communication, including postcards, letters, self-mailers, and catalogs, is the first medium to consider. This medium is the basis for most original direct marketing and is still very effective for communication with both customers and a prospective audience. Highly targetable and cost effective, mail is an excellent tool for promotion. One technique could involve making special offers to end users that require a Web-based response. Others could involve special discounts to catalog customers that use a Web transaction site.
- Broadcast media, including TV and radio, are very expensive but could be important if you need to reach a broad, mass-market audience. TV ads can easily carry Web addresses, and several large companies are including Web communication in national branding campaigns. An example is the Volkswagen effort discussed previously. Local TV ads are also available. I recently saw a local used car dealer carry a Web address on a TV spot.
- Radio promotion is easier to target than TV. Many business marketers use news radio ads to deliver offers to commuters during drive times. The use of this media could also be effective if a Web effort is targeted to this audience. Consumer marketers use radio promotion targeted at the demographics of the listening audiences of specific radio stations. Radio stations that have a young audience carry a lot of soft drink ads. Stations playing music for older listeners carry a lot of car advertisements. Web sites can be promoted using the same targeting criteria to reach specific audiences.
- Public relations is an indirect promotion effort. Public relations efforts involve media releases and press conferences to inform the media of an issue. These activities involve professionals who build relationships with media representatives and journalists. The objective is to gain "free media" or publicity and be included in the editorial content of magazines, newspapers, and broadcast journalism. This is difficult to accomplish without professional help on a national level. But locally, gaining media coverage about a Web communications effort may not be as difficult. In addition, trade magazines, publications, and newsletters that reach your targeted audience my be good places to focus public relations activities.
- Print media is driven by space advertising. This is another excellent method to promote an Internet communications effort. Promotion can be targeted at the readership of an appropriate publication. Specific space ads can be run carrying offers that drive readers onto a Web site. Addresses and e-mail can also be included as part of the ad's copy.
- Packaging for products or even informational packets is another vehicle for promotion. Since these materials are a necessary part of communicating with audience members, it's a good idea to promote Internet communication as well. Since people receiving these kinds of materials already have a relationship with your organization, these are excellent vehicles to begin transforming traditional customer service activities to Internet communication.
- Billboards and other signage are used by some companies and organizations for advertising and branding activities. These same efforts can be used to promote Web sites to the localized, mass-market audiences they reach.
On-line promotion is available to Webmasters wishing to promote a Web site or engage an audience. It is only useful in reaching the Internet audience, but that audience is growing daily.
This chapter discusses four areas ways to promote a Web site on-line. The first two activities involve search engines and Web directories. The second two methods involve creating links to a Web site by paying for them or sharing them with another Web site.
Search engines and Web directories are very similar and have a similar interface for the end user. But they are different as well. Both consist of information about Web pages taken from the actual Web pages stored on Web servers worldwide. Both store and catalog information about Web pages store the information in a database. And both provide opportunities for end users to search these databases, looking for the information they seek.
The primary difference between these two resources is how the information is originally stored in the databases. A search engine is sometimes called a search bot, or spider, because it uses a software tool to catalog the entire World Wide Web, following every link to every public Web site available and cataloging the text information on each Web page.
This information is then stored in a database or index. A search of this database requires the use of key words, meaning words that represent the subject of the search. A search will turn up pages that carry these key words. It is similar to looking up a phone number in the white pages. Altavista.com is an excellent example of this type of resource.
A Web directory is similar in many ways except that the information it provides was submitted to the administrators of the directory. Web sites are reviewed and categorized by human reviewers based on the content of the site. Searches of a directory yield results from the content of the directory, not the whole Web. And searches yield categories of information listed in the directories in addition to the individual Web pages involved. Directories can also be examined manually, like looking up a subject in the yellow pages, where information is stored in hierarchical fashion.
Unfortunately, the searching and storage systems for both of these types of resources are text-based. Written words are not the best ways to identify an idea or concept. The word fly,for instance, has many meanings. To flyis a verb involving soaring through the air. A flyis a noun describing an insect. A computer only sees one word, not the context it is written in.
The text issue is very apparent when using search engines. Searching for a key word will provide every Web page that contains that word. This means that a lot of matches won't be appropriate. Combinations of key words yield better results in search engines because pages that are found with the same words are probably related to the subject involved-but not always.
To provide better searching ability, the administrators of search engines are constantly improving the systems used to search, catalog, and store information found on Web pages. In addition, Web communicators are constantly trying to determine how the search engines are operating. Web communicators want their Web pages to be presented at the top of the results seen by end users searching the databases.
I think of this as a type of game: the search engines game. Administrators of search engines are constantly changing the formulas and systems they use to catalog Web pages. And they are altering the ways the information is presented to end users to make searching more useful. Meanwhile, Web communicators are trying to keep up and build their presentations to suit the systems in use by the search engines. The winner gets to be first in the search results. This is called good or high positioning.
Web directories do not create such a high-pressure situation. Web pages are reviewed and categorized by humans after being submitted by Web communicators. In this situation, the best recourse for communicators is to create targeted presentations and then suggest to the directories how best to classify the information. Communicators can't really beat the game since the directory administrators make the final decisions. These listings are important, however, and should be used to promote a Web presence.
The other prevalent types of on-line promotion involve linking between sites. Linking is a function of the World Wide Web that makes it possible to link any two pages or presentations existing on any public Web server. Links between content on different pages were the original reason for development of the Web and is the basis for its name.
Links promote a Web site by providing a direct connection to the site. For this reason, links are usually placed on high-traffic sites, meaning sites that get a lot of visitors. These links provide a connection to the site seeking promotion.
In these situations links are usually paid for by the site receiving the link. A form of advertising has been developed using banners, or small space ads, on Web sites. The banner ads promote the company or product they are representing and serve as link to the Web presentation by that company or organization. These banners are created by the advertisers and targeted to audiences based on the visitors to specific Web sites. Companies and organizations promote their Web sites on other Web sites that engage similar audience members.
Banner advertising is very similar to space advertising in traditional media. Banner ads are placed on sites with content targeted at appropriate audiences, just as space ads are placed in targeted publications. The Web sites for search engines, directories, and large media companies are some of the most visited Web sites. These sites can therefore charge the most money for banner ads linking from their sites. Banner ads also provide a direct response device by offering immediate linking to the advertiser and engagement of that end user in the process.
Another linking technique involves sharing links between Web sites that are in some type of relationship. In this type of arrangement, links are swapped by Web sites that are trying to help promote each other. These types of links are prevalent for noncommercial entities that want to provide informational resources and communities on the Web. They are used less by commercial operations.
Links provide an exit from a Web presentation. An organization may have to spend money or other resources engaging an audience member. If a link off the Web site is provided, an engaged visitor has a way to leave the presentation immediately. This issue must be considered. Technical solutions using additional browser windows have also been developed to alleviate this issue.
Exercises
Understand Traditional Media Promotion
To demonstrate the opportunities for promoting an Internet communication effort available in traditional media, review examples in your experience. You may not initially be able to complete all of these questions. Return to this exercise later if needed. Promotional efforts in traditional media may become more apparent once you start looking for them.
| a) | Where have you seen a reference to a Web site or e-mail address in a marketing piece you received in the mail? |
| b) | Have you heard a Web site mentioned in a radio spot? If so, what was the subject matter? |
| c) | Describe a Web site address from a TV advertisement. |
| d) | What Web site address or e-mail contact have you seen in a space advertisement? |
| e) | Have you noticed product packaging carrying a Web address? |
| f) | Have you read an article or seen a mention of a Web site in a newspaper article or magazine listing? |
| g) | How about in a billboard or other public signage? |
Understand Search Engine Positioning
Log onto the index page www.altavista.com. This is the interface to the comprehensive database of Web pages and other information indexed by this popular Web search engine.
Type in the four key words: "peanut, butter, and jelly" with no commas.
| a) | What information is returned by the database? |
| b) | What is the first item listed in the results? |
| c) | What information is included in the first listing? |
Understand Directory Listings
Examine directory listings by logging onto the index page for www.yahoo.com.
Find the category heading for education. Click on the subheading for colleges and universities.
| a) | What are some of your choices? |
Click on the category identified as Colleges and Universities.
| a) | What are most of your choices? |
Click on the United States item.
| a) | What choices are given now? |
This is a set of more specific categories of universities and colleges in the United States.
Click on the letter M. Then click on Merrimack College.
| a) | What sites are listed? |
Return to the index page and type "merrimack college" into the search engine for the site.
| a) | What are the results of the search? |
Return to the index page at yahoo.com. At the bottom of the page click on the link titled "How to suggest a site."
| a) | What are the three steps involved with suggesting a Web site for inclusion in the Yahoo Web directory? |
Log onto the index page at www.submit-it.com. Review the material on this page.
| a) | What service does this company provide? |
Understand Banners and Buying Links
To begin examining on-line promotion using banner ads, return to the index page of www.yahoo.com.
| a) | What is the subject of the banner advertisement on the top of the page? |
Hit the reload button on your Web browser to reload this page from the server.
| a) | Is the banner advertisement different? |
| b) | Does the banner advertisement contain a direct marketing type of offer? |
Click on the banner advertisement.
| a) | Where does the link take you? |
Return to the home page of yahoo.com. Click the link to the "Computers and the Internet" category.
| a) | What is the subject of the advertisement on the top of this page? |
Understand Relationship Links
Log onto the index page for the World Organization of Webmasters at www.world-webmasters.org. Click on the link for partners.
| a) | How can you summarize the links that are listed here? |
Log onto the Web page at this address: www.phish.com. Link to the contacts page. This is part of the Web site produced by a musical group named Phish. Click on the link to Phish.net.
| a) | Where does this link take you? |
Return to the www.world-webmaster.org/partner_index.htmland click on the link for Prentice Hall publishing.
| a) | Where does this link lead? |
| b) | How is the appearance of this page different from the previous example? |
Exercise Answers
Answers
To demonstrate the opportunities for promoting an Internet communication effort available in traditional media, review examples in your experience. You may not initially be able to complete all of these questions. Return to this exercise later if needed. Promotional efforts in traditional media may become more apparent once you start looking for them.
| a) | Where have you seen a reference to a Web site or e-mail address in a marketing piece you received in the mail? |
| Answer: | Your answer will be based on your experience but might include the following. A catalog that displays an on-line buying option. A letter package or postcard carrying a direct response offer with an e-mail or Web-based response device. A mailer for a large retailer that includes the corporate Web site address. A utility company may even include its Web address on the monthly billing statement, especially if it's providing an on-line payment option. |
| b) | Have you heard a Web site mentioned in a radio spot? If so, what was the subject matter? |
| Answer: | Your experience will vary, but here is mine. I have noticed a growing number of radio spots that mention Web addresses, which is interesting considering that most radio advertising is targeted at people driving in cars. These spots usually involve high-tech companies and promotion of Web-based businesses such as amazon.com, mortgage.com, and priceline.com. |
| c) | Describe a Web site address from a TV advertisement. |
| Answer: | Your answer will again be based on your experience. Web addresses are becoming prevalent on national advertising campaigns and branding efforts for many types of businesses. The large software and hardware companies, including Microsoft and Compaq, usually display Web addresses, which seems appropriate. Automotive manufacturers, large business consultants, and financial institutions have done so as well. |
| d) | What Web site address or e-mail contact have you seen in a space advertisement? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary. In nationally distributed magazines carrying both business and consumer content, more ads carry Web addresses than don't. In my local paper, ads for training companies, credit unions, photo development shops, printers, restaurants, and even a local tourist attraction all carry e-mail or Web response vehicles. |
| e) | Have you noticed product packaging carrying a Web address? |
| Answer: | Again, your answer is subjective. I have noticed Web addresses on a variety of consumer and business products including office supplies, foods, and entertainment media. |
| f) | Have you read an article or seen a mention of a Web site in a newspaper article or magazine listing? |
| Answer: | Your answer is based on your experience. Mine follows. Though some journalists and editors do their own research about new interactive communication efforts, many rely on public relations (PR) activities that supply them with information and suggestions about these efforts. Public relations companies and consultants utilize press releases and media events to attract the attention of appropriate journalists. These efforts are expensive but can be rewarding if the media picks up a story in a well-read publication. Business publications are full of stories about new Web sites that were announced to the press using these methods. |
| g) | How about in a billboard or other public signage? |
| Answer: | If you live in a major metropolitan area, you may have observed a billboard, bus, or taxi promoting a Web communication effort. All of these examples demonstrate the use of traditional advertising as a method to promote interactive communication. All of the examples you have seen were executed to reach a particular audience and inform them of an Internet communications effort. Informing audience members, especially customers or other end users that have an existing relationship with your company or organization, is an important part of the promotion process. Sometimes this step is overlooked in the rush to engage new prospects on the Internet. But informing and communicating with existing relationships should be a priority before seeking new end users to communicate with. Some of the examples you have seen are part of ongoing advertising and branding efforts, and the general Web addresses were added to give additional return to the promotional investment. Other examples may have provided specific Web or e-mail addresses tied into specific marketing campaigns. In these situations a Web site may be designed to tie into a certain advertising effort or direct marketing offer. A different e-mail address could be used for every magazine an ad runs in to track the responses based on readership. Regardless of the level of complexity, companies and organizations need to inform their audiences of Internet communication efforts. If the audience is reachable through traditional media channels, then this is the place to start. |
Answers
Log onto the index page www.altavista.com. This is the interface to the comprehensive database of Web pages and other information indexed by this popular Web search engine.
Type in the four key words: "peanut, butter, and jelly" with no commas.
| a) | What information is returned by the database? |
| Answer: | The database returns a list of Web pages that contain the wordspeanut butter and jelly. This list of links, called results, was pulled from a massive database created by this company's Web search engine. This engine is an automated system that systematically searches, analyzes, and records text from every Web page it can find about once a month. More than a dozen different search engines are currently operating. Popular ones inlcude Lycos, Excite, HotBot, and Infoseek. They are also sometimes called spiders or bots because they search and record text-based information on the Web automatically, following every link they come across. When you make a key word request, a database, called an index, containing all this stored information is searched and the results are displayed. But at this point in time computers are not very good at identifying context, only words. That's why these types of key word searches can be frustrating. They turn up every page that is stored in the database and contains the words you requested. The pages are then ranked according to relevance. Getting a high position in this ranking is a challenging process for Web communicators. The ranking is based on several elements of each Web page involved. In addition, each Web search engine uses its own system to search, store, and rank results, and these systems often change. One of the reasons for this constant flux is the efforts of the search engine administrators to develop more advanced methods of information indexing and search functionality. Great progress has been made in this area, and search engines are getting better at delivering appropriate results to end users. Recent advances provide answers to questions posed by the end user instead of just key words. |
| b) | What is the first item listed in the results? |
| Answer: | Your answer might vary slightly but the first item on the list probably contains the key wordspeanut, butter, and jelly in the title of the Web page. This title also serves as a link to the Web page. Although every search engine is different, most ranking is initially based on the key words in the title of the Web page. A title is very important for search engines. It serves as a headline for the rest of the page. |
| c) | What information is included in the first listing? |
| Answer: | A short description of this page is included in the listing. Other information includes the URL address and creation or updating of the page. The appearance of this listing information is another important factor in the ranking of this page in this search engine's results. The description of the page is copied from the description meta tag on the HTML source code of the Web document involved. (Meta tags are part of the HTML code that is read by the server but not displayed to the end user accessing a Web document. Meta tags and HTML are examined in other publications in this series. Understanding Web Development and Web Protocols, Prentice Hall PTR.) Depending on the search engine involved, the information that affects the ranking is the actual visible text from the Web document. The search engines that index and display information in this manner all use proprietary algorithms to decide the importance, or weight, given to each of these factors when determining the results listings. How each item is weighted in the results process is also changed regularly. Search engine administrators and Web page developers struggle to gain the upper hand over each other in this ranking game. I would only suggest getting involved in this game if your Web site business model is wholly dependent on being found by search engines and listed in the initial results presented to end users. And if that is the case, I suggest looking for additional promotional opportunities. I don't believe this game can truly be won. A number of software products and services have been developed that claim assistance in this game. But a reliable source has informed me that there is really only one way to play this game and get a high position in search engine results. It involves learning each search engine's weighting algorithm by analyzing the results of a search on that engine. This is accomplished by looking at the key word density using a software tool called a text analyzer. This process will show you the weight of particular key words in high-ranking documents. Reproduce the weight in your own documents and you should get the same high-ranking results on that engine. Of course, you'll have to repeat this process on a regular basis for each of the dozen or so search engines to keep up with the constantly changing rules of the game. One practice being used by some Web publishers is called page swapping or page redirection. This involves the development of specific Web pages to match the needs of search engines during their inquiries and rank high in their results. However, these Web pages are not served to end users and instead redirect users to a different page. A refresh meta tag also accomplishes a similar situation, creating a doorway page for search engines that immediately reloads when the end user requests the page. This process is very controversial in the Internet community, and many search engine administrators will blacklist a Web site if this practice is detected, banning inclusion in the database. Search engines are against the practice of searching, indexing, and providing links to pages that don't carry the content the end user is searching for. Again, this search engine game is very complicated. The rules of the game are constantly changing and the results are questionable at best. Most companies and organizations would not count on their phone directory listing to be their primary method of promotion in the marketplace. That's basically what search engine listings provide. Another interesting aspect of the search engine game is the development of Web sites that provide searches of multiple search engine databases through one interface. A popular search of searches can be accomplished at www.dogpile.com. |
Answers
Examine directory listings by logging onto the index page for www.yahoo.com.
Find the category heading for education. Click on the subheading for colleges and universities.
| a) | What are some of your choices? |
| Answer: | A new listing of categories and a list of Web sites that don't fit well into categories. This Web site operates an extensive Web directory service. Similar to a combined table of contents and an index for a book, information on Web sites is stored, referenced, and cross-referenced by category in a database. This directory and others like it list Web sites, not just Web documents. It differs from a search engine because it does not search the Web on its own. Instead, this database is dependent on the submission of Web sites for consideration, categorization, and indexing. This process actually involves human consideration of the Web sites involved. Humans review each submission to decide how a Web site will be listed in the directory and how it will be cross-referenced. |
Click on the category identified as Colleges and Universities.
| a) | What are most of your choices? |
| Answer: | The majority of the choices is an extensive list of countries. The Web site information groupings are organized in a hierarchical fashion. This means that information about Web sites and links to them are stored in categories and subcategories from general to specific. In this case, the category for colleges and universities is subdivided into specific country subcategories. |
Click on the United States item.
| a) | What choices are given now? |
| Answer: | Letters and a number of other groupings, including private, public, men's, and women's colleges. |
This is a set of more specific categories of universities and colleges in the United States.
Click on the letter M. Then click on Merrimack College.
| a) | What sites are listed? |
| Answer: | Yours might vary but should include at least two options: the Merrimack College Web site and a site discussing men's hockey at Merrimack College. These Web sites are the subject of this directory search: the college's official site and an unofficial site discussing the college's highly competitive hockey team. Note that the Merrimack College Web site is actually listed based on its physical location in North Andover, Massachusetts. It is cross-referenced as a college in the education categories. The hockey site is actually catagorized under sports and recreation and cross-referenced to education as well. |
Return to the index page and type "merrimack college" into the search engine for the site.
| a) | What are the results of the search? |
| Answer: | Your answer may vary but should include the same two sites for the college and the hockey team. This search turned up links to sites already stored in the directory's database of Web sites. Again, these sites were submitted to the directory and categorized by humans, not found by search engines. |
Return to the index page at www.yahoo.com. At the bottom of the page click on the link titled "How to suggest a site."
| a) | What are the three steps involved with suggesting a Web site for inclusion in the Yahoo Web directory? |
| Answer: | 1. Check to see if your site is already listed in Yahoo!. 2. Find the appropriate category in Yahoo!. 3. Suggest your site from the appropriate category. This Web document explains the steps involved with submitting a Web site to this directory for review, inclusion, and categorization by its staff. Click on the link to the "List of Important Pointers" to learn more about how submitted material is handled. |
Log onto the index page at www.submit-it.com. Review the material on this page.
| a) | What service does this company provide? |
| Answer: | This company helps promote Web sites by submitting Web site listings to hundreds of directories and search engines. This company charges a fee to distribute Web site listings on your behalf. It submits Web site listings to search engines, which will then come and search your site, and Web directories. A list of the hundreds of search engines and directories that are notified is available on the site as well. Of course, each directory and search engine uses a different process to store and present this information to its end users. This service, and others like it, will also update this information and provides reports on the status of your listing with some of the popular search engines. A number of software products are also available to automate the submitting process. They will submit listings at both Web directories and search engines. Some claim to submit Web site listings to over 900 different Web directories on your behalf. Utilizing either of these of these methods to spread the word about a Web communication effort is an excellent way to begin reaching the Internet audience. And both save you time and effort in promoting your Web site on-line. Most search engines and directories do not necessarily reach targeted audiences. But a Web communication effort should be included in them so prospective audience members can find your site if they are looking for the solutions you provide. Specific directories can also be investigated that may cater to a more specific audience that you wish to reach. |
Answers
To begin examining on-line promotion using banner ads, return to the index page of www.yahoo.com.
| a) | What is the subject of the banner advertisement on the top of the page? |
| Answer: | Your answer will vary based on your experience. Mine follows. I saw a direct response advertisement for an organization called cars.com. When this Web page was shown to me, this advertisement was included in the presentation. It was probably one of several banner ads that are being displayed by this site simultaneously. |
Hit the reload button on your Web browser to reload this page from the server.
| a) | Is the banner advertisement different? |
| Answer: | Yours may be different, but the answer is probably yes. A different banner advertisement is presented each time a new user logs onto the site or when the page is reloaded from the server. The Web site is showing different ads based on a rotation of some kind so multiple advertisers can be presented by the site in the same time frames. The same practice is done in TV and radio advertising. The display of this banner ad is called an impression. One end user saw this banner one time. The banner theoretically made one impression on one person. Many Web sites charge advertisers on a cost-per-impression basis. This is called a Cost per Thousand (CPM) model, which is a term borrowed from traditional direct marketing list-buying terminology. Advertisers must pay the Web publisher a set amount of money for a set amount of impressions. The published rates for the myway.com Web site, which engages a national audience of consumers on the Web seeking a personalized information resource, are between $25 and $35 for 1000 impressions. These numbers are discounted in quantity and vary widely based on the audience of the site involved, its traffic levels, and relationships between advertisers and Web sites. This pricing structure may not be the best case scenario for promoting a Web site. Just because the banner ad is displayed does not mean that end users will respond to the offer on the banner ad. |
| b) | Does the banner advertisement contain a direct marketing type of offer? |
| Answer: | Your experience will probably differ from mine. The banner ad did contain a direct response offer. The ad stated, "Win a 1-year car lease!" This offer acts as an enticement for me to click on the banner to find out how I can win. Banner ad copy is usually written to gain an immediate response from end users who see the ad. Banner ad creative efforts are extensive and usually involve multiple presentations for the same campaign. |
Click on the banner advertisement.
| a) | Where does the link take you? |
| Answer: | Your answer is based on your situation. Regardless of the specifics, the link took you to a Web page for the advertiser who was running the banner ad. This Web page may be a specific presentation targeted at the audience responding to this promotion or offer. It might also be the home page for the company or organization. It might be another page or service offered by the Yahoo! company. By linking to this Web page you have completed a click-through. You clicked through the banner ad to its sponsor and responded to the offer. Another method Web sites use to charge advertisers to display banner ads is on a per-click-through basis. In this model, the advertiser pays the Web site for every response or click-through that is generated by the banner ads on that site. Costs for this type of model are currently running between $.01 to $.15 for each click-through. This is a better pricing model for Web marketers than straight CPM pricing as marketers only have to pay for results instead of space ads. |
Return to the home page of www.yahoo.com. Click the link to the "Computers and the Internet" category.
| a) | What is the subject of the advertisement on the top of this page? |
| Answer: | Your answer will vary, but the ad banner probably has something to do with technology. This ad was intentionally placed here to reach an audience interested in technology issues. The ads in this and other sections of the Web directory are targeted to particular audiences. Banner advertising on the Web provides opportunities for promotions to be placed on pages carrying related content. This means that end users interested in particular topics or information can be targeted with offers based on those topics. For example, a test preparation company can place ads on information pertaining to college entrance exams. Purchasing banner advertising space is similar to buying space ads in traditional publications. A number of companies currently act as brokers in the marketplace and can place banner ads on different Web sites for a set amount of money. Some brokers represent groups, or networks, of Web sites. Others represent marketers. Fortunately, it is very easy to test creative content, offers, and placement of banner ads on Web sites. Due to the immediate and dynamic nature of Web communication, the success or failure of banner ads becomes apparent quickly. Banners can be pulled from unsuccessful sites. Creative approaches can be tested simultaneously and the ones that work can be used to replace the ones that don't. Overall, the use of banner ads to buy links and generate response to an Internet communications effort is an effective and expensive proposition. This type of on-line promotion may be necessary if the target audience for your effort is to be found on the Web. |
Answers
Log onto the index page for the World Organization of Webmasters at www.world-webmasters.org. Click on the link for partners.
| a) | How can you summarize the links that are listed here? |
| Answer: | Your answers will vary. Here's mine. This is a list of links to partners and organizations that the World Organization of Webmasters has some type of mutually beneficial relationship with. Most support the efforts of the organization in some way through promotions, financial assistance, or other means. These links are included on the site to provide on-line promotion for these companies. This service is provided in return for the nice things these companies do for WOW. Besides playing the search engine and directory game and buying links through banners on popular Web sites, another way to promote a Web-based communications effort is to seek links from other Web sites that you have a relationship with. These could include vendors, partners, affinity groups, and associations. The nature of linking, however, means links only go one way. Links to your site have to be provided by the Web site linking to you. This may involve paying a Web site for a listing. Or it could involve shared linking or swapping. This is the Internet version of "I'll link from mine if you'll link from yours." |
Log onto the Web page at this address: www.phish.com. This is the Web site produced by a musical group named Phish. Link to the contacts page. Click on the link to phish.net.
| a) | Where does this link take you? |
| Answer: | Your answer will vary but could include something like this: To the index page atwww.phish.net, a Web site serving an on-line community for fans of this band. Scrolling down the page, you can find several links to the Official Phish Web Site on this index page. It is also linked twice in the disclaimer on the bottom of the page. This is an example of a shared link. Two sites with a relationship have swapped links with each other. In this case, the band is supporting the efforts of an organized fan community and the fans are enthusiastically (some may say extremely) supportive of the efforts of the band. Many other links are listed on this page as well, and most of them are provided as part of shared link arrangements between the site's creators as well. Links can also be shared in the form of banners. Several programs exist in the marketplace that provide opportunities for Web communicators to exchange banners with each other. These banners will provide a similar type of shared link functionality. The Submit It service discussed previously is related to another service called Link Exchange, which arranges these types of situations. |
Return to the www.world-webmaster.org/partner_index.htmland click on the link for Prentice Hall publishing.
| a) | Where does this link lead? |
| Answer: | This link takes you to the home page for Prentice Hall. This company is the training materials publishing partner for the World Organization of Webmasters and the publisher of this book. |
| b) | How is the appearance of this page different from the previous example? |
| Answer: | In this example the Prentice Hall site opens within the browser window of the WOW site. In the previous example, the link brought us from thePhish.com site directly to the index page of thePhish.net site. In the WOW example, the link brings up the Prentice Hall Web site while keeping end users engaged with the WOW site. This is done using frames as part of the HTML document, allowing different sections of the browser window to present different information. In other situations the linked site appears in a separate browser window. In the band and fan example, the link provides an exit from one site and an entrance to another site. This can be a negative situation for Web marketers and communicators, who are attempting to engage an audience. Providing an exit for an end user to leave a site may not be a good idea if a lot of money and effort was spent to get that visitor. On the other hand, if the shared links bring a lot of traffic, then that contribution to promotion of the effort must be considered as well. |
Self-Review Questions
In order to test your progress, you should be able to answer the following questions:
| 1) | What is the best way to use traditional media to promote a Web presence?
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| 2) | How do you win the search engine game?
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| 3) | How do directories receive suggestions for Web site listings?
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| 4) | How are banner ads similar to space advertisements?
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