Comments on: In the shoes of your customers: Improve your site architecture and find the path to success http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/ Advanced Search Engine Marketing Tips to Succeed Online Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:58:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Rex http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-10860 Rex Sat, 17 May 2008 19:20:24 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-10860 I like the simplicity of this organizational approach. I just finished reading "Call to Action" by the Eisenberg brothers. It contains a lot of great conversion data but it will be a while before I get it all implemented. One observation: using Google analytics data I noticed that a lot of site visitors were leaving my site at my captcha which follows my "free case evaluation" (mine is a law firm site) input form. I took out the captcha and found my conversion rate improved immediately. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I like the simplicity of this organizational approach. I just finished reading “Call to Action” by the Eisenberg brothers. It contains a lot of great conversion data but it will be a while before I get it all implemented.

One observation: using Google analytics data I noticed that a lot of site visitors were leaving my site at my captcha which follows my “free case evaluation” (mine is a law firm site) input form.

I took out the captcha and found my conversion rate improved immediately.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

]]> By: Hamlet Batista http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2938 Hamlet Batista Thu, 04 Oct 2007 01:36:34 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2938 Hey Charles, I am glad you liked the post and thanks for commenting. It is always good to meet my readers :-) <blockquote> I think architecture tuned for conversions also adds positively to the customer’s experience, we want conversions as well as raving fans don’t we? </blockquote> Absolutely! Hey Charles,

I am glad you liked the post and thanks for commenting. It is always good to meet my readers :-)

I think architecture tuned for conversions also adds positively to the customer’s experience, we want conversions as well as raving fans don’t we?

Absolutely!

]]> By: Wave Shoppe http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2922 Wave Shoppe Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:50:53 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2922 Aloha Hamlet, I am more of a reader than a poster, but I wanted to stop by and thank you for the post. In my opinion proper site architecture is a key component if you ever wish to have a successful web. I couldn’t imagine trying to drive traffic to a site that has no conversion potential. I think architecture tuned for conversions also adds positively to the customer’s experience, we want conversions as well as raving fans don’t we? Charles Aloha Hamlet, I am more of a reader than a poster, but I wanted to stop by and thank you for the post. In my opinion proper site architecture is a key component if you ever wish to have a successful web. I couldn’t imagine trying to drive traffic to a site that has no conversion potential.

I think architecture tuned for conversions also adds positively to the customer’s experience, we want conversions as well as raving fans don’t we?

Charles

]]> By: Hamlet Batista http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2773 Hamlet Batista Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:08:17 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2773 <blockquote>I think a sensible mix of designing for people but keeping search engines always at the back of your mind is the best. </blockquote> That is a sensible approach.

I think a sensible mix of designing for people but keeping search engines always at the back of your mind is the best.

That is a sensible approach.

]]> By: Hamlet Batista http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2772 Hamlet Batista Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:06:22 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2772 Caroline - Excellent question. What I do is I optimize the blog posts for the informational searches and for the product and order pages I use static pages. Caroline - Excellent question. What I do is I optimize the blog posts for the informational searches and for the product and order pages I use static pages.

]]> By: Web Design Newcastle http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2750 Web Design Newcastle Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:31:26 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2750 Nice article. I've been using this method for the last 12 months and I have to say it really does work. Conversions are much better. You have to learn to bend the rules a little though - otherwise you can do more harm than good. I think a sensible mix of designing for people but keeping search engines always at the back of your mind is the best. Nice article. I’ve been using this method for the last 12 months and I have to say it really does work. Conversions are much better. You have to learn to bend the rules a little though - otherwise you can do more harm than good. I think a sensible mix of designing for people but keeping search engines always at the back of your mind is the best.

]]> By: Caroline Middlebrook http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2744 Caroline Middlebrook Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:14:42 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2744 Interesting article and I can see how this would work for a product oriented website but what about a blog? How can you arrange an architecture to a series of chronological postings? Interesting article and I can see how this would work for a product oriented website but what about a blog? How can you arrange an architecture to a series of chronological postings?

]]> By: David Hopkins http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2647 David Hopkins Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:24:25 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2647 I see. It's always different when your doing it for yourself. I see sites going down the pan at the insistence of the client all the time. Other web people tell me the same. Its not even worth mentioning it because they think they know best. As you have mentioned before, failure is in important part of succeeding. You only know how to do things properly once you have realised how not to do them. Like putting all you server-side scripting in your HTML :P I started in business with a terrible failure in an even worse situation, but that expirience has taught me how not to do things - with no though, expirience or planning; which is where your conversion structure is relevent. I see. It’s always different when your doing it for yourself. I see sites going down the pan at the insistence of the client all the time. Other web people tell me the same. Its not even worth mentioning it because they think they know best.

As you have mentioned before, failure is in important part of succeeding. You only know how to do things properly once you have realised how not to do them. Like putting all you server-side scripting in your HTML :P
I started in business with a terrible failure in an even worse situation, but that expirience has taught me how not to do things - with no though, expirience or planning; which is where your conversion structure is relevent.

]]> By: Hamlet Batista http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2644 Hamlet Batista Fri, 28 Sep 2007 22:51:25 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2644 David - As usual, thanks again for your insightful comments. I can say I have a slightly different mindset as I do SEO primarily for my own sites. They need to make money in order for my companies to survive ;-) David - As usual, thanks again for your insightful comments.

I can say I have a slightly different mindset as I do SEO primarily for my own sites. They need to make money in order for my companies to survive ;-)

]]> By: David Hopkins http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2642 David Hopkins Fri, 28 Sep 2007 22:31:50 +0000 http://hamletbatista.com/2007/09/28/in-the-shoes-of-your-customers-improve-your-site-architecture-and-find-the-path-to-success/#comment-2642 Interesting. Had never any thought into coming up with a structured way of building the site for conversion. This is something I just built as I thought best rather than coming up with any sort of process. As I am leanring from reading more and more blogs, people have structured approaches for all aspects of web dev. and SEM - even logo design. I think there are two reasons why what you have suggested above doesn't get implemented often: 1 - some SEO comapnies have no conception of SEO beyond link building. 2 - As you touch on above. Most companies don't realise that they need to think about how people are reacting to their site. Once someone has paid for a site where all the programming and markup are jumbled together in a mess there is not choice but to start from scratch and there are not many willing to do that. Interesting. Had never any thought into coming up with a structured way of building the site for conversion. This is something I just built as I thought best rather than coming up with any sort of process. As I am leanring from reading more and more blogs, people have structured approaches for all aspects of web dev. and SEM - even logo design.

I think there are two reasons why what you have suggested above doesn’t get implemented often:

1 - some SEO comapnies have no conception of SEO beyond link building.

2 - As you touch on above. Most companies don’t realise that they need to think about how people are reacting to their site. Once someone has paid for a site where all the programming and markup are jumbled together in a mess there is not choice but to start from scratch and there are not many willing to do that.

]]>