Irony, Man.

On May 13, 2013, in Chattanooga, General, Gig, Press, Technology, by Bijan

Source: pinoytutorial.com

By now, you’ve heard about the ‘controversy’ surrounding Iron Man 3’s dubious depiction of Chattanooga, TN as a backwoods hick town with internet so deplorable the world might end. For any of you actually living in Chattanooga, this is comical (Iron Man is a comic book, afterall), as ‘The Gig City’ is a beautiful, populous town, with a cutting edge broadband infrastructure rivaled by few in the world.

The chuckles might nervously trail when one considers that that Verison FiOS, boasting “Internet speeds that will rock the competition”, is one of the main promotional sponsors of Iron Man 3.

Surely it’s a coincidence that all the other small towns in Iron Man 3 are fictional except Chattanooga, whose sole plot line contribution is ‘slow internet’, right?

Surely there isn’t some Verizon guy in a suit who thought it would be clever to rip Chattanooga for slow internet, just because he can, right?

If so…. not sure he thought it through, as the publicity has been priceless, and the content flowing fast — roughly a gig a second.

We love irony, man!

Tagged with: chattanooga • gig • gigabit • gigcity • iron • Iron Man • man

Practical Tips to Improve Your E-Commerce Website – Part 2 of 2

On November 13, 2012, in Design, General, by Johnny Ewton

(In case you missed it: Part 1 of 2)

5. Visible contact info establishes credibility.

While this might not be high on everyone’s list, you must establish credibility to all of the users that have not bought from you before. You may know you are trustworthy, but that does not mean the user does. List a landline phone number somewhere clear on the homepage and every page if possible. I personally like when sites do this because it provides a reassuring sense that human help is only a phone call away. Below is a perfect example of this.

Also, studies show that 79% of people still prefer phone calls for customer service and problem resolution versus other mediums. This is not surprising, given that a phone call can be much quicker than multiple back-and-forth e-mails or online chat assistance. Many people shy away from websites that have hard-to-find contact details. Don’t be one of these sites.

6. The checkout process: Help them push the cart.

The checkout/order process is where the most potential customers will abandon a purchase. There are plenty of things you can do to help prevent this from happening though. One common tactic is to break-up the checkout process into multiple steps to keep from overwhelming the user with everything at once. That being said, many users still prefer it all on one page. In a study performed by The Official Vancouver 2010 Olympic Store, they found that a single-page checkout outperformed a multi-page checkout by 21.8% in having fewer users abandon their carts. Which strategy to follow is going to depend heavily on your target market but you should definitely put a lot of thought and testing into your checkout process.

Secondly, give the user a few recommendations. Don’t drown them, but make sure you at least give yourself a few cross-selling and/or up-selling opportunities. Data shows that up-selling helps drive sales by as much as 4% and that cross-selling can drive sales by around 3% when shown on the check-out page.

Lastly, when it comes to credit card purchases be sure to use copy that increases credibility and ensures the user that all of their data is encrypted and as safe as possible. In an age of increasing fraud and identify theft this is the last thing you want to fall victim to. A little reassurance is always a good thing. Depending on your business size, I would heavily consider utilizing VeriSign encryption and having your checkout process done through a HTTPS URL to boost trust with potential first-time buyers.

7. Why yes, we do take PayPal.

This last one is my own personal recommendation. PayPal offers several benefits to a buyer but the primary one is the ability to make online transactions without divulging your payment info to a retailer. First, you place a credit card and/or bank account on file. Then, when you go to make a purchase from a retailer you simply complete the final steps of the checkout process through your PayPal account and the money is taken from your account and paid to the retailer on your behalf. It offers safety and convenience since you don’t have to continually take out your credit card to key in info on websites where you have never purchased before. Both of these factors make PayPal invaluable to me and with well over 100 million users, clearly I’m not alone. Definitely consider it as a payment option if your business has the means to do so.

Conclusion

The E-commerce landscape is ever-changing and as the old adage says, you have to adapt to survive. My final piece of advice is to never be too content with your website. Many people are resistant to change, but where would Facebook be today if they didn’t constantly strive to refine their service and make it easier for users to read and share information? Perfection may be unattainable but that does not mean you shouldn’t strive for it. Utilize analytics software and seek out data on how customers interact with your website. Strive to make everyone’s visit enjoyable by giving them an appealing site where they can find things quickly and easily. You want them to have a pleasant experience regardless of whether they are just window shopping or actually intent on buying. If you don’t give them a sufficient reason to use your site versus competitor sites, then you should not act surprised when that’s where they choose to spend their dollars.

Find Johnny on Google+

Tagged with: checkout • conversion optimization • e-commerce • paypal • seo

Practical Tips to Improve Your E-Commerce Website – Part 1 of 2

On November 6, 2012, in Design, General, by Johnny Ewton

Designing and building an e-commerce site is a massive undertaking for a business seeking to expand into the digital realm. E-commerce continues to grow year by year while brick and mortar retailers are forced to continually adapt to the changing landscape of retail sales. Many consumers clearly prefer the simplicity and convenience of shopping online. Here are a few tips to help ensure your site is as welcoming and efficient as possible in attracting business.

1. Simplicity

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.” Think about some of the fastest growing companies on the market. Apple and Google are two great examples. They both have a core framework with user simplicity at the base. It’s all about the experience. Apple’s products, website, and ad copy are all very attention getting but do not drown you in an excess of information. The same can be said for Google. You should have a clean and simple hierarchy for navigation and never overwhelm the user with too much info on any given page. Be detailed, yet concise.

2. No hidden fees. No hiccups.

These constitute one of my biggest personal pet peeves. Taxes, freight, and other such costs should never be hidden in such a way that the user cannot see them until the final phases of checkout. Do NOT require a login or other such gateway for a user to get a freight estimate on your product or service. I cannot tell you how many times I have been ready to purchase something online and noticed an additional cost that was not initially included. This does not only apply to “hidden” fees but also to companies that only offer limited shipping options. The site below is a perfect example. With UPS Ground being the only service offered, a $2.80 bolt gets an $11 shipping charge. This will dissuade almost any customer from buying small items. Only a handful are willing to “bundle” small items into an order to justify the shipping costs.

3. Breadcrumbs – Keep the user continually informed.

Let’s face it. At some point we have all been overwhelmed when trying to buy something. Whether in real life or online, shopping can sometimes be a hassle. If you have an e-commerce site that deals with multiple products across various categories then leaving the user “breadcrumbs” is a great idea to help them conceptualize where they are at any given time. Amazon, Office Depot, and NewEgg are all great examples of this. Breadcrumbs serve several different purposes. They let a user backtrack easily, show hierarchy, help eliminate additional (unnecessary) clicks, provide additional help, and generally lower bounce rates.

4. Search. Sort. Streamline.

It should go without saying, but having an efficient search tool on your website is an absolute must. I have visited a handful of sites before where it took me minutes to find an item either because their search was not working properly or there was no search function at all.

Yeah…so how am I supposed to find anything?

Sorting options are a must too. Most e-commerce sites do a fairly good job in this regard so you are going to be behind the curve if you don’t allow your user to sort products by price, attribute, brand, reviews, etc. Lastly, make sure your interface is streamlined. Users don’t like having to click four times to search something on your site if it takes two clicks on a competitor’s site. The easier you make things for the user, the less likely they are to bounce to a competing site. Personally, I will return as a repeat user to a site if it is easy to search, organized well, and easy to checkout on. But you can count that if your checkout process is overly complicated or difficult, I will most likely avoid your site in the future.

Head right over here for Part 2!

Find Johnny on Google+

Tagged with: breadcrumbs • conversion optimization • e-commerce • seo

Delegator.com’s New Years Resolutions! (This time we’re really going to do it!)

On December 29, 2011, in Basic: 101, delegator, General, by Wes

1. This year, I will stop focusing on the numbers on the scale. I will stop focusing on keywords only when I write SEO content.

2. This year, I will do something active and physical every day. I will regularly add to and refresh the content of my site.

3. This year, I am finally going to get organized – my house, my office, and my life. I am finally going to start utilizing Google Analytics – to track and analyze my traffic, my users, and my conversion statistics.

4. This year, I will quit smoking once and for all. I will stop using Flash to create large or important sections of my website.

5. This year, I’m going to put myself out there and try to meet some new people. I’m going to kick my AdWords campaign into high gear, try some email marketing, and optimize my site every chance I get.

6. This year, I am going to start saving money. I am going to let professionals actively manage my AdWords account, and stop over-paying for keywords that are too competitive or that aren’t going to get me the customers I’m looking for.

7. This year, I am going to be on time wherever I go. I will use Google Calendars to give me reminders about important dates, deadlines and meetings.

8. This year, I am going to learn something new. I am going to try a different online marketing tactic to see if I can improve my results.

9. This year, I am going to indulge my artistic side. I’m going to create banners for my site and start using Display Networks to attract and re-target users.

10. This year, I am going to give some time or money to charity (This is one that should stay on the list). Check out Causeway.org if you need some ideas in the Chattanooga area!

Tagged with: 101 • adwords • analytics • content writing • delegator • facebook • google • ppc • seo • social media

How to Run Your Own Blog

On April 28, 2011, in Basic: 101, Blogging, Design, General, Uncategorized, by Wes

Running Your Own Blog

And lo, Delegator.com journeyed into the wilderness of the 156 million public blogs on the Internet, and returned to the people with commandments; and these commandments numbered 10.

I. Post early, post often, and keep posting.

The most important thing any blogger can do is to keep blogging. At first, you might get very little reader response. You might even (gasp) get none at all. But that’s no reason to panic! The only way you can create an engaged and communicative readership is by regularly updating your blog. People don’t congregate at or return to blogs that are infrequently or indifferently updated. It may be the last thing on your to do list, but it’s absolutely essential that you get it done. You might be talking to yourself at first, but if you keep talking and you actually have something to say, people will start to listen. Trust us.

Source: rivervices.blogspot.com

II. Post early, post often, and keep posting.

This is by far the most important commandment. Brand it upon your brain.

III. Post early, post often, and keep posting.

We are willing to alienate and annoy you to ensure that you do not forget this commandment.

IV. Write what you know.

This is one of those true cliches about professional writing. As important as it is to novelists, journalists and script writers, it’s doubly important for bloggers. Bloggers don’t have to be single issue, but if they seek to gain a larger readership they need to be focused and expert. If you don’t understand a concept, link to it – don’t write about it. Your readers are coming to you for answers and/or entertainment, so write about things you know inside and out. Otherwise you risk losing credibility, respect for you or your companies ability, and worst of all, readers.

Calvin & Hobbes - Bill Watterson

V. When readers have a strong response to a post, keep mining that vein of interest – hold their attention.

It’s in the best interest of a blog writer to be responsive to his or her readers. If you get a big response from a post of yours (even if you didn’t think it was that big a deal) listen to your readers. Keep posting about that same subject or in that same style (not exclusively, just regularly). The goal of a blog is to build readerships, transmit information, and connect with potential clients. When you touch a nerve, don’t be shy about pressing it.

VI. Create an editorial voice, and maintain it.

Even if your blog posts are being written by several different people and cover a few different areas of interest, keeping a clear editorial voice is important. It helps readers to feel they have a personal connection to the blog, and it makes your site distinctive and personal. Those are good things because they invite visits, correspondence, and a welcome sense of familiarity.

VII. Every once in a while, go off the cuff.

Having an editorial voice doesn’t mean you should speak in monotone. It’s good to give readers a few breaks from the serious work of digesting your thoughts and evaluating your advice. One of the most popular blogs on the internet, Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish, posts more than 300 times a week. But many of those posts are funny or moving pictures, silly videos, and palate cleansers like a daily “Mental Health Break.” You should think about fun ways to engage with your audience that don’t always include teaching them something. Apropos of nothing, here is a video of laughing penguin (ht Daily Dish).

Your blog doesn’t need to look like it was designed by Martha Stewart, but it is important to give it a professional, cared-for appearance. If it’s sloppy, ugly, or too plain, savvy readers pick up on it and take their jaded eyeballs elsewhere.

This is a FAIL.

IX. Spellcheck is your best friend.

Try not to get caught making mistakes in the realm of spelling, fact-checking, and grammar. It takes away credibility, and makes you look small-time.

X. Link to sources, and make sure to be up front about where you got information.

Nothing gets you worse press in the blogosphere than not attributing your sources of information on your blog. Do right by them and they’ll do right by you. Do otherwise, and you could get in real trouble (of the punitive kind, if not the legal).

Tagged with: 101 • blogging • delegator • social media • writing

Get it Done: New Years Web Resolutions

On January 21, 2011, in delegator, General, by Wes

By this time of year, a lot of people have made out their New Years resolution lists. The end of the old year and the beginning of the new is a good time to re-commit to self improvement; out with the bad, in with the good, if you will. But it’s not just people who need to make these kinds of lists; businesses and websites need them too. Below are some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions for people, and our suggestions for how the same concepts can be applied to your website or your business.

1. Get Organized

Everyone wishes they were better organized. Whether that means cleaning out closets, doing the dishes regularly, or scheduling and keeping track of appointments, organization is essential to modern living.

When it comes to websites, organization is key to search engine optimization, a positive user experience, and a great-looking site. It’s also vital to keeping your business streamlined and efficient. With help from delegator, you can focus completely on your core competencies, and we can focus on the rest.

Google Analytics and an SEO site review will help you get organized. Google Analytics lets you see who’s visiting your website, where they’re coming from, what they do while they’re there, and how long they stay. Everything is tracked and catalogued with precision and charted statistically. With Analytics you can set a goal, like a user seeing your site and subsequently contacting you, and then track it to see how well your site is accomplishing the goal. Delegator sets up Analytics the right way, and then manages and monitors the program, making suggestions and improving performance.

An SEO Site Review will give you a comprehensive look at every aspect of your website, complete with analysis over how you could improve it (i.e., to boost your ranking in Google). This can include updating or creating meta tags, organizing your urls, and siloing your pages and content for optimum search engine rankings.

2. Get in Shape

After Christmas and Thanksgiving, everyone is fighting the battle of the bulge, trying to get back in shape and looking the way they want to. Most websites need to undergo the same kind of transformation. Delegator knows how to redesign your website so that it runs smoothly, drives clicks and revenue, and puts the best possible face on your company. We can also help you get rid of unnecessary or unhelpful features – trim the fat, if you will.

3. More Quality Time

Many people pledge to spend more quality time in the coming year. That could mean time alone, time abroad, time with family, or simply a more focused and effective working life. With websites, quality takes on a slightly different meaning.

There are dozens of ways to make your site attractive to Google and to get lots of Internet eyeballs to look at it (AdWords, etc.). But unless the content on your site is useful and attractive, unless it serves a purpose and is high-quality, you can be sure that visitors won’t be spending any of their own quality time with you.

The most important thing, when it comes to SEO, is quality content. You need people to read it all the way through, to spend time on your site, and to help grow your brand. That’s why delegator employs professional writers and videographers to give you the best possible on-site content. Not just key-word rich, not just unique, and not just well-organized; high quality.

Another way to get more quality time with your business is to focus on what’s important, on what you’re good at, and to let us focus on the rest. Take care of core competencies, and when you get into areas where you’re not an expert, delegate to those who are.

4. Travel

So how on earth can a website travel?

At delegator, we not only expose your website to the rest of the country and the world, we do it on a budget! As one of the first AdWords experts in the Southeast, we have a track record of getting great results with low budgets, pushing sales and name recognition. No matter how big or small the account or the budget, we have the knowledge and the experience to get your company out there. With the ability to target local, national, and global searches, there’s no better way for your business to travel.

5. Track Your Goals and Stay Accountable.

New Years resolutions are all well and good, but you have to have a system to keep you accountable, and to track your various goals. That’s where delegator comes in. Not only will we manage and maintain the parts of your business that fall outside your arena, we use Analytics and periodic site reviews to make sure everything about your website is in tip top shape, meeting goals, and performing the way it should.

So whether it be getting you organized, looking great, expanding your reach, focusing on quality time, or being accountable to your goals, delegator can help you get it done.

Tagged with: adwords • analytics • delegator • google • seo • web design

CES 2011: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

On January 14, 2011, in delegator, General, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, by Andrew

In what I hope is an annual adventure, the Delegator team traveled to the desert for the Consumer Electronics Show. In the weeks leading up to the show I intentionally ignored the incessant CES rumors on the popular gadget sites in hopes of reviewing the latest and greatest in tech firsthand. In what will become a regular series on the Delegator Blog, I decided to break down CES into The Good, the Bad , and the Ugly.

The Good

Samsung’s 75” Worlds Largest Full HD 3D LED TV

This TV has the clearest, richest picture I have ever seen anywhere. I can’t speak for the 3D capabilities of this 75” masterpiece, but if it is at all comparable to the 2D images, it would far outshine the lackluster 3D from the rest of the show (more on that later). This model is expected to be available sometime this year giving you time to sell your house to meet the expected high price point.

Motorola Atrix

While the Atrix didn’t have the best screen of CES (that goes to the no name Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone with its Super AMOLED Plus screen) the rest of the phone was outstanding. The Atrix will bring the first dual core processor to the US (via Nvidia’s Tegra 2) and offer 720p HD video capture. It runs Android 2.2 but will be upgraded to the Gingerbread Android 2.3 build later this year.

The most innovative aspect of the Atrix is what Motorola is calling “Webtop”. Webtop is an app that will allow users to connect their Atrix to a monitor (via dock/HDMI) and have a near computer-like experience. It brings quality multimedia abilities and a FULL Firefox browser within reach. With all of the shackled mobile browsers we saw at CES, access to a full Firefox build from a phone is refreshing. Citrix is also touting an App to allow for full remote desktop capabilites from the Atrix and a dock. It’s almost like a CR-48…but with Firefox (and it fits in your pocket).

Kinect

Microsoft had a subpar CES but the Kinect area of their booth was consistently the most crowded place we visited. Microsoft deserves credit both for the product and the presentation here. While waiting in line to play Kinect, Microsoft was showing off its upcoming Kinect Avatars and had Zach engaged in an interesting debate with an on screen live avatar. Zach ultimately won the battle when the avatar was unable to stick out his tongue (reminded me of stretching the boundaries of Burger King’s Subservient Chicken). Once Zach and I stepped into our private Kinect pod, a Microsoft rep set up a nice game of volleyball that was much more fun than I had expected. The responsiveness was outstanding and it was able to differentiate speeds of various serves and spikes accurately. For my first taste of Kinect, I was very impressed.

The Bad

Tablets

I went into CES with the goal of finding my future tablet. While there were some impressive components to the tablet offering of CES 2011, I was overall underwhelmed by the complete devices. There was no one device that had me anticipating the iPad 2 any less, and really, the original iPad would still be my current pick. To be fair, a large part of my disappointment was directly related to not being able to play around with a full Android Honeycomb build on some of the top tablets.

The tablet with the biggest buzz was the Motorola Xoom. While it had great specs, it too was literally held down by the lack of Honeycomb and the reps that could only play preselected videos while guarding the devices.

Microsoft and ASUS tried their best with the Eee Slate running Windows 7, but after 5 minutes in Excel, IE and File Manager I was wanting a mouse because of constant click inaccuracies.

The bigger point that tablets need their own OS rang very true throughout the show and with Honeycomb (and maybe a new OS for the iPad 2?) around the corner, my purchase will have to wait.

Glasses-Free 3D TV

It’s just not there yet. After getting positioned perfectly on top of the suggested viewing footprints, I could see some decent 3D from the various sets, but I was never able to get to that point where I wasn’t distracted by the TV enough to actually watch the content. I know they’re mainly prototypes at this point, but I just wasn’t seeing how it will take off. Once they work past the mandatory viewing angle and improve the quality of the picture I will be happy to give it another go.

The Ugly

Nvidia’s KEGputer

When I say ugly here I mean AWESOME. Nvidia teamed up with Sierra Nevada to create what they call the KEGputer, “a blissful marriage of a 15.5 gallon keg and a liquid cooled GeForce GTX gaming PC.” At first I thought the beer helped cool the machine, but I was quickly reminded that that would warm the brew and rob the user of half the fun. It turns out there is a 2.5 gallon mini keg with a refrigeration system and in-line Co2 pump on top of the PC. The PC wasn’t too shabby either boasting top components from Nvidia, ASUS, Danger Den, Crucial and Antec.

Internet TV

I’m not in the camp that thinks that Internet TV is going to be a total flop. I think the idea of having apps integrated with a TV could be huge (think fantasy football live scoring overlayed with the NFL Red Zone Channel) but no one has nailed it yet. One of the biggest problems I have with Internet TV is that some TV manufacturers think that having their own app store is better than a universal app world. Google TV is the closest to getting it right currently, but it still has question marks. Hopefully Google will continue to adjust to users’ demands rather than killing it off like Google Wave. And while Sony had Google TV prominently displayed throughout their massive booth, they unfortunately were still pushing those awful remotes. Internet TV isn’t quite there yet, but hopefully it will be on the Good side next year.

Overall CES was quite the experience and I think that anyone remotely interested in tech or gadgets has to make it to Vegas some January. If you ever get the chance to go, get there early, wear comfortable shoes, and avoid 3 Card Poker at all costs.

Tagged with: ces • delegator • vegas

Chattanooga’s Got a Gig

On October 19, 2010, in General, by Heather

On September 13th, EPB, the municipally-owned utility company in Chattanooga, Tennessee (our hometown), announced it would begin offering the fastest internet service in the United States (see the New York Times article).

Tied with several international communities for having the fastest Internet connection in the world, Chattanooga will soon offer 170,000 homes and businesses in a 600 sq. mile area with one gigabyte access by the end of 2010.

The United States’ broadband capabilities often put American companies behind their counterparts in other countries where a faster and more powerful connection is available. While the Obama Administration has pledged to have 100 million households at a minimum of 100 megabits per second by the year 2020, Hamilton County Mayor Clause Ramsey observed that “this is in place [in Chattanooga] right now and at speeds 10 times the country’s goal.”

This also comes at a time when, in an effort to help make the United States on par with other technologically-savvy countries, Google has made a pledge this year to offer between 50,000 and 500,000 people around the country with access to a one gigabyte-per-second connection. Google accepted applications from over 1,100 communities across the country to provide this service which they say will “deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.”

Delegator, based in Chattanooga, is thrilled to be a part of such an entrepreneurial community. If you’re a growing business and interested in connecting to the fastest network in the U.S., let us know. And if you’d like to discuss creative ideas on how the community should leverage this new technology, we’d love to hear from you.

Tagged with: chattanooga