F R O M T H E E D ITO R

Starting a Conversation on Startups

There is a certain mystique about startups and there always has been. Encompassing all that the business world values courage, creativity, hard work and absolute unadulterated passion for something the concept of the modern startup is as close as many of us will ever be to getting in on the ground oor of anything and its dominating the attention of the technology space today. What many quickly nd (or realize after spinning their virtual wheels for years) however, is that launching a startup is hard (really hard), requiring a commitment for which few Internet professionals are truly prepared for, and often results in nothing more than disappointment and empty bank accounts. Even with the best technology, a ush angel investor or aggressive venture capitalist, and the most creative presentation, it doesnt always work out. That, of course, isnt stopping Internet professionals like you from trying. What startups need most is a solid foundation. Website Magazines feature article for January 2014, Now is the Time to Startup certainly isnt the rst startup guide to be published, nor will it be the last, but what it does provide is a general roadmap, along with resources, solutions and tactics, that can accelerate success and provide aspiring entrepreneurs some condence that, without question, now is the best time ever to startup. This edition of Website Magazine will also help propel Internet professionals at both startups and established enterprises into 2014 with some useful, innovative and disruptive ideas. This issue offers readers practical advice on personalization, guidance on setting new and effective
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Visit Website Magazine at these upcoming Internet Industry Trade Shows.

SES Feb. 10-13 London eTail West March 3-6 San Antonio, TX SMX March 11-13 San Jose, CA Conversion Conference March 17-19 San Francisco, CA AdTech West March 26-27 San Francisco, CA

standards for live chat communication, and provides detailed information on e-commerce SEO, Web performance, at and responsive design, payment processing, content and email marketing, and a whole lot more. Website Magazine subscribers will also nd some rather interesting social media predictions from a few of the most interesting minds in the digital media space. Enjoy this issue of Website Magazine and make sure to visit us at WebsiteMagazine.com for our daily coverage of the news that matters to your Web success. Best Web Wishes,

Peter Prestipino Editor-in-Chief, Website Magazine Peter@WebsiteMagazine.com

NOTED & QUOTED

Discover the companies detailed in this issue of Website Magazine, and the executives who provided their insights, by visiting our online Success Corner at wsm.co/NQJan14.

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net briefs

Twitter Targets Tailored Audiences

Shortly after filing its IPO, Twitter launched a retargeting solution dubbed Tailored Audiences. The program enables advertisers to define groups of existing and potential customers who have shown interest in a certain brand or category, even if it was off the Twitter platform.

Tumble into Ads

Yahoo is taking the profitability of its microblogging site Tumblr seriously, with the launch of a new ad unit that highlights advertisers Tumblr blogs in the Explore tab on iOS and Android apps. This is Tumblrs second 2013 advertising initiative created exclusively for the small screen.

Pinterest Grows Up, Gets Rich

Pinterest released its first API and a new type of rich pin. The APIs can be used to showcase popular products or curate top articles from Pinterest on a websites homepage. The new Place Pins allow users to include extra details such as contact info directly within pinned content.

Amazon Deliversby Drone?

The hottest topics of conversation over Thanksgiving werent Amazons awesome deals or immense inventory. Rather, the retailer chose the holiday season to announce its very aggressive and futuristic logistic plans. For starters, the company announced a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver packages to Amazon Prime members on Sundays. Amazon already offers this perk in Los Angeles and New York, but will start supporting additional cities in 2014. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also announced, during an interview with 60 Minutes, that the company is testing package delivery via drone, noting that the service could be up and running in as little as four years with a goal of delivering packages to consumers in 30 minutes or less. Now for the real question is drone delivery realistic or just good publicity during the busiest shopping season of the year?

Serving the Service Industry

Watch out Angies List, because eBay Hire has made its official U.S. debut. The platform, which is currently in beta, allows local service professionals (like lawyers and plumbers) to create profile pages in order to market their service offerings and rates.

More News of Note

Thanks Adobe Email Marketers No Longer Held Back by CPMBased Pricing. Learn More at wsm.co/AdobeCPM Groupon Giving Away Freebies (Sort Of). See More at wsm.co/GrouponFree Peek into Digital Agency iAcquire with an Editorial Q&A at wsm.co/InsideiAcquire Facebook Drives the Most Social Traffic to Retail Sites, But the Second Place Platform May Come as a Surprise wsm.co/RetailTraffic

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m o b i l e a p p wa tc h
This handy online shopping companion app helps consumers track packages and save money. The app links to email inboxes in order to find shopping receipts and track shipments. Whats particularly useful for shoppers is that the app notifies them when there has been a price drop on items theyve purchased or if a product has been recalled. Plus, Slice provides consumers with insights into their online shopping behaviors, including which categories they purchase from most often and how much they spend.

Slice

Wanelo

Wanelo is one of the most popular digital shopping communities around the Net. Community members post the products featured on this platform, which come from a variety of retailers ranging from big brands to independent merchants. Through the app, members can discover and share new products, as well as create wishlists. Plus, by clicking the Buy button on an item, consumers are directed to the items product page, which allows them to go from the discovery stage to the purchase stage with little friction.

Small-Screen Shopping
Smartphones and tablets are influencing consumershopping behaviors like never before. In fact, Adobe reports that during Thanksgiving weekend, more than 24 percent of online sales occurred on these devices, an increase of 118 percent from just one year ago. To understand just how shoppers are using these small screens, retailers should get familiar with the apps consumers leverage to make purchasing decisions and complete transactions.

Consumers can use the PriceGrabber app to find the lowest prices for products. The app helps users find products from a variety of stores, including local merchants, as well as enables users to compare prices, check product reviews and view merchant ratings. Consumers can use their mobile devices to scan barcodes and set price alert notifications. Moreover, the app offers local deals for more than 160 U.S. metropolitan areas, as well as deals from group-buying sites like LivingSocial.

PriceGrabber

Saviry

The Saviry shopping app helps users discover deals, freebies and sales. The platform highlights recent deals in numerous categories, including electronics, clothing, games, groceries and home essentials. Shoppers have the ability to vote for deals and view trending deals based on other users votes.

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STAT WATCH

NET ADVERTISING INVESTMENTS

MOBILE CLIMBING, DIGITAL VIDEO RISING, AD REVENUES SURGING
Those are three takeaways from an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report released in Oct. 2013. Businesses invested so much into digital advertising like mobile and video that revenues actually hit a historic high of $20.1 billion for half-year 2013, representing an 18 percent increase over last years first-half digital ad revenues of $17 billion. Consumers are embracing new screens, new content and transforming how they shop, communicate and consume content at an accelerated clip, said Sherrill Mane, senior vice president, research, analytics and measurement at IAB. And, in response, marketers are turning to those same interactive arenas just as quickly. The IAB report highlighted massive revenue increases in nearly all interactive advertising formats, including: Mobile revenues soared to $3 billion in the first half of 2013, representing triple-digit growth at 145 percent, from $1.2 billion in the same period in 2012. Digital video, a component of display-related advertising, took in $1.3 billion in revenue during the first six months of 2013, an uptick of 24 percent over the first half of 2012. Search revenues in the first half of 2013 totaled $8.7 billion, up 7 percent from $8.1 billion in the first half of 2012.

70%
$1 in $5

Despite e-commerces growth, phone calls are still an important channel for researching and purchasing, according to a Google AdWords report. So much so that 70 percent of mobile searchers report they click to call directly from search results to connect with a business.

Data from digital marketing company Kenshoo indicates that $1 in every $5 spent on Facebook ads are delivered on mobile devices. Apple devices made up 35 percent of total impressions in Q3 2013 on the Millennial Media mobile advertising platform. This is down from the 39 percent of total impressions made on Apple devices in the previous quarter.

35%

86%
70%

Video ad spend is forecasted to increase 86 percent in 2014 according to the State of Video Industry report by Adap.tv and Digiday.

In its IPO filing, Twitter reported that more than 70 percent of its ad revenue is coming from mobile devices.

26.6%

Television advertising retained its spot as the most favored medium to reach consumers according to Nielsen, but Internet display ad spending skyrocketed 26.6 percent during the same period, fueled by large increases from Latin America and Asia.

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ENTERPRISE

READY

The Building Blocks of

By Amberly Dressler, Managing Editor

Personalization for Big Brands

Think for a moment about Legos the toy building bricks that for generations have been practically synonymous with childhood. As kids, many of us built Legos with our siblings, parents and friends. Those children became adults and now purchase Lego products for new generations. They buy so many Legos that the brand is number two in the global toy market (behind Mattel, followed by Hasbro). Sure, Lego has nostalgia on its side, but it is not a stretch to credit the brands popularity in the 21st century to its investment in the digital experience. Lego is separating itself from the pack with a similar commitment to personalization and you can too.

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ENTERPRISE

READY
Now, how does a brand deliver an experience to Personalizations Holy Grail their brother that speaks to him directly? ForUnless someone knows a person really well, its tunately, if an enterprise can imagine it, theres a nearly impossible to determine tone online. It is technology that supports it. possible, however, to infer certain things about the person behind a digital interaction, because in personal relationships, there are back stories. Please Remember Me Nate Barad is the director of product strategy for Say a man posts an image of his son playing with Sitecore. After speaking with him, we know that Legos on Facebook with the caption, Great, aside from his role rainy day. Someone at Sitecore, Barad is who doesnt know him a dad to two young may think hes upset Can You Pass the boys. Without speakthat he has to stay ing directly to him, inside on a Saturday Enterprise Mobile Test? Lego can assume that night. This mans sisDiscover three things to know before too. His online order ter, however, knows going mobile at wsm.co/mobilepassfail. history with Lego, he loved playing and other companies, Legos on rainy days as is full of duplicate a child, was excited to purchases. To avoid purchase his son a set meltdowns, anytime he buys a toy, a tablet of Star Wars-themed Legos and is using his Blackyou name it he buys an extra one so that each berry that desperately needs an upgrade. Todays of his sons has his own. consumers want brands to know that too. They Using Sitecore, Lego uses Barads order history need to be his sister. Well, maybe not exactly, but and what he calls digital body language to perpretty close.

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ENTERPRISE

READY
sonalize his Web experience. For example, Lego pushes down items that dont have two in stock minimizing any frustration Barad may have after investing time in products he ultimately wont buy. Lego also promotes buy one, get one free (BOGO) offers or buy two get free shipping promotions to Barad, which they wouldnt necessarily serve to someone without his buying history. Lego and other brands can build a robust prole of Barad and his fellow shoppers (including how and when he shops, what he buys, what promotions he interacts with, what age group he buys for and more) to customize content and his user experience. Barad expects brands to have this kind of intimate knowledge of him and to earn his business by leveraging the information they have about him to build a custom experience. In fact, Accenture Interactive reports that 75 percent of U.S. consumers like when brands personalize messaging and offers so they are more relevant, while etailing group states that 51 percent of consumers are willing to share data if it results in receiving a better shopping experience. Overall, 44 percent of consumers appreciate retailers more when they remember their buying and browsing behavior across all channels (source: e-tailing group). So, what are you waiting for? If youre like many brands, you are stuck behind a wall of misconceptions, cost concerns and IT barriers. Party of One Before a brand can even begin to personalize a shoppers experience, they have to understand what personalization is and what it isnt. According to Baynote VP of Marketing and Development Dan Darnell one of the biggest misconceptions that brands have about personalization is that they are going to use a visitors prole information to personalize the experience and that this is the only option. In fact, for 80-90 percent of commerce sites visitors are anonymous. To believe I am going to know your gender, household income, etc. and then deliver relevant content, sounds like the right thing to do if you have that info, but for the majority of people coming to commerce sites, you need other strategies to personalize, said Darnell.

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ENTERPRISE

READY
Baynote educates brands that personalization is nology is eye opening for a lot of our prospects delivering relevant content based on what a marand clients, said Darnell. The fact of the matketer does know about a visitor, such as when a ter is its early days for a lot of them, some of person came to a site using a particular search them are playing catch-up and those moving to term (if theyre not receiving Google organic the next step understand deploying personalizatrafc of course) and then went to the sweattion throughout a website will continue to generers section, but the ate improved revenue marketer knows nothand engagement. ing else. Or, like our Costs for soluearlier example, this tions like Baynote can The Amazon Effect shopper buys two of range from a few thouAmazon knows product recommendations everything in x age sand dollars a month are nothing without personalization. See what group. To speak on a to tens of thousands opportunities exist at wsm.co/beatamazon. 1:1 basis with customdepending on brand ers, proles need to be and use cases, but built and then leverDarnell says the reaged with automation. turn on investment is Getting started with these technologies can take well worth it. He continues that personalization as little development time as putting a tag in the is a critical, necessary tactic within the arsenal of footer of a website, much like an analytic soluthe modern Web experience. tion. Conversely, to deploy more broadly, it can Brands need to break down personalization barrequire server-to-server integration, which is, of riers and build their businesses like a child playcourse, the recommendation of many experts. ing with Legos, because if they can imagine it, the The breadth of what you can do with this techtechnology is absolutely available to support it.

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SMALL BUSINESS LAB

WEBSITE MAGAZINES

Setting a New Standard for Customer Care Initiatives By Peter Prestipino,With Editor-In-Chief

LIVE CHAT SOLUTIONS

There is no shortage of methods to get new users in the digital door, but there seems to be little in the way of actionable advice on the tactics or technology solutions that help Net professionals engage users to a

By Peter Prestipino, Editor-In-Chief

Companies operating on the Net today typically struggle with two major problems: getting consumers to their websites, and converting those visitors into loyal, paying customers upon arrival.
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SMALL BUSINESS LAB

degree where they are comfortable, and more than willing to pull out their real-world wallets. If your enterprise is looking to enhance its users website experiences and shorten the road to digital protability, live chat software may be the answer youre looking for. Fortunately, for technology buyers, making the case for implementing these solutions wont be too difcult. Consumers are quite familiar with live chat software (just under two-thirds of U.S. shoppers have used live chat a 15 percent rise from 2009). Whats more, those that use the Web-based functionality be it on a retail or service site are more likely to buy and less likely to abandon their sessions. Its also a whole heckuva lot cheaper than running a call center. allow brands to connect with customers in a positive, meaningful and effective way. Digital enterprises must understand a few things before implementation however, including how a live chat solution could improve the customer experience (e.g. shorter phone call wait times) and if that solution can provide an experience better than what consumers have come to expect, as well as the level of resources required to own and operate the software. The total cost of ownership question is undoubtedly important to understand for small enterprises as its not just the technology that needs to be purchased, but also the time required for training as well as stafng employees to manage the solution and actually do the chatting with visitors/customers. Even after implementation, any number of problems can cause the total cost of ownership to skyrocket and make the investment a loss. Poor responses from support agents and platform failures will not just cause a lost upsell, but perhaps a lost client as well. Ensuring that your enterprise selects/ acquires a best-of-breed solution should satisfy

WEBSITE MAGAZINES

Big List!
of live chat solutions at wsm.co/livechat2014

The Value Proposition of Live Chat Live chat is one of those strategic capabilities that can differentiate a business from the competition in customers virtual eyes. When the solutions are implemented thoughtfully, of course, they will

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SMALL BUSINESS LAB

any concerns that the technology is sound. But will the training be thorough? Training Support Teams for Success Live chat agents will need to be trained to use the system and its features, trained to provide accurate, personalized answers in a conversational ow, and nally, trained on how to upsell and cross-sell (uncovering the needs of the customers). These support agents represent the brand online, so they must be able to facilitate sales and resolve issues for the customers they encounter. Theres no better way to facilitate this than through the quality of writing. Strength in this area is vital to conveying an accurate message and upholding the quality of the brand. Dont make customers guess what it is that youre saying be brief, stay on point, ensure grammar and spelling are perfect, watch the tone and always use the customers name when possible. Software Quality is Paramount Successful live chat initiatives are in great part dependent on the quality of the interactions, but also with the experience consumers have with the software itself. Take advantage of features that set customer expectations, such as showing queue position and wait times before a chat session starts. Ensure there is a typing notication when the agent is preparing a response. In a sales queue, the chat platform can make customers feel secure if it automatically encrypts sensitive information. Another feature that can enhance the online interaction is co-browsing; in other words, where an agent and customer can look at Web pages together. Many additional tactics can help any enterprise that is considering implementing a live chat solution do so with positive results, including: Never keep customers waiting more than 60 seconds; if queue times are too long, adjust system settings (if available) to hide the live chat features from website visitors. Empower live chat agents to invite other members of your organization, from sales representatives to technical staff, in order to

WEBSITE MAGAZINES

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SMALL BUSINESS LAB

help get customers questions answered quickly and correctly. Always ask customers for their opinion of the live chat experience after their sessions. The results will be useful in analyzing areas that might need improvement. Leverage any available feature in the software solution that could potentially imim prove the live chat experience, from Life as a Live real-time monitoring of users to Chat Operator (presenle transfer of content (presen When customer service takes the tations, catalogs, etc.) to codigital form, it adds an additional layer browsing. of complexity. Not only do you have
to deal with the demands and wildly different temperaments of prospects (many of whom are already customers), but its often necessary to do so with a virtual smile on your face. Website Magazine interviewed several live chat operators to understand what it is like to be a live chat operator on the Net today see what they have to say at wsm.co/livechatstories.

WEBSITE MAGAZINES

chats per hour might be useful or the average handle time (AHT). Those metrics can seem out of place in smaller enterprises, however, as they dont really reveal the performance of the agents and the live chat experience that is being presented to consumers. More meaningful metrics might include lift in sales or revenue per agent, the increase in conversion rate or the margin per chat. Even the difference in average order value (AOV) for those that engaged with a live chat representative versus those that did not is useful. Whos Ready to Chat? The Internet has changed the way consumers discover and experience people, products and services, and no enterprise can afford to ignore the tools that inuence the experience and drive engagement. Live chat, when implemented thoughtfully, and when employees are trained the same way, presents a powerful way to improve the customer experience and the bottom line of your digital enterprise.

Tracking ROI Measuring the impact of live chat implementation is also important to this initiative or any digital initiative really and there are many metrics that can be tracked. For high-volume enterprises, tracking the number of

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50

Testing & Optimization Solutions

for Internet Professionals

TO P

Testing and optimizing a digital property be it a website or application may not seem nearly as cool or edgy as designing or promoting it, but its quickly becoming the most important aspect of digital initiatives for the modern enterprise. Its the last opportunity Internet professionals have to make a positive difference to their companies, products and brands bottom lines. As an industry, were not basing decisions on gut instinct anymore, but, instead on empirical data and thats a good thing. Those responsible for testing and optimization play an integral role in the performance and long-term success of their

enterprises. Its not easy to make a case for testing and optimization, however. As a result, in small- and mid-size enterprises in particular, those initiatives rarely get the budget. The reason? Essentially, theres no single denition, and it can be hard to wrap your virtual head around. Its a broad eld that encompasses many different areas, from the purely technical to the more ephemeral notion of user experience and how it plays into something as tangible as conversion. That is beginning to change of course. A study of 1,500 global IT decision-makers by Capgemini and Hewlett-Packard found that by 2014, quality assurance testing is expected to consume as much as 28 percent of

the IT budget up ve percentage points from 2013. In this edition of Website Magazines Top 50, readers will nd solutions that are capable of satisfying a wide variety of testing and optimization scenarios from the informal and qualitative to the formal and quantitative. There are solutions for understanding how websites appear in different browser and operating system combinations such as BrowserStack.com, A/B testing platforms like Unbounce.com and VisualWebsiteOptimizer.com, as well as solutions that measure the technical performance of digital properties including Compuware.com and Yottaa.com.

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50
1. Adobe.com 2. LoadImpact.com 3. Pure360.com 4. Webtrends.com 5. Pingdom.com 6. Unbounce.com 7. Optimizely.com 8. CrazyEgg.com 9. WebsiteTest.com 10. Ready.mobi 11. UserTesting.com 12. uTest.com 13. WebPageTest.org 14. UserZoom.com

Testing & Optimization Solutions

for Internet Professionals

TO P
16. Compuware.com 17. AppDynamics.com 18. BoostCTR.com 19. BrowserStack.com 20. GTmetrix.com 21. ConceptFeedback.com 22. WebSitePulse.com 23. Autonomy.com 24. BrowserShots.org 25. ShowSlow.com 26. Usabilla.com 27. WebsiteOptimization.com 28. Yottaa.com 29. Loop11.com 30. StatusCake.com

31. Monetate.com 32. Feng-GUI.com 33. WhatUsersDo.com 34. ABTasty.com 35. Swrve.com 36. HiConversion.com 37. Landerapp.com 38. Getpremise.com 39. Browsera.com 40. Maxymiser.com 41. Monitor.us 42. TryMyUI.com 43. WiderFunnel.com 44. YSlow.org 45. CrossBrowserTesting.com

46. Browshot.com 47. Vertster.com 48. Zoomph.com 49. Userlytics.com 50. Silverbackapp.com

WaitTheres More!
The 50 solutions included here are only the beginning, there are many, many more worth exploring. Youll find a good selection of them at wsm.co/TestOptimize.

15. VisualWebsiteOptimizer.com

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mastering

search

Sink or Swim
SEO Challenges for Retailers
By Amberly Dressler, Managing Editor

There are three types of people in this world those who dive in head rst, those who test the waters and those who sit on the steps too scared to jump in. Many retailers fall into one of those categories when it comes to how they approach their companys search engine optimization. Increasingly, however, many Internet retailers are dry as a bone sitting on the steps deciding to ramp up their digital advertising spend because they think their sites will never

rank organically. Sure, there are constantly shifting technologies, interplay between different channels and consumers changing behavior to muddy the waters, but all retailers really need is a little push. Uncle Dave & Keyword Not Provided Some people have or have least heard of an uncle who taught his niece or nephew how to swim by simply pushing him or her in the pool. The idea is that the kid will sink or swim. If Uncle Dave, well call him, wasnt positive that the child

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mastering

search
would pop up to the surface, then he never would have pushed him or her in. Like Uncle Dave, Google pushed retailers into the pool, even if they werent ready. In 2013, Google shifted to encrypted search, which strips away 100 percent of the keyword insights that search marketers had become so reliant on (like swim oaties). This is because Google was condent good retailers would pop up and learn to swim. The folks at BrightEdge see this transition as a positive one. Keyword not provided allows brands to remove their dependencies on keywordlevel data and improve their SEO initiatives by focusing on page quality and conversion-based data. This doesnt mean, however, that the process is easy. BrightEdge CEO and Founder Jim Yu advises that keyword not provided requires marketers to press the reset button on their search strategies and focus on content-centric approaches. What does a content-centric approach really mean? For starters, it means more companies are forced to become information publishers as content plays an increasingly central role in marketing strategy. Now, chances are, most retailers have been engaging in content marketing in some fashion for years by publishing content like giftgiving guides, blogs, catalogs, etc. Todays Internet retailers looking to top the search engines, however, must move beyond creating content on a whim to actually understanding what customers want to consume. Merchants should analyze any available website data to understand what customers are querying based on metrics like page popularity, bounce rates and other indicators that show users are or are not nding what they are looking for. Retailers should create content around those successes and failures. To understand and measure the performance of your content, its important to analyze search engine rank, social interactions, site trafc and conversions, Yu said. Google analytics is a great way to gain a light understanding of your contents performance, but more advanced analytics platforms are necessary to truly see contents im-

Master Search
Increase visibility and drive new visitors to your Web property with all the search insights you want and need at wsm.co/searchnews.

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mastering

search
pact and optimize accordingly. Community Pool For merchants jumping into the SEO pool, it can feel like theyre competing at an Olympic level. According to Yu, generic keywords are highly competitive and expensive, which means smaller merchants must take a different approach to win the gold. Customers reliance on mobile devices presents the perfect opportunity for local merchants. Bing and Google are increasingly looking to deliver locally relevant results to users. Fortunately, searches made via mobile devices often have local intent. Merchants should focus on touchpoints where their brands may be interacted with, according to Rio SEO VP of Local Search Solutions Bill Connard. This can include optimization for local landing pages, iOS applications, local directories and in-car navigation devices. When discussing directories, in particular, its extremely important for retailers to manage their information to include correct operating hours, physical addresses, phone numbers, etc. Ultimately, however, brands should be more concerned with their own branded local search terms, according to Connard, so they can acquire the trafc that may be directed to those other directories. In other words, rank higher than Yelp for key phrases such as a business name + location. Managing review sites and directories are important but not as important as having local branded search in place because you are losing trafc to directory sites, said Connard. This brings us to Google Carousel, which has changed the search game for marketers in a big way, according to BrightEdges Yu. Rio SEOs Connard also agrees that retailers will see that Google Carousel is triggering local branded searches that were not triggered in the past. Essentially, Google Carousel eliminates the local listings pack and replaces it with a horizontal bar of image-based local results at the very top of the search results. For example, if a searcher queries, pizza places in San Diego, the top results likely belong to Yelp,

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mastering

search
but a carousel of pizza places near San Diego, CA appears above the organic results. Once a searcher clicks on one of those results (like this editors all-time favorite Bronx Pizza), a search engine results page (SERP) will appear around that business and only that business as pictured here. The question becomes, how do retailers ensure they are not losing trafc to the likes of Yelp or Foursquare? These are Yus recommendations to leverage Carousel to improve site trafc: 1. Dont leave it to Google to determine information about your business; set up a Google Place for Business and a Google+ page to provide the best information about your business. 2. Ensure images are high resolution, unique and ordered in terms of your preference. 3. Encourage customers to review your business on Google+, because research shows that reviews play a crucial role in Carousel placement. (Note: Dont end up in Googles bad graces, check out 10 terric and totally white hat ways to generate user reviews at wsm.co/10getreviews.) Paid Lessons Internet retailers are ramping up their digital advertising spend because many think its increasingly difcult to rank their sites in the search results. And despite the fact that constantly shifting technologies, interplay between different channels and consumers changing behavior can seem like a challenge, retailers can dive right in, with better SEO results to show for their nerve.

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e-commerce

express
INNOVATIVE & DISRUPTIVE
Peter Prestipino, Editor-In-Chief

Payment Processing for E-Commerce-Minded Developers

Most e-commerce merchants are going to be quite familiar with the leaders in e-commerce payment processing. Chase and PayPal have a virtual stronghold on the industry, but there are solutions and platforms emerging that are both innovative and disruptive to the digital status quo, and that are quickly becoming top-of-mind with e-commerce developers.

Stripe: One of the reasons these vendors are so disruptive is because they empower not just merchants, but also technology providers an opportunity to wrestle back control from the credit card companies. E-commerce platform Shopify, for example, announced in Aug. 2013 the release of Shopify Payments, a credit card processing system that

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e- c o m m erce

express
leverages the Stripe payments technology. The integration enables merchants to accept and manage VISA, MasterCard and American Express payments directly through their Shopify system instead of forcing them to go through a third-party payment gateway. In addition to the direct integration with Shopify, merchants receive instant setup and approval, as new stores are automatically deployed with the Shopify Payments system, providing an opportunity to start selling immediately without needing a separate payment gateway or merchant account. The system also provides real-time payment information so storeowners can see their payment balances, upcoming payout schedules and receive email notications when funds hit their bank accounts. Dwolla: In Sept. 2013, e-commerce solution 3DCart announced an integration with the Dwolla payment network (wsm.co/3dwolla), which enables its customers to send, request and accept money through email, phone, and social networks including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, eliminating the need for paper checks and charge cards. Unlike other payment companies that rely on credit and debit cards and can charge sometimes excessive processing fees to make payments, Dwolla features a custom-built network that securely connects to a chosen bank account while allowing users to move money easily and affordably. With Dwolla and 3dCart, transactions more than $10 will cost just $0.25, while anything less than $10 will remain free. BlueSnap: Another reason ecommerce developers are turning away from more traditional payment options is because of the sheer sophistication of the alternatives. BlueSnap, for example, is one of the

Recurring Payments
Subscription commerce solution OrderGroove partnered with eBay Enterprise in Aug. 2013 to offer retailers a platform to manage repeat orders, and many other merchants are looking to do the same. See a comparison of some of the top recurring payment platforms including Chargify, ChargeBee, Memberful, MoonClerk and Space Box. Visit wsm.co/getpaid8.

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e- c o m m erce

express
most comprehensive payment platforms on the market today, powering the checkout process for e-commerce merchants of all sizes worldwide, and fueling growth for online businesses serving digital, physical and mobile markets. As both a global payment service provider and an international payment gateway, BlueSnap has reinvented the checkout experience by combining the power of four key components: integration into the storefront, global payment processing, a subscription technology and marketing tools for upsell at checkout. Companies like BlueSnap are also far more willing to take a chance on those merchants and marketers that havent yet made a name for themselves. The company now serves upward of 5,000 merchants, and supports shoppers in 180 countries by localizing the experience, with 28 languages, 60-plus currencies and 110 payment types. WePay: Many of these solutions have broken through thanks to their willingness to go where other networks simply wont. The popularity of crowdfunding is accelerating rapidly and technology solutions have emerged that are capitalizing on the trend. The WePay platform, for instance, recently announced that it is now processing up to $1.5 million per day in crowdfunding payments, and powering six of the top 15 crowdfunding marketplaces, boasting more than 30 partners using its API, including GoFundMe, Fundly, Fundable, YouCaring and Honeyfund. WePay has averaged 35 percent monthly growth in crowdfunding-specic processing since it launched its rst crowdfunding API partner in Oct. 2011. On average, WePay has processed 648 percent more crowdfunding volume in each calendar month of 2013 than the same calendar month in 2012.

Better Commerce, A Better You

The Internet has changed the world of commerce for the better. Stay up to date on important trends in the digital retail space at wsm.co/ecommexpress.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

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design

development

By Allison Howen, Associate Editor

The digital design world has done a virtual 360, replacing the days of bevels and drop shadows in favor of simpler, sleeker appearances. Thats right, we are talking about at design. The trend took off in 2013 for a variety of reasons, and to the chagrin of many Apple fan boys and girls, none have to do with the release of iOS7. Rather, consumers and mobile have been the biggest drivers, as at designs not only load faster on mobile devices and desktops, but also remove distractions

from the user experience. Before an enterprise fully embraces at, however, it is essential to know what it will gain or lose. What makes design at? This question might seem simplistic, but its imperative to have a working denition. While there are a few basic elements of at design, the main differentiator is an absence of depth according to Les Kollegian, the CEO of branding and marketing agency Jacob Tyler. When the Web rst started and Photoshop came

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de s i g n & de v e l o pment

digest
out, people were trying to use effects to make designs very intricate and create as much depth as possible, said Kollegian. As time went on, the at design components started to emerge and have been adopted, because I think consumers appreciate simplicity and ease of use. Designers are forgoing elements like drop shadows, bevels and gradients in favor of simpler, twodimensional icons and imagery. This approach A results in the absence of visual depth, but typography and vibrant colors serve as elements of interest. Take the HubSpot website as an example (see image A). The white text on the sites landing page stands out against the primarily orange background. All of the design elements have a purpose, and there is little distraction on the page. Plus, the sites View the new features call-to-action is not only cohesive with the rest of the site, but also lacks elements like shadows or gradients that could give it distracting depth, making it completely two dimensional and straight-forward. Why is at design popular? Flat design has increased in popularity because it puts the focus on content, which leads to a better ROI. As previously mentioned, these often more simplistic appearing designs can improve the user experience, making it easier and faster for visitors to navigate a website to nd what they are looking for. Unless youre on an entertainment site, its really about going to a website to solve a task and at design creates an easier approach to getting things done, said Kollegian. I tend to believe that any time you are creating simplicity, its creating an ease of navi-

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de s i g n & de v e l o pment

digest
gation to go from step A to step B. Kollegian also notes that the bright colors often seen in at designs can improve usability, as they can help minimize distractions for site visitors by putting the focus on links and other navigation elements. Flickrs website, for instance, uses a dark background to highlight the white typography that is featured on its landing page. Plus, the sites most important calls-to-action are highlighted in bright pink, while the rest of the clickable links turn bright pink when visitors mouse over them (see image B). This helps draw visitors eyes to the most important areas of the page. Flat design, however, isnt only trending on websites. In fact, it can be seen in nearly every type of creative nowadays, including within apps, advertisements and infographics. Recently, popular social sharing service AddThis unveiled a new, at look for its product icons, calling them modern and vibrant (see B image C on the next page). The update provides a few advantages for developers and marketers. For instance, not only do the new icons load faster on websites, but early testing found that they also foster 48 percent more clicks. Flat designs usually have less weight than designheavy sites, which means they tend to load faster both on the traditional and mobile Web. Because

Image is Everything (and so is Function)

Make your site better, stronger and faster with news from Website Magazines Design & Development channel at wsm.co/desdevonline.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

de s i g n & de v e l o pment

digest
of the value placed on speed and fast-loading sites nowadays, this is another reason that at design has been trending. Kollegian says that anytime his team is implementing at design, they are usually also developing in responsive. This is not to say that responsive sites must feature a at design, just that the minimalistic approach makes at design adaptable, which helps developers offer a consistent experience across users devices. Is it right for my business? There is really no correct answer to this question, as it is up to an enterprise to identify the preferences of its customer base. That said, Kollegian offers some advice to companies that are considering making a design change. Ensure that any design you create for your website is appropriate for your target market. Dont just design for the sake of following a trend, said Kollegian. Thats not to say this is a fad, but that you should always make sure your consumers are taken care of. If at design is the way to go, then I highly recommend it. If your team decides to commit to at design, it is important to keep a few things in mind. C First, teams should conduct competitive analysis to see how other companies have approached at design. This not only provides the creative team with inspiration, but also ensures that everyone is on the same page from the beginning. In addition, creative teams should work to include only the necessary elements on a site, as too much content or needless imagery can distract visitors from completing the task they intended to complete. Lastly, as always, it is important to conduct testing (A/B, user experience) in order to discover which elements yield positive results (clicks and conversions) and which elements, well, dont. After all, at design should enhance the user experience, not hinder it.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

By Peter Prestipino, Editor-In-Chief

Its hard to pinpoint just how many Web businesses exist at any given time much less offline enterprises that now demand stronger and more vibrant digital components to compete but it is probably safe to say that it is growing. and certainly far faster than in years past. After a difcult and seemingly never-ending recession, business is starting to boom and the Web is once again a key driver of commercial activity. While some startups will certainly nd their brands quickly headed in the direction of the digital deadpool, a select few will stand the test of time and earn the respect and dollars of consumers.

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 from pure-play e-commerce merchants to A handful perhaps will even reach super-comapp developers, as well as ofine service providpany status like Amazon, Google, Facebook ers and Web-based publishers. As a result, Inand others that have gone public and very much ternet professionals and Web workers like you changed the real and virtual world. Even if youre must constantly engage in a process of discovnot a super-company, theres quite a bit of money ery (or, in some cases, rediscovery) surroundto be made and now is the time to get started. ing the fundamentals of Web What is so very appealing success, mastering the most about starting up a digital ECONOMIC TRUTHS: important lessons for those business today, far more so Economic growth is expected to days when they are no longer than in years past, is that the brighten in early 2014, according to just a startup but a protcost of entry is so incredibly, so a Kiplinger nance report, thanks to business and consumer condence able, established enterprise. phenomenally low. More and gaining strength and Europe emergmore people are nally recReceiving guidance as a ing from its own 18-month recesognizing even those withstartup can at times seem as sion. Still, the 2014 economy, like out any formal background in useful as a Ted Talk (inspithat of 2013, will likely be well below technology just how much rational of course, but often the economys long-run potential, 4-5 years into a recovery. What value the Web provides, how short on how to). In most does your business forecast for the expansive its opportunities are, cases, however, a more practicoming year positives or negaand how much potential exists cal use of time and talents is retives? Take Website Magazines for our most aggressive, innoquired for startup founders and 2014 Outlook survey and see how your forecast compares to other vative and interesting ideas startup workers. You already Internet professionals at if you are willing to work for it. have the inspiration, now is wsm.co/2014forecast. the time for the perspiration. As the commercial Web continues to evolve, it is servOBLIGATORY DOWNER: ITS NOT GOING TO BE EASY ing an increasingly important role in the omEvery 60 seconds, 571 websites are created, nichannel success of the modern enterprise

| J A N U A R Y 2014

11,000 professional searches are conducted Ultimately, what startups need most is a foron LinkedIn, 72 hours of video are uploaded mal plan, which provides a roadmap for sucto YouTube and more than 200 million emails cess, projecting 3-5 years ahead and outlining are sent. Only a handful of well-funded or the route a company will take to grow their bootstrapped startups will (without much efrevenues. Website Magazine has put together a fort seemingly) stand out and excel amid this quick guide on creating a digital business plan level of activity, make a name at wsm.co/newbizplan. If you among the millions of other are serious about starting up, INSPIRATION for digital properties trying to do let this be the rst moments STARTUPS & the same and somehow manyou spend as a startup. ENTREPRENEURS: age to make a prot. The rest The Ted Talk conference series is will need to operate efciently, EXPERIENCE NECESSARY & undoubtedly an idea worth spreaddiligently and creatively in PASSION REQUIRED ing in itself as its tag line indiorder to move from startup to The image of startup founders cates particularly for startups and entrepreneurs. Website Magazine established, protable enterpulling all-nighters in their has assembled some of the most prise. With the right guidance, basements or garages isnt important Ted Talks from the past of course, anything is possible. actually farfetched. Many few years, covering motivation, Thats the focus of this edition do work in their homes or productivity, marketing and advertising, innovation and more. Reof Website Magazine. Throughin shared ofces, but its not view this curated speaker series on out this feature article, youll where they are starting from the Web at wsm.co/toptedtalks. encounter both personal stothat really matters, but who ries of startup founders, as is doing the starting, or who well as links to several supplementary lists of with, which ultimately makes the difference bepractical resources at WebsiteMagazine.com. tween success and failure for todays startups. Its not going to be easy to get through it all, I previously spent 19 years at Microsoft but were sure youll manage just ne. where I led and grew a number of business

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cockiest millennial founder. For example, the units, said Sanjay Parthasarathy, CEO of Seatexecutive team for TaxJar, a software-as-a-sertle-based company Indix, a cloud-based prodvice that automates sales tax for small- and meuct intelligence platform for retail brands. dium-sized online sellers (tax compliance), has Parthasarathy also started the .NET Group, deep experience in building tax companies, acwhich eventually became the Developer & counting products and collectively have spent Platform Evangelism Division (D&PE) at Miyears working with online sellers so they crosoft. It was responsible for upward of $1 know the challenges of their billion in revenue. Parthasaraprospective customers rstthys last role at Microsoft hand. While experience was as the corporate VP of BRAND MATTERS: The Dot Com domain name extendoes not ensure success, it the Startup Business Accelsion was once the hallmark of all can certainly be a determinerator, a new division created things Internet. That, of course, is ing factor. to build startups for Microchanging quickly with the introsoft. What his general career For every startup with a duction of the hundreds of new generic top level domains hitting experience affords him is a young, passionate, driven but the market in 2014. Stay up to date greater understanding of the unexperienced founder, there on important domain name related challenges startups face, and are others (like ex-Microsoft news at Website Magazines the insight to know when an VP Parthasarathy) that highDomain Masters channel at idea is worth pursuing. Parlight the value experiencewsm.co/WMdomains. thasarathy is also an active indriven insights can have on an vestor in early stage startups, enterprise. Given the choice, consequently, with investments in Buuteeq, its likely that you too would choose experiGaMa, DocSuggest and Skift. ence over the alternative any day. The reason, while not necessarily true in every case, is that The startup enterprises with the most stable with experience comes an ability to differentifutures are likely those with the most expeate product and brand and as consumers rienced teams, not necessarily those with the

| J A N U A R Y 2014

service, they are actually providing. and investors come around, that proves to be of immense importance. Of course, passion Thanks to his experience, Parthasarathy in alone can take you quite a long way too. particular understands the value of having a product that is in demand. His Indix solution We are the mists of tech, said Braydon provides a comprehensive view into the digiMoreno, CEO of RoBo 3D, makers of an opental landscape for retailers something that is source 3-D printer. Without substantial tech sorely missing in the market today. backgrounds like many other companies, Moreno and his team take a We discovered that while different approach. We unsalespeople leverage CRM derstand what the consumer tools, marketers have marketHIRING FOR STARTUPS: is expecting in an electronics ing automation, and nancial Even with the passion of a startup, product and then work toanalysts leverage financial there is always a time when ward exceeding those expecmodeling applications, prodyoull need to start hiring others tations. Our goal is to work on uct managers, pricing anato take on some of the work be developing and sustaining a lysts, category/merchandising it design, development, marketing or any of the other essential superior customer experience managers at brands and retailpositions within a digital enterwhile simultaneously expanders dont have a comprehenprise. Find out where startups (and ing the possibilities of what sive tool at their disposal to established) companies are hiring one can do with tools such as research product landscapes from at wsm.co/hiringin2014. our personal 3D printer. in an efcient and meaningful way, said Parthasarathy. IDENTIFY DEMAND, DEFINE THE DIFFERENCE Instead, they spend an endless amount of Experience and passion are important and time searching for and synthesizing product are two great equalizers in the startup game, information from the Internet while leaving but nothing is more vital to the success of an little time to actually analyze and act upon that emerging enterprise than what it is, product or information.

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The difference that Indix wants to be known The Indix platform enables merchants to exfor is the largest source of product-related inplore, analyze and visualize product-related formation, something that will likely be in information (assortments, catalogs, channels, great demand for merchants across the globe. competition, prices and promotions) and to do so in real-time. The difference is what Indix A CLEAR & PURPOSE-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY and other successful startups must focus on. Keeping your website, technology, product After all, a difference is the status quo, a difand/or service simple may ference improves the perforjust be the best piece of admance and professional lives FAIL FAST: vice startups can receive to of their users. So whats next The current ideology behind startspur initial and ongoing use. for this startup? ups is to fail fast, so you succeed Without a clear purpose, how Indixs long-term goal is faster. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the idea is that in building will users know if they need to achieve a bigger scale for a startup, failure is inevitable. There or want it? It is, in fact, what product data in its platform. will be problems and the faster you many consumers nd most There are more than 1 bilencounter them, the faster you can frustrating. lion products and services learn, adjust and grow. Check out three high-prole failed startups on the Internet. Today, the If what your startup is offerfrom 2013 and discover what you Indix platform has between ing is complicated to explain can learn from their mistakes at 100-150 million products or grasp to any degree whatwsm.co/startupmishaps. and more than 4 billion price soever, it is likely going to be points. The next few months a barrier to adoption by conare crucial for Parthasarathy and his team as sumers, and a great big wall to potential investhey move toward achieving a bigger scale on tors (as well as the media and market inuencers product data and realizing their vision of orgathat can help spread the word about your startup nizing, analyzing and visualizing the worlds to these two groups). In short, a clear purpose product information. provides a clear path to protability.

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a void in mobile advertising on mass transit, In this months Top 50, Website Magazine learning the routines of riders, and matching proles some of the leading testing and optimiindividuals with relevant ads. zation solutions for Internet professionals. Several of these solutions, including UserTesting. Just having a purpose for the technology com and ConceptFeedback.com, can remove youve innovated isnt enough the benet any doubt in a founders mind that what they it provides also needs to be in demand, and are presenting to users will be understood, as capable of making differences in the personal well as any potential barriers or professional lives of its to use or adoption. users. But success as a startup goes even further without With any luck, enterprises a powerful and reliable techlike local-mobile startup MEASURING nology to serve customers, CommuteStream will underDEMAND: There certainly needs to be some youre likely just one more stand and put testing and opdegree of user demand for solusolution headed for the digitimization at the top of their tions and services, but how do you tal deadpool. startup to-do list. know if what youre offering is of The solution aims to deinterest to consumers? Check out three platforms to gather feedback STRENGTH & RELIABILITY WIN liver foot trafc to brick-andat wsm.co/measuredemand. THE DIGITAL DAY mortar locations located near Without a strong and relior around public transit able back-end, platforms straightforward enough. A like CommuteStream would look under the virtual hood not be able to reach the tens of thousands of however shows the vision and the potential. daily commuters in the next three months as it Using its predictive geo-targeting technology, plans, much less the hundreds of thousands it the startup plans to change the way local busiexpects a year from now. nesses interact with mass transit commuters. Its content delivery platform very much lls In terms of implementation, we use JavaS-

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ture, ensuring there is synergy among features. cript for both client and server, using Node.js/ Express for back-end and HTML5/ Backbone. INNOVATIVE BY NATURE, DISRUPTIVE BY DESIGN js for the front, said Samuel Pro, co-founder Startups are typically perceived as disruptive and CEO of Commute Stream, showcasing the by design one powerful idea, supported familiarity with technology that every founder by a passionate group, and in demand from should have at the ready. By using a unian equally passionate community thats a ed language, and the latest tools, we have startup through and through. been able to rapidly develop and continue to evolve a lot When I saw this technology of technology with minimal and the opportunities in the STARTUP FUNDING: staff. Everything is built for space, we all came together Few, if any, startups are ush scale, and we are looking forand jumped right in, said with cash at the outset. So how ward to some new markets RoBo 3Ds Moreno. When do they get funded? Angel investors, crowdfunding platforms, very soon. we launched our product venture capitalists or by their own on Kickstarter.com, we had While there isnt necessarbootstraps? Website Magazine hopes of selling 50-100 maily anything groundbreaking interviews startups about the chines and when we pre-sold about the service on the whole source of their funding and the lessons theyve learned at over 1,000 machines, we (geo-targeting ads are nothing wsm.co/getfundednow. knew this was something we new), its approach is certainly were going to dive into long disruptive and by all accounts term and really change the unique, which seems to be space for better. what consumers and investors are looking for these days. Its certainly easy to see how a startup in the 3-D printing space can be classied as disThe good news for startups is that they wont ruptive, but being disruptive does not always have to deal with any bulk legacy systems, inrequire such dramatic shifts in production or stead, they can build with a vision for the fu-

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lution is more of an after-thought. presentation. Often, even the smallest change, the subtlest innovation, can result in wildly By making it easy for SMBs to set up and positive outcomes. monitor their display campaigns, with the human-creative angle, Dispop is poised to be There are a number of retargeting platforms in quite disruptive to the advertising industry as existence, for example, but recently launched a whole. Dispop is the only one to combine a full display platform (including both direct targeting and ITS TIME TO STARTUP retargeting campaigns) with Companies today must probuilt-in creative solutions. By PROGRESS vide a useful, convenient, taking this unique and rather METRICS: smart and fun product or sernovel approach to creative Thanks to the availability of data, vice. Thats a lot for a startup optimization, new and fresh its not uncommon for startups to to consider. No two readers banner ads are continuously become over-measured. Startups, will nd themselves at the injected into advertisers camhowever, need to remain focused on growth; choosing just a handful of same stage in the startup propaigns by a team of profesmetrics that showcase the success cess you may be on your sional designers. your enterprise had will go a long couch or sitting at a desk at We cater mostly to SMBs way. From shares to sales, nd your full-time job. You could who dont have the knowlout the best progress metrics to have just bought a domain edge and expertise with runmeasure at wsm.co/measurethis. name or are in the nal stages ning a full blown display of your rst round of fundcampaign, said Ayal Ebert, ing. Whatever stage your startup is in, its alCEO and founder of Dispop. Most SMBs will ways the right time if you have a differentiated run a display campaign alongside their search product or service in demand and the passion campaign on Google. However, 90 percent of to see it through. Googles revenue comes from search, so on a product level their display and retargeting so-

| J A N U A R Y 2014

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DOMAIN MASTERS

New TLDs:

How to Protect
Yourself Against
Online Vulnerabilities
By Robert Hoffmann, CEO Hosting at 1&1 Internet, Inc.

More than 250 million domains were registered worldwide, as of last year, (according to Verisigns latest Domain Name Industry Brief) and this number continues to grow each day. The increased congestion in the namespace, however, has influenced the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to recognize the need for new domain extensions thus creating more opportunities for businesses and individuals to claim their own piece of the Web.

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DOMAIN MASTERS

mark holders whose reputations are at stake. The new top-level domains (TLDs) represent a paradigm shift in the way businesses are identied Furthermore, the World Intellectual Property online. Websites will be able to communicate their Organization (WIPO) recorded 2,884 cybersquatwebsite missions better via different themes such as ting cases covering 5,084 domain names last year. geographical location (.nyc, .miami, etc.), website The organization denes cybersquatting as the type (.shop, .blog, etc.), business sector (.restaupre-emptive registration of trademarks by third rant, .doctor, etc.) or hobby (.football, .dance, etc.). parties as domain names. Cybersquatters often exWhile these new ploit the rst-come, TLDs should imfirst-served method prove the likelihood of the domain name that businesses will registration system acquire their desired by registering domains on the names incorpoly, us cio ali m ed us g Your brand name is bein crowded Internet, rating trademarks, and a plan of s ht rig ur yo er ov isc D ? at wh w no implementing them into a brand famous people or d. action at wsm.co/icanndefen strategy will also contribute to a businesses with safer and more secure Internet. which they have no connection. Those that initiate such cyberCybercriminal abuse cases insquatting then plan to resell the domain name to crease every year. In fact, Google discovered that an the company or person involved at a price much average of 9,500 new malicious websites were reghigher than that of the initial registration cost. The istered daily in 2012 alone. These sites were either clear vulnerabilities that lay within the virtual enviinnocent websites that were compromised by malironment demonstrate the need for businesses and cious authors or built with the specic intention of individuals to stay informed and take necessary distributing malware or phishing. This affects trade-

Fight Back Against Brand Abuse

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DOMAIN MASTERS

precautions against such potential harm to their online representations. In addition to maintaining positive business reputations driven by security purposes, it is important to consider the impact that new TLDs may have on the public perception of a business. For example, some companies that have applied to become a registry of .bank are doing so on behalf of the global banking community. They plan to place restrictions on those that try to register the domain extension and only allow those that are a recognized bank and nancial services company to use it. A local bank would want to consider this option. Potential visitors may feel a greater sense of trust or comfort visiting a .bank website, as they can rest assured that they are working with a secure online bank before they disclose condential, personal details. Although the new TLDs may seem intimidating to those unfamiliar with the concept, they do offer many opportunities for trademark holders and companies to defend their businesses and online presence from cybersquatters. Developing an extensive and elaborate domain portfolio is perhaps one of the most valuable methods to help secure a

business identity on the Web. Consider proactively registering multiple variations of a professional domain name and domains that communicate different products specic to a company, and including variations of spellings or alternative domain extensions like .us or .com in your portfolio. These tactics will prevent others from registering your trademark or product as a domain and reduce the chance your brand will lose trafc and confuse customers, which could be detrimental to a businesss online reputation and its bottom line. The rst new TLDs available for registration are planned to be launched by the end of 2013, as of writing, and a number of new domain extensions will be introduced per month. With more than 700 new TLDs scheduled, releases will occur gradually over the next 2-3 years for businesses and individuals to acquire. Reserving, and then registering, your domain within multiple TLDs is a good way to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of cybersquatting and increase brand protection, improve your business visibility on the Web and help to capture more trafc.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

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2014 Website Magazine

PERFORMANCE INSIDER

Content Marketing
Tips for 2014
By Allison Howen, Associate Editor

At the dinner table, on the beach and in the airport these are just a few of the places people consume content today. The world is more connected to the Web than ever before, which has left enterprises searching for new ways to satisfy the growing demand of content consumers. As a result, most business owners (58 percent) are planning to increase their content marketing budgets in 2014 according to the Content Marketing Institute.

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PERFORMANCE INSIDER

Before marketers put more resources into this evolving strategy, it is important to move beyond supercial and short-term successes, such as likes or views, to truly understand how to use content to grow a business.

Besthoff recommends researching competitors strategies and identifying writing topics where a sites content can compete. He advises that simply writing about a topic one is knowledgeable about is leaving success to chance.

1. Identify marketplace opportunities. 2. Create a path to purchase. The fastest way to generate impactful content is In order to inuence an enterprises bottom line to know what your audience for the better, a marketer must is interested in. Use your anatactfully incorporate a pathlytics as a starting point. For to-purchase into content. example, if a beauty retailers Creative content thats Power Tips! best-selling product is a red purely interesting denitely LinkSmart shares five lipstick, creating a blog or inhas a place in raising brand tips for increasing fographic that helps readers awareness and trafc, but it reader engagement pick their best shade of red doesnt necessarily attract through in-content linking at wsm.co/incontent. is likely to be a homerun. For people who will then go on additional insights, marketers to make a sale, which is ulcan leverage social listening timately what clients want, tools like Brandwatch or Vissaid Estelle Puleston, creative ible Technologies to discover hot topics among project manager at Strategy Internet Marketing. their audiences. However, if you can create something thats both useful/interesting and subtly encourages a Aside from covering popular topics, marketsale, youre on to a winner. ers also need to capitalize on other marketplace opportunities. CEO of InboundWriter Skip Lets go back to the beauty retailer example.

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PERFORMANCE INSIDER

By linking to inventory within the lipstick article, marketers can funnel consumers to product pages with just one click. 3. Make content consumable. Consumers wont hesitate to move on from content that is difcult to consume, whether it be a long video, unorganized infographic or poorly formatted article. CEO of ePromos Promotional Products Jason Robbins suggests using a consistent writing style that is both engaging and professional, as well as creating a visually appealing structure (e.g. with subtitles or bullet points). Put the meaty stuff stats, gures, factual information as early as possible in your content, continues Robbins. People are busy. If they dont nd what they need on your site, theyll go elsewhere. 4. Test marketing copy. When it comes to marketing, enterprises must learn what type of copy performs best. After all, competing in the social sea and email everglades is not an easy feat. For email, Seamas Egan, manager of revenue

operations at Campaigner, advises marketers to focus on subject lines. Campaigner, like many other email service providers, offers an A/B testing feature that makes it easy to test different subject lines. Marketers tell Campaigner what to test, how they want it to pick the winner and the system will do the rest. Testing copy that will motivate subscribers to open is the key, and the same concept holds true for social. Luckily, social allows marketers to leverage visuals to attract attention. See other tips for creating social posts that get clicks at wsm.co/getsocialclicks. 5. Know where to promote. To give your content the best chance for success, it is important to know where to distribute it. Go where your customers and prospects are, said Rob Yoegel, content marketing director at Monetate. People consume content in different ways, at different times and in different places. Create different versions of content to address the different ways people consume content.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

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Get a Faster Website and Chiseled Abs

With This One...Simple...Formula
By Jerod Morris, Director of Content for Copyblogger Media

What determines how well your website performs? Dont worry if you are unsure how to answer this question. There has been so much hype in recent years about the cloud and content delivery networks, not to mention the grading tools galore that assess different data points to arrive at a single site performance score, that its understandable if you feel overwhelmed or confused as to what really matters.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

WEB HOSTING PANEL

Secure Customers, Boost Biz

Discover how to turn Web security into a competitive advantage at wsm.co/trustycloud.

Fortunately, so much of it is just noise. In this way, the world of website performance has become like the world of diet and exercise. In that world, there always seem to be new fads and next big things marketed as the secret for losing weight and getting t. Except, there is only one time-tested formula that actually does work 100 percent of the time: eat healthier and strengthen your core. Thats it. Thats the formula. You can take as many diet pills and do as many crunches as you want for quick results, but your overall wellness is not being impacted. The formula for improved Web wellness is even simpler. If you want your website to be a lean, mean, quick-page-serving machine, then you need to develop a razor-sharp focus on one area: strengthening your sites core. So, what exactly does that mean? Lets break it down. You know that your physical core is basically your body minus your arms, legs, head and upper back. Its the muscles in your belly and lower- to middle-back, plus your hips, pelvis, gluteus maximus and some other minor muscle groups. Almost every single movement your body makes originates from your core, which is why a strong core is imperative for overall physical strength and sta-

bility, as well as injury prevention. Your websites core is your site minus any and all appendages like content delivery networks for example that you have afxed to it. Specically, your websites core is its domain name system (DNS) and hosting, plus your content management system (CMS), design and any origin caching thats in place. Every single call into your website depends on its core, which is why an optimized core is essential for consistently fast load times and security against hackers, malware and downtime. Your sites core begins with DNS and hosting. If you go cheap for either, or choose a premium provider that fails to deliver on its premium promises, nothing else you do really matters. It would be like eating a nutrient-packed, low-calorie, veggie-lled dietbut then relying on high-caloric beer for your liquids. Youd undo any good. Bad DNS or hosting means your performance will always lag behind your smarter competitors, and no amount of image optimization or CSS simplication will change that. Want a quick way to know if you have obvious DNS or hosting issues? Run a quick test on websites like Pingdom, WebSiteOptimization.com or

| J A N U A R Y 2014

WEB HOSTING PANEL

others, and analyze the rst object to load, your domain name. If its load time isnt measured in milliseconds and not a lot of them are either then youve got problems. With a strong DNS and hosting foundation in place, your CMS can go to work managing and serving your content. It will do so most efciently on a hosting stack specically optimized for it. Core optimization does not stop there. A host designed for a particular CMS is optimal, but its not magic. A bloated site on an optimized host will load faster there than on a generic shared one...but its still a bloated site that is slower than it needs to be. Bloat occurs because there are always plugins, add-ons, or any number of other features or functions that can be added. Just remember that they all come with a price, and that price is their impact on load time. A site with an optimized core has trimmed the fat. It doesnt have 500 objects loading on every page just because it canit has 85 objects that all serve an essential purpose for the visitor experience. Its like eating better and exercising more; a simple, no frills formula that works. The rest will have only minimal impact, if any. Speaking of the rest, consider content deliv-

ery networks (CDNs), which have been one of the hottest (and most misunderstood) buzz strategies in Web performance over the past few years. Employing CDNs can have a positive impact on performance in the right situation. A mediaintensive site with an optimized core that ofoads its high-resolution images and large video les to a CDN saves bandwidth and gets users its media content more efciently. On the other hand, tacking a CDN onto a site with a non-optimized core in hopes of getting consistently faster page load speeds is nonsensical. Here, a CDN is just being used as a Band-Aid for a poor core setup. Unfortunately, its an all-too-common strategy. Its also somewhat understandable. Content delivery networks and many cloud solutions have had misleading marketing campaigns behind them, which has led to the mounting confusion about what really matters when it comes to website performance. This is where cutting through the noise is key. Get to the heart of the matter, because you may not need what youre being sold. Online and off, optimizing your core gives you speed, strength and stability. And thats what determines performance.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

Website Magazines Resource Center presents white papers from our sponsors that provide information, specifics, and metrics to help you make decisions for website success. Download free at wsm.co/resources2014
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Marrying Compelling Custom Copy with Protability

Thanks to content marketing, companies get to share their chapters with the world every day. Simply put, content marketing is a comprehensive marketing strategy that involves creating and sharing relevant, customized, insightful copy, to bolster your brand and amplify your sales. Download this free white paper to learn what type of content you should produce to establish yourself as a subject matter expert, and forge a lasting trust with your customer that converts to sales and revenue. Sponsored by TMCnet

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| J A N U A R Y 2014

EMAIL EXPERIENCE

3 EMAIL
By Erik Harbison, CMO at AWeber Communications

MARKETING
RESOLUTIONS
FOR THE NEW YEAR
In the world of email marketing, the competition is erce. A recent study from Return Path found that the average person receives 416 commercial email messages per month. Thats about 15 per day. With all of those messages competing for subscribers attention, the New Year is an ideal time for an email marketer to review current practices and resolve to put his or her best foot forward in 2014.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

EMAIL EXPERIENCE

sure they can separate those who are still interested 1. CATCH UP WITH OLD FRIENDS Its inevitable. from those who have checked out entirely. Over time, everyones email subscribers will become disengaged. Maybe their interests have changed, or 2. TRIM THE FAT No matter how hard brands try, maybe they werent really that interested to begin some subscribers are simply going to stop opening with. Other subscribers may be unsatised with the or reading their emails. These disengaged quality of the content they are receiving. subscribers are an increasing concern beWhatever the reason, the New Year is cause Internet Service Providers (ISPs) an ideal time for marketers to get disare beginning to factor engagement engaged subscribers back on board, into email deliverability. This means actively engaging with their mesKeep it Clean! that if a companys email list is full sages. Brands can isolate subscribers Yesmails Jason Warnock of people who are ignoring them, that have not opened their emails shares valuable tips on it may have trouble getting future or clicked on links in the last 3-6 email data hygiene at emails to the people who actually months and send them a series of wsm.co/spotclean do want to hear from them. re-engagement emails. There are a number of win-back Marketers who have tried re-entactics to test. For one, companies can gagement strategies and have subscribemail a survey asking for feedback on their ers who still arent interested, should products or even their emails. Marketers can remove them from their lists. In addition to also send emails that allow subscribers to change their the deliverability issues, these subscribers clearly email preferences or that force them to click a link to arent interested in their content or products. Theres continue to receive updates. Its always important to no sense in trying to sell to people who arent buyers. include calls-to-action in emails, but for re-engagement Now, companies shouldnt purge anyone from their messages its especially critical. Marketers want to enlists without a warning. A reminder email should be

| J A N U A R Y 2014

EMAIL EXPERIENCE

sent, letting them know theyll be unsubscribed unless they indicate otherwise. After about a week or two with no response, its safe to remove them from a list. 3. READ MORE Weve talked a lot about subscribers, but email marketers also need to look at themselves in the mirror when they make resolutions. Companies that have lost a lot of followers or arent growing as fast as those involved would like, should see if its content needs some sprucing up. Revamping such a core component of a brands marketing efforts, can seem like an overwhelming challenge, but marketers can start small by looking to others for inspiration. Internet professionals should subscribe to their competitors email newsletters to see what works and what doesnt, and then co-opt some of those strategies to meet their individual needs. We should all get in the habit of reading a few relevant marketing blogs on a daily or weekly basis. They can be a great resource for tips and strategies. The key to maintaining New Years resolutions whether they relate to a business or a waist line is to set attainable goals and map out a specic action plan

for achieving them. Vowing to clean up your list or start exercising is great, but neither effort will be successful if there is no plan. Its imperative to set deadlines and make these activities a regular part of a routine. That way, we wont be staring back at these same resolutions in 2015.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

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CONVERSION CORNER

Hype of Responsive Design

By Tim Ash, CEO of SiteTuners

Responding to the

The hype surrounding responsive Web design (RWD) was substantial for digital marketers in 2013. For those without a responsive site, chances are good youve at least thought about making this a priority, especially if you are in the e-commerce space. As is true for most fads, however, being caught up in the excitement of responsive design doesnt mean it is a perfect solution for every enterprise, or that those who are implementing RWD on their sites are doing it well.

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CONVERSION CORNER

If youre thinking about responsive design and you certainly should be you can avoid making some of the mistakes made by early adopters. Long page load times have been atop the list of RWD concerns for some time, but that issue is only the tip of the virtual iceberg. There are far greater considerations to keep in mind when responding to the hype of responsive design. Focus on the user, not the screen With so many devices and screen resolutions to juggle, its easy to get bogged down in technical details and forget about users. Rather than thinking about how a website will render on different size screens, think about the experience those users will have when browsing a website on different devices. Web visitors expect a similar experience regardless of the device they are using, and when that experience changes dramatically they are more likely to leave. Just as important, think about how easily people will be able to interact with your site on all of their devices. Users wont care if a website is responsive or not, but they will care whether they can accomplish what they want to do. If links are too hard to click, pages take too long to load, or

navigation is not fat-nger friendly, the site has failed. And that can happen to a responsive site just as easily as to one that isnt. Maintain clear interaction cues When site visitors are using laptop or desktop computers, they have the advantage of relying on their cursors to indicate what is clickable. Without being consciously aware of it, many users actually read with their mouse moving the cursor along with their eyes. However, on mobile devices there is no hover behavior and no cursor that turns into a nger whenever it passes over a link. Whats more, because viewing websites on mobile devices is generally quite slow, most people are reluctant to start tapping all over a page. This means that design must make it visually clear what elements on the site allow for user interactions. Buttons, links, form elds and other points of user interaction must be large enough to be clicked easily, and spaced far enough away from other page elements that users dont risk clicking the wrong elements. Invest time designing the right navigation Navigation is one of the most important elements

| J A N U A R Y 2014

CONVERSION CORNER

scrolls to the selection (or category) of interest. of any website, regardless of the viewing device. But poor navigation design for visitors on mobile The worst thing you can do is try to shrink devices is not just a nuisance; it could make a site the menu to t the device. Many organizations practically unusable. with large, complicated menu structures have attempted this solution and the Effective site navigation result is generally a long list of helps users nd what theyre tiny links that are nearly imlooking for, as well as underpossible to click without rst stand where they are within pinching to enlarge. Avoid a site. But with as few as 400 any solution that doesnt pixels of width to work with feel natural and effortless to on mobile devices, it can be users. And if there is an inforchallenging to determine how mation architecture problem, to present navigation without it should be dealt with at the it becoming the center of atroot level before even thinktention. The best solution is ing about going responsive. often one in which the naviAn example of a menu icon that expands gation is there when users to present the user a full category-based navigational structure. Recognize that customer need it, and hidden when they journeys are device-centric dont. Some sites do this with Before an enterprise starts a RWD project, it should a menu icon (see image), a symbol that is growing review its sites analytics reports and segment visiin popularity but hasnt yet reached convention tor paths and conversions by device, screen resostatus yet. This could be an option for those who lution, window resolution, browser and operating know their visitors are savvy Web users. A safer apsystem. Even if the data isnt entirely accurate it proach for many sites will be to use a drop-down or will provide a glimpse of how visitors behave difselect menu. The user simply clicks the menu and

| J A N U A R Y 2014

CONVERSION CORNER

Show Emails Responsive Love

Many marketers are considering how to implement a responsive design on their website, but few have extended the same focus to their email marketing campaigns. According to GetResponse, 41 percent of emails are opened on mobile devices, but only 25 percent of marketers are optimizing their emails for mobile (source: Econsultancy), however. With more than 200 different screen sizes and resolutions (and counting) already in existence, it goes without saying that many people receiving your emails are probably not seeing the message as you intended. Recreate your email templates in a responsive format with these ve templates for merchants at wsm.co/respemail.

ferently according to device. Plenty of statistics exist that illustrate how behavior and intent change by device. For example, a visitor who adds an item to a cart on a smartphone is four times less likely to purchase than a visitor from a desktop (source: SeeWhy). In addition, 90 percent of people move between devices to accomplish a goal, whether thats on smartphones, PCs, tablets or TV (source: Google). That last statistic is particularly powerful. What makes people jump between devices to accomplish a goal? It might be that they arent able to easily accomplish their goal on the device they started with. Or, more likely, it is that they have a different intent in mind altogether. For example, if you are visiting a hospital website from a desktop you might be looking up services, trying to nd a doctor, checking to see if your insurance is accepted and so on. But if you are on a smartphone, youre primary goal is likely to get a map, a phone number or visiting hours. Whatever the key customer journeys are for your site, they are likely to vary by device type. Designers need to know enough about visitors and their goals to ensure responsive design considers

these different goals. The goal should be to understand what role a smartphone or tablet visit may play in the overall visitor journey, and to make sure the responsive site meets the needs of visitors by presenting the right information on the right device at the right time. Go responsive responsibly Today, many assume that RWD is necessary. Accepting the reality of a multi-device world however doesnt make a responsive design framework a forgone conclusion. In fact, the responsive approach has some drawbacks that can be avoided with a dedicated mobile site. Enterprises need to weigh the pros and cons of both approaches to decide whats best for their users. And remember that a responsive site is not necessarily a high-converting site. Most who create responsive sites are trained in Web development, not usability or conversion-rate optimization. The measure of success for a website, whether responsive or not, will always be conversion rate. Think less about the screen and more about getting your users to their conversion goal.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

Website Magazine Webinars

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2014 Website Magazine
THE MAGAZINE FOR WEBSITE SUCCESS
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SOCIAL MEDIA MAVENS

Social Predictions for 2014

By Allison Howen, Associate Editor

Social media has been on a roll, and the majority of marketers will increase their social media budgets this year (source: Webmarketing123). The challenge in planning for a year ahead in social, however, is that the channel is rarely, if ever, predictable. In 2013, for example, brands experimented with new content formats and social selling strategies. Conversely, emerging social networks like Pinterest started honing in on ways to monetize their efforts. In order for brands to succeed in 2014, weve asked a few social executives to shed light on what trends they believe the New Year may have in store.

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SOCIAL MEDIA MAVENS

2014 will be the year when social media truly becomes integrated into the full marketing mix. Bill Piwonka, VP of Marketing at Janrain While social media has been considered a part of the media mix for some time, most brands have had distinct strategies for their Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc. presence, while rarely considering how to leverage the behavioral, demographic and psychographic data available from their customers activity on these networks into their overarching marketing strategy. In 2014, well see brands using this information to both improve interactions on the individual networks, and personalize the experiences across sites and devices for their customers.

People used to think of Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram as outlets for visual content, but with updates to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, every social channel now prioritizes photos and images, and organizations who ignore this trend do so at their peril. Being successful on social media with imagery doesnt require a massive creative spend; it mandates a clear understanding of the types of content your audience wants and an understanding that bite-sized content will win the day for attention spans and engagement, especially on Twitter. 2014 will be the year social data will truly enter mainstream marketing and business operations. Richard Pasewark, CEO of Visible Technologies Social media will come full circle as marketing will take over the responsibilities of managing more interactive and dynamic customer communication over social channels including sales, support and service initiatives. In addition, inter-

A picture will be worth 10,000 words. Mike Volpe CMO at Hubspot

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SOCIAL MEDIA MAVENS

national growth of social intelligence and engagement will greatly accelerate and become the norm in developing markets, where consumers are often mobile savvy and use crowdsourcing for recommendations. Shareable and visual content will play an increasingly important role in a small businesss marketing strategy. Mark Schmulen, General Manager of Social Media at Constant Contact Small business will increase their adoption of visual-based social networks like Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr and Slideshare. A powerful image or video will carry much more weight across social networks with small businesses creating more visually inspired marketing campaigns with fewer words.

We expect to see social commerce grow by leaps and bounds in 2014, due in large part to deeper integration between retailers. Jesse Ness, Senior Marketing Manager at Ecwid For example, Pinterest just announced that several major e-commerce websites will now greet visitors by showing their most pinned items from the social networking site. As retailers and social networks become more interconnected, the result will be more purchases made based on peer inuence whether directly on an e-commerce site or on the social network site itself. We also expect to see new approaches to social selling. Social networks are still trying to gure out how to monetize their user base. Some form of social commerce could be the answer; however, no network has fully succeeded in cracking the social commerce code yet. So there will be lots of experimentation in this space in 2014. The merchants that benet most will be those whose technology can adapt to this deeper integration and in interconnection, and manage multiple online venues as a single entity.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

WEB COMMENTARY

Snapchat
By Allison Howen, Associate Editor

What Non-Millennials Should Know about

It can be challenging for me, a 25 year old, to keep up with the newest social platforms and mobile apps, so I cannot imagine what it is like for nonmillennial professionals. Take Snapchat as an example. Although I was a little late to join the ephemeral messaging apps bandwagon, I have since fully embraced the company that reportedly turned down a $3 billion offer from Facebook. In recent weeks I have started using the app more frequently, and data shows that Im not the only one. In fact, the companys 23-year-old CEO Evan Spiegel revealed that the messaging app processes more than 350 million snaps a day, and you wouldnt be far off to assume the majority of these snaps are being sent by the millennial age group.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

WEB COMMENTARY

After a few weeks of sending silly seles and pics of my adorbz puppy (see images) to my old college pals and high school-aged sister, I was surprised to nd out that some brands are also active on Snapchat. At rst I was unsure of how this somewhat trivial app could be used as a marketing platform, but then the images started rolling in. While some brands hit the virtual nail on the head, others would be wise to participate in a Marketing to Millennials workshop. For those companies and others still unsure of the Snapchat craze, here is a crash course from an 88 baby: Dont Be Boring Unless your Beyonce, most millennials dont care about behind-the-scenes pics of your ofce. Just like any other type of content, snaps that are not engaging will be easily forgotten

if not totally ignored. Sex Sells (This is Snapchat After All) A few of the brand snaps I received were pretty racy (Im looking at you Karmaloop), but they were also among the most memorable. This doesnt mean that your enterprise should compromise its image in the name of millennials, but adding an edge to your snaps like the video I received of someone twerking with a coupon code will make recipients not only remember your brand, but also tell their friends about it. Make Snaps Last Not all snaps are deleted after they are viewed, because in Oct. 2013 Snapchat unveiled a feature called Stories, which enables users to combine snaps to create a narrative that

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WEB COMMENTARY

can be viewed anytime within a 24-hour period. This feature is ideal for retailers launching ash sales or for brands showcasing unique events, as the New Orleans Saints do on game days. Personalization Wins Cool Points Sex might sell, but personalization rules. The most memorable brand snap I received was from GrubHub, who directly replied to a message I sent to them that had nothing to do with ordering food whatsoever. But will I order through the company in the future? You can count on it. Spread the Word After discovering a few brands on Snapchat, I reached out to friends to see if they were following any companies on the platform, yet none knew what I was talking about not even

my younger sister who uses Snapchat like its her job. Bottom line, if your enterprise is putting resources into a platform or channel, it is vital that your audience knows about your presence. All that said, Snapchat is a very young platform that will continue to change almost as fast as its snaps are deleted. Only time will tell if it has real legs to stand on or if it will be thrown to the wayside by its ckle, primarily millennial user base. At the end of the virtual day, professionals who quickly adapt to new technologies are put in a better position to withstand the test of time, regardless of the generation they identify with.

| J A N U A R Y 2014

Meet The Staff

999 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018 Toll Free: 1.800.817.1518 | www.WebsiteMagazine.com

PUBLISHER

Susan Whitehurst susan@websitemagazine.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Peter Prestipino peter@websitemagazine.com

GENERAL MANAGER ART DIRECTOR

David Ruiz druiz@websitemagazine.com Janet Crouch www.grakadesign.net

MANAGING EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Amberly Dressler adressler@websitemagazine.com Allison Howen ahowen@websitemagazine.com

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