SpeakOut at PaperStreet Web Design » 2005

Tips for Easy and Effective Web Site Navigation

Recently our President Peter Boyd was interviewed for an article about good web design tips. Here is the Q & A.

Tips for easy and effective Web site navigation.
Planning. Planning. Planning. Would you start writing an appeal without an outline? You need to outline your site navigation as the first step in the web site process. Start with a site structure that is in bullet or numbered format.Once you have outlined what content will be on the site, how people will move through the site, then the navigation falls into place pretty easily.

You can see the full article at: http://www.lawofficecomputing.com/EDC/eloc/november05/feature.php

More Q & A to come later this week.

.

by Peter Boyd in Design on November 29, 2005 - Be the First to Comment
Bookmark Now or Else:

del.icio.us:Tips for Easy and Effective Web Site Navigation

digg:Tips for Easy and Effective Web Site Navigation

Web Site Statistics

What is web site statistics? Who provides statistics? Where are they installed? Why is it needed?

1. What are Web Site Statistics?

Site reporting is the tracking and statistical program to see who visits your web site. Tracking programs have advanced over the past ten years, in terms of what they report and how they report the information. However, all programs rely on the raw logs of your site to generate those reports. The raw logs are simply numbers and words that would mean very little without a tracking program as the information would be overwhelming.

In terms of site reporting you should at a very least expect to track the number of hits, the number of visitors, the page views, the duration, the visitors country/host, file types, operating system used, browser used, and any errors broken areas on your site. More advanced programs will track where the visitor came from (i.e. another web site or search engine). Even more advanced programs will track ad spending from pay-per-click accounts and even present a ROI calculator.

2. Who Provides Statistics Reporting?

Typically your web site reporting is provided by your web host. While you can choose whom to host with, typically your web host will have already selected a software product and configured it for their server. So the following is for informational use only, unless of course you are hosting your own web site.

If you are hosting your own site, then you can choose a program to install or use a number of free solutions. However, if you are on a shared hosting account, then you are typically stuck with whatever program they choose to use. The good news is though, that all web site statistics programs are basically the same. Almost all of them track the same amount of statistics. The differences really lie in whether they provide nice graphs, charts, and how easy they are to use. The most popular programs are listed below.

LiveSTATS by DeepMetrix

http://www.deepmetrix.com/

LiveSTATS by Deepmetrix has three products to choose from. LiveSTATS.BIZ is an Enterprise solution for single web sites. Starting at $195 per month, the software solution comes with traditional web statistics, but also includes pay per click and search engine optimization campaign tracking, conversion tracking, ROI, visit browsing, and more. It is geared towards e-commerce companies.

LiveSTATS.NET is built for single web sites of small and medium quality. You can opt for either the hosted model for $49 per month or install the software on your Windows server for $895. This software does not have the full pay per click and search engine optimization campaign tracking as the .BIZ version, but the price tag is a lot less.

LiveSTATS.XSP. is geared towards web hosts who need to provide statistics for their clients. It includes a ton of automated features, integration with control panels, and can be as low as $1.80 per web site (i.e. $895 for 50 sites to $1795 for 1000 sites). The same analytics are provided in .NET and .XSP version, except for the .XSP version includes additional reporting for the web host administrators.

SmarterStats by Smartertools
http://www.smarterstats.com/
According to their own web site, SmarterStats is the perfect solution for providing intuitive web site statistics. With intelligently organized reports, a distributed architecture, and no database requirements, SmarterStats provides an enterprise-level application without the enterprise-level price.

In laymen’s terms the SmarterStats product that allows you to track all types of data. The online reporting has over __ reports. You can email your reports, export them, and create your own. Multiple languages are supported through the online interface. The product is installed on a Windows server only, but can be used with IIS or Apache. Since the product is geared more towards web hosts, it is free for one site and has different pricing starting at $199 for 50 sites, and going up to $9,999 for 30,000 web sites.

Google Analytics (Urchin)

http://www.google.com/analytics/

Google has decided to jump into the statistics market. In an effort to save you money on web stats, they are offering their free service, so that hopefully you will spend more on their pay per click Google Adwords. Google has bought the former Urchin web site stats program and modified it for their use. The new Google Analytics service is free, you can also upgrade to Urchin 5 or 6 if you feel the need to pay for statistics.

For the free Google Analytics, all you need is a Google account and then you can simply drop in some JavaScript code to your existing web site. You now have a quick and easy to use reporting package. It is also integrated with any existing Adwords account. The reporting suite tracks everything that is typically tracked with any web stats software suite.

AwStats (OpenSource)

http://www.awstats.org/

AwStats is a free tool that generates advanced web streaming, ftp, or mail server statistics. The software is typically available on Linux budget web hosts as it is open source, and well…free. The software product is simple to use, track all types of statistics, and is upgraded through users who donate their time to improving the program.

Others

There are countless other web site stat programs including: Webalizer (http://www.mrunix.net/webalizer/), Analog (http://www.analog.cx/) , HitBox (http://www.hitbox.com/), ClickZ Stats (http://www.clickz.com/stats/), NetTracker (http://www.nettracker.com), WebTrends (http://www.webtrends.com), WebMetrics (http://www.webmetrics.com) and more.

3. Where is the Software Installed?

Dedicated Server

Typically if you have a dedicated server, then you will need to install a web stats program. Both Windows and Linux servers already come with the ability to record all raw statistical data for the web site. However, they do not have a stats program to present that data in a coherent fashion. If you have your own dedicated server, then you need to select a stats program and install it on the server. Most stats packages can be installed in less than ten minutes, including the LiveStats, AwStats, and SmarterStats programs above.

Shared Hosting Accounts

The bulk of all web hosting accounts are shared. This means that your site is hosted along with up to several hundred other web sites on one server. The benefits of a shared hosting account are cost of ownership. Shared hosting accounts can range from as little as $5 per month to over $100 per month depending on the bandwidth, technical support, and storage that is needed. However, when compared to a dedicated server that starts at $100 per month and can go over $1000 per month, this is a good deal for small businesses. Any good hosting account will come with an installed stats program. The choice of the stats program cannot be modified, but almost any stats program will be sufficient to tell you what you need to know.

Hosted Service

Finally, if your stats program that you are using is not meeting your needs, then you can go with a hosted service such as LiveStats.NET or Google Analytics. With these programs all you do is add in a line or two of code to every page of your web site and you instantly have a new tracking solution. If you want to get more technical, then that line or two of code actually relays information back to another web server (Google or LiveStats) and that information are then recorded on their server, rather than on yours. The good news is that it works the same way. The only down side is that you have to add the code to all pages of your site that you want to track (although this is made easy with templates, includes, or global search and replace functions that most web design programs offer).

4. Why are Statistics Needed?

Tracking

In basic terms you need tracking to see how many people are visiting your site. It is also nice to know what they are viewing, how long they are staying, where they are coming from, and why they are leaving (i.e. a broken page).

Hits

Everyone knows about hits and talks about hits. However, hits are rather meaningless. A hit is simply a request for a file to your web host. A hit could be a request for the actual page they are on, but it could also be every photo on the page, JavaScript, or CSS file. Thus, hits are ALWAYS inflated, especially with sites that have tons of images and graphical menus.

Visitors

The real key to a site is the number of visitors. A visitor is simply someone that visits your site from a unique IP address. Typically statistic programs track both total number of visitors and unique visitors. Total visitors is well….the total number of visitors to your site. This can include the same person if they visited your site on the same day or even the same month. A unique visitor is the total number of different people that have visited your site. This number is always lower, but gives you the number of different people that came to your site.

Page Views

When combined with visitors, the number of page views is important. The number of page views, will tell you how many pages were viewed by each visitor. You will be able to quickly see whether the average page view is 1 (not good), or perhaps three to four pages per visitor. Simply do some math and you can divide the total number of visitors by the page views and you can figure out the average.

Broken Pages

Almost all tracking software will tell you what files people were visiting. With this information also comes the knowledge of what pages people are trying to visit. Check for 404 errors (there are other errors too), and you can see what files or links are broken.

Search Engines

The good site reporting software now comes with the ability to track where your visitors are coming from. They will show you the referring web site, the referring search engine, and the query that was typed in to reach your site. It is always good to know how people are reaching your site.

Ad Spending

Finally, the most advanced site reporting software programs is now tracking your pay-per-click advertising campaigns. Although these typically require additional setup to track, the information can prove invaluable, as you will know what keyword phrases are costing you money or what keyword phrases are making you money.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, every web site should have a statistics program. Almost all shared web hosting accounts will come with a pre-installed stats program. Although you cannot change the program, it typically will be good enough for your needs. If you do need a more advanced program, then either upgrade to a dedicated server where you can install your own program, or opt for a hosted service to track even more information.

Finally, review your statistics each week if possible, or at the very least each month. Fix any broken links or pages, check out how people are coming to your site, and track the number of visitors and unique visitors that are coming to your site.

.

by Peter Boyd in Optimization on November 28, 2005 - Be the First to Comment
Bookmark Now or Else:

Expert Web Design Tips

Peter Boyd is an expert? Well….maybe.

Law Office Computing has posted a new article about Expert Web Design Tips. Peter Boyd, our president, has been quoted several times. Check out the article as it has some great tips.

Expert Web Design Tips
Turn your firm’s site into an effective and informative tool.

http://www.lawofficecomputing.com/EDC/eloc/november05/feature.php

.

by Peter Boyd in Design on November 20, 2005 - Be the First to Comment
Bookmark Now or Else:

PaperStreet Adds a Language Module to its Content Management System

Total Control, the content management system by PaperStreet, now allows clients to translate their web site into any language.

About Total Control - Language Module
http://www.paperstreet.com
PaperStreet Web Design Total Control system continues to be upgraded. Seeing that many content management systems lack the ability to store all language characters, PaperStreet set out to produce a web site content management system that can be used for not only English web sites, but also French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and any other language.

Total Control, the content management system for managing large and small web sites, now has a module that allows for web site text to be translated and then inserted into any language.

The content is managed using icon based navigation and easy to use form fields. Clients can copy and paste their text from Microsoft Word. They can also insert images, insert links, and of course edit the text inside the editor tool. With a few clicks, clients can now build web site pages in any language. For more information, contact PaperStreet Web Design at http://www.paperstreet.com.

About PaperStreet Web Design
http://www.paperstreet.com

PaperStreet creates new web sites and revitalizes aging ones. PaperStreet has been designing web sites for over four years now. Our company has produced over 150 custom web sites.

We have several accomplished web designers, programmers, and content writers on staff. Our combined talents produce compelling web sites that achieve results. More information on our services is below:

Web Design: PaperStreet has the ability to create a professional web site from scratch. PaperStreet can also redesign your existing web site for a more professional image.

Content Writing: Whether you need a few pages written, existing copy edited, or total content development, our staff writers and editors create compelling, clean copy.

Search Engine Optimization: Can you find your web site when you search on AOL, Yahoo! or Google? Top search rankings lead directly to more web traffic, which in turn leads to more clients. PaperStreet can assist in obtaining top rankings.

Internet Marketing & PPC Advertising: We can give your web site more exposure by creating Google and Overture pay-per-click and banner advertising campaigns.

Newsletters: This form of advertising is great for generating repeat traffic to your web site by providing immediate communication with clients.

Content Management: Need to add your breaking news to the web site? How about adding a new attorney or practice area? Our content management system gives you the ability to edit your own site at any time, from any where, instantly.

For more information please visit http://www.paperstreet.com..

by Peter Boyd in Real Estate on November 19, 2005 - Be the First to Comment
Bookmark Now or Else:

del.icio.us:PaperStreet Adds a Language Module to its Content Management System

digg:PaperStreet Adds a Language Module to its Content Management System

ClinicalTrialCenters.com Selects PaperStreet to Design its Medical Web Site

The medical alliance of ClinicalTrialCenters.com has selected PaperStreet to create its internet presence.

About ClinicalTrialCenters.com
http://www.ClinicalTrialCenters.com
This new site will reflect an informal alliance of three clinical trial sites. The clinical trial sites are a community doctors who do drug testing for pharmaceutical companies, mainly in depression, schizophrenia, insomnia, anxiety and the like.

Bobbie Theodore, the founder, has created ClinicalTrialCenters.com to develop business and manage relationships for the clinics. Each clinic has their own websites, which will be linked. The purpose of this new website is to explain the mission of the alliance, Bobbie Theodore’s role in representing the sites, and explain their research capabilities to a sophisticated audience.