Google Analytics was once the core tracking system of any website, but was always at risk of being blocked on the viewers side by third party software. This was helped by the new controversial cookie law which means EU websites have to actively ask visitors if they would LIKE to be tracked with cookies and would be breaking the law if they didn’t. This perhaps will lead onto supermarket loyalty cards being banned because they do pretty much the same thing… but I highly doubt it.

Anyway, with all this new attention on cookies, many standard anti-virus and internet security programs are blocking cookies on your behalf making you invisible to website owners, if you own a website, this is terrible news! AVG (my defence of choice) is one of those perpetrators, and so no website using Google Analytics or similar javascript based tracking can see me.

Does this mean I can no longer track my visitors?

Thankfully no, you can still track, but certain Google-specific features like goal conversion etc will no longer be effective. It will help to show general patterns but if you want numbers, it will quickly become useless.

So what are your options to track without cookies?

Server Stats

Most servers log every page called and links it to an IP address. Using software which collates this information you can start to build a pretty accurate journey through your site for each user. (Interestingly enough companies can also share this information with other ad servers rendering the EU cookie law a complete and utter waste of time!) Most hosting packages come with one or both of the following (Zako Media naturally offer a choice of both!):

AWstats - http://awstats.sourceforge.net/
(http://awstats NULL.sourceforge NULL.net/)Webalizer - http://www.webalizer.org/ (http://www NULL.webalizer NULL.org/)

PHP/Coding stats

These are much more powerful, instead of asking the user’s browser to load a javascript cookie, they use your actual website to record who is doing what. They are a little less novice friendly because as well as installing the software, you need to add PHP code to the right pages. If using WordPress, it will go into your template’s footer file, flat html files will be more awkward. Again Zako Media offers a choice of both.

Open Web Analytics - http://www.openwebanalytics.com/
(http://www NULL.openwebanalytics NULL.com/)Tracewatch - http://www.tracewatch.com/ (http://www NULL.tracewatch NULL.com/)  (http://www NULL.openwebanalytics NULL.com/)

The best thing of course is you can use more than one to compare how the different systems perform and which give you the most useful information about your visitors, clients and prospects.

Happy tracking without cookies!

If a £1000 item is advertised in a bricks and mortar store as being £100. A shopper may basket it and approach the checkout. The £100 price tag is not actually the retailer ‘offering to sell’ for this price, it is merely an ‘invitation to treat’. No contract is formed until you reach the till. An incorrect price on an item is therefore not legally binding. However, when the cashier asks for an amount of money in exchange for the goods you are intending to buy, he is making his offer and the consumer chooses to accept, negotiate or decline this offer. If the consumer accepts and hands over the money, a contract is established.

If a product is mispriced on the till however, this becomes the offer which a shopper can capitalise on regardless of the advertised price.

So what happens online? When something is mispriced on your ecommerce site and payments are automated?

When a consumer buys online, they rarely reach a human being who could spot the error. If you list an item at £100 which should be £1000, your customer will reach the checkout with only £100 in their basket to pay. Your website then makes the offer for the customer to accept or decline. This offer will contain the wrong price and the order will be placed, money will change hands and the contract has been formed. There is nothing you can do but dispatch or potentially face a lawsuit.

However there is a way to protect yourself, ignoring the terms and conditions, if the customer is told that their order has been accepted, whether on screen or by email; the sale contract is formed. Both you and the customer have accepted the deal and any attempt to cancel their order could be seen as a breach of contract.

However in this instance, we miss an opportunity to enter another contract (or amendment to the standard buy/sell contract). This contract is contained in your terms and conditions which a shopper should be forced to agree to as part of the purchasing process. In these terms and conditions many retailers get around the above problem by stating that no order has been accepted until dispatch and that payment will only ensure receipt of the offer but not the agreement of that offer. (Do not try to copy and paste this expecting it to be legally watertight as I’m a web developer not a lawyer.)

In other words the process has been re-ordered slightly. The customer is now being invited to treat, he then makes the offer to pay £100 for the items and it is up to the order processing staff or system to agree, negotiate or decline. This gives you the chance to intercept and correct.

It is therefore important that any post-payment messages on your website do not state that an order has been accepted. Emails and post-pay messages should declare that the order has been received or acknowledged and your terms and conditions should state why.

Human error is common, if you sell products or services online, don’t get caught out!

The inspiration for this article from Yahoo! Finance with real life examples can be found here (http://uk NULL.finance NULL.yahoo NULL.com/news/your-rights-when-stores-mis-price-items NULL.html)

Getting to the top of Google is every business’s dream, but often not enough is understood about Google to appreciate what this goal actually means. Get to the top of Google for a particular search term is great, but how many people search for it, and more importantly, how is Google adapting?

Lets bring this into real terms; Today I was looking to replace my office chair. Controversial as it is, I use a kneeling chair. Despite conflicting reports and dodgy marketing, I use it because it’s the only chair style to date which doesn’t result in back pain for me with long term use. The chair I have has worn at the knees and the gas lifting strut has leaked to uselessness. I picked the one I wanted and ordered.

I mention this story because while I’m a business, I’m also a consumer and rely heavily on Google in my day to day life. As such minor changes in Google’s algorithm and structure do not go unnoticed.

Many hours later, I was looking to replace the gas lifting struts for the boot of my car. I searched Google for ‘Gas lifter’ and saw this:

The search results I believe are organic, gas struts have a variety of uses from office chairs, cars, to heavy machinery. The Google shopping results though are noteworthy. Google has obviously taken my search terms and used information about my previous searches to determine my need.

Google has given my search context based on what little it knows about me, and even though I wasn’t searching for chairs, knows that I’m interested in them nonetheless.

When it comes to using Google to advertise therefore, simply ‘getting to the top’ isn’t enough because ‘the top’ is becoming very personal to the searcher.

So here are your new goals:

• If you sell stuff, make sure Google Shopping knows you’re there.
• Make sure you have ample content showing that you are THE go-to company based on your expertise.
• Consider the people searching for you, what are they looking for? Maybe they’re not looking for ‘Web Designer Swansea’, perhaps they’re actually saying “How to get my business online”. Do your research.
• Organic is best; If you don’t have the budget for seo experts, keep your content fluid and natural and try to avoid over using sales cliches. Google is there to give people the information they’re looking for and will only offer ‘BUY NOW HERE’ to people who search ‘WHERE CAN I BUY NOW’.

Web marketing is fairly unique to offline marketing in that the technology and trends are changing constantly. Audiences move from site to trend by the time a campaign hits the last one.

April fools day coupled with the random 1-2-1 webcam website chatroulette provided a great opportunity for one soft drinks manufacturer to show that they are indeed looking into these new crazes.

ChatRoulette provides an interesting platform and who knows what the potential is here. This is however a very slow and narrow market especially for someone like Dr Pepper who rely heavily on volume rather than quality sales, would someone be able to use the same platform for quality sales?

This video however is topical, has been well edited, it has elements of the reality ‘hidden camera’ which has always been popular. So may well go viral. I’m assuming this was the goal of the campaign from the get-go.

At this time, the video has been seen only 27,000 times but it has already surfaced on viral sharing websites so keep an eye on it.

After buying a tripod for the animal rescue video project (more on that later), I decided to experiment. This is my first attempt at a virtual tour. If I can perfect the technique, perhaps we can offer it as a service. For the time being however, there are too many niggling problems at the moment.

Not bad, but could be better. Click and drag image to view. (may take a while to load on slow connections)

I get asked this time and time again. Most people I meet start out wanting a non-geographic number as they feel an 0845 or even an 0800 number looks more professional. This is not always a good thing but does have it’s place.

For local businesses, a local number is always best as you demonstrate instantly that you’re in your target market’s area code. A mobile number can work depending on the type of business but usually best avoided for initial advertising as it suggests you’re on your own and rarely in.

If you deal with small businesses, they tend to call from mobiles due to very good mobile packages with included minutes. Most mobiles are charged for 0800 numbers and most 0845 calls are outside their allowance. A local number however is included no matter where you are in the country. If you’re marketing to the whole country, presumably locality doesn’t matter anyway and potential clients shouldn’t be put off by the fact that you’re based many miles away.

If you deal internationally, the 0845 may not work and the 0800 will not be free (yet you will still be charged for receiving). A local number is still best.

If you are a B2C however and tend not to work with other businesses, an 0800 can get good results. Many consumers still rely on mobile so offering a local number as an alternative on your contact page might help capture those people. Other NGN’s can also work depending on the type of business but with scams appearing left right and centre, any variation of 0845 and even 0845 can lead to a lack of trust. I would advise offering a local number as an alternative on your contact page.

Mostly it’s all pennies when it comes to calling various numbers, but these pennies can make a huge difference as to who calls you.

A mobile number suggests solitary worker, hard to get hold of and never in the ‘office’. If I get through, I know I’ll be able to speak straight to the person I want.

An 0800 number suggests a solid call centre. Free to call from landlines but I wouldn’t want to call when out and about as it will cost me. Might be difficult to speak to a specific person. Not sure where they’re located so can’t pre-think a meeting request. Might have to sit through automated services.

An 0845 number suggests a solid call centre. Will cost me every time I call, might be difficult to speak to someone specifically. Not sure where they’re located so can’t pre-think a meeting request. Might have to sit through automated services.

A landline number (locally) suggests a solid office. Free from my mobile, the person I want to speak to is probably near the phone. Handy as their office is just down the road so before calling, I’ll get a list of dates and times we could meet.

A landline number (non local) suggests a solid office. I know where they are, I may not be able to meet them but I know this before calling. The person I want to speak to is probably near the phone.

As a side point: When printing business cards with your name, ALWAYS include a direct line or mobile, a direct email address and optionally twitter, linkedin, ecademy links.

Starbucks is a huge name, some say it’s better known than any car company in the US and one that is known and trusted in the UK.

But does the Starbucks brand image goes against everything it stands for? If Starbucks want to be the local coffee shop and not an overused high street cliché, then the billions of dollars building the Starbucks empire has gone slightly off-track.

To tap into the ‘local’ market, Starbucks have just opened a remodelled coffee shop called ’15th Avenue Coffee & Tea’ in Seattle. No green logo, no motif on cups, just a nice, modern, friendly, local coffee shop. They will be open throughout the night and provide tailor-made drinks and atmosphere. After covertly researching other local coffee houses, they realised that there is a massive untapped market of independent coffee drinkers who aren’t interested in going corporate.

Few others seem to understand this move, but having been brought into business almost entirely through social networking, it makes sense to see someone trying the small business approach. How will it work? Watch this space.

The lesson to learn here isn’t actually that branding can work against you, it’s about making the branding reflect the image you want to give out. Virgin has always been the rebel brand, ‘Ryan air’ the budget, pay only for what you want brand. Would Ryan Air now be able to offer a full first class service like BA? Absolutely not, consumers would be confused at the apparent price-hike and Ryan Air’s branding would go kaput.

McDonalds, like Starbucks has built it’s own niche empire, they keep trying to dip in to the local market, but they will forever be known as a fast food chain with little or no personality in it’s stores. A McDonalds in Venice is identical to one in North London. If McDonalds wanted to launch a proper cuisine and expensive exotic menu, they would fail. It makes perfect sense therefore for Starbucks to introduce a new concept to differentiate itself from the brand and give it a little flair. You’ll never see a chain of ’15th Avenue Coffee & Tea’s, but that’s the point, that’s the brand. The strength of Starbucks and the personality of an independent, such a beautiful combination. We know Starbuck’s underlying ethics, we know the quality, but now we get the personality.

A brand doesn’t have to be attached to a logo, especially if that’s exactly what you don’t want. Branding is much much deeper than a swanky logo and colour scheme. It’s everything.

It’s finally here! Zako Media is shortly moving to Swansea, South Wales. We will continue normal operations, existing websites will remain unaffected and we will be more contactable.

Why is Zako Media moving to Swansea?

We’re currently based near London and so paying what I like to call ‘London Tax’ which is basically artificially raised prices of transport, accommodation, office rent and staff. Our clients are based worldwide so we can’t fairly pass this London Tax on. Moving our web design operations to Swansea and Cardiff means we can keep our prices competitive and give us a better shot at organic business growth. We’ve operated so far without loans, debts and investments and to make the leap forward, we would like to keep it that way. Our new offices will allow physical expansion, while extra spare cash will allow us to take on more staff.

The second reason behind the move is the environment. Watford and London have very few areas of natural beauty and no access to the real sea. We have Southend 45 minutes away, but that’s really just the mouth of the Thames. Swansea has the sea on one side and the Gower on the other. Cardiff being just up the road gives us the city culture we would otherwise miss.

Other city candidates included: (and please note I mean no offense)

Norwich - Was too flat, Yovina is Mauritian brought up at the base of mountains just a stone’s throw from the seaside. The beaches were lovely but less awe inspiring scenery.
Ipswich – Very similar to Norwich
Some surrounding villages were very idyllic however, but for transport and city life, they wouldn’t have been ideal.

Portland and Weymouth
We absolutely fell in love with Portland. We have some amazing photographs of water spraying up from between the rocks. Nearly every home on Portland island has a view of the sea… it was just stunning. It has to be on hold for now unfortunately as the nearest big city really is London and it would defeat the point staying that close.

Cardiff
Another bussling city of culture. Cardiff university attracts lots of young, dynamic people and it’s a great business centre. It lacks beaches and is too close to my mum.

Liverpool
Liverpool is my father’s birthplace and I have many family members up there. It’s definitely a city of culture and business but again a little too big with less scenery nearby.

We visited each of these places for a few days (plus many others) and decided that Swansea is the perfect compromise.

Timescale, the move will be some time near the beginning of August 2009 so Swansea beware, there’s a new web designer in the area with a strong client base, amazing contacts and the passion to take over South Wales

Networking group members, invites are welcome as we will be looking to network with people in the area to see how we can help each other.

Contact us using the email address on our contact page, or by calling: 01792 427005

A big part of marketing is about the image you project from inside your company as well as out. As someone who wants to come across as very helpful with a supportive and can-do attitude, I got into the habit of asking clients after my final invoice ‘How do you feel it went so far? All feedback is appreciated’

It’s a simple question but one which has proven invaluable. The latter part invited negative criticism as well. I would like to say this never happens but it does which is a good thing.

We all make mistakes… but without generalising, I make mistakes. Most mistakes I know about and fix them before the client (and in my line of work, their clients) ever notice, if it’s a big mistake I will inform the client and tell them what I’m doing up at 3am, what I’m doing to fix it and when they can expect it to be rectified. Some ‘mistakes’ go unnoticed however. Asking this question ensures that I know what they feel I did wrong, and this gives me the opportunity to put it right. When that customer is deciding whether or not to renew, that could be a make or break decision. I have so far lost only one client in 2 years.

When things are going perfectly, it instead gives me the opportunity to proudly add their comments as a testimonial or I can ask that it is submitted via Ecademy or LinkedIn.

Customer feedback is essential as there are three types of complainers:

1) Something went wrong and they tell you
2) Something went wrong and they don’t tell you
3) Nothing went wrong and they complain anyway

Number 3 is the most annoying but number 2 is dangerous for your business because they are telling someone.

This is the easy way to move number 2′s into the top slot.

… when it’s a product… not funny? it shouldn’t be, let me explain:

A man walks into DIY Emporium, he looks at spades, he chooses one, buys it and leaves. A perfect sale, no problems …except that he didn’t want a spade…

What this man really wanted was a hole in the ground to plant some potatoes. He wanted to cultivate some easy vegetables to cook at next year’s BBQs. He wants to be able to tell his friends ‘I grew them myself’ and hear about how much better they tasted compared to store bought. He will feel proud and inspired to try tomatoes next year.

He is a little worried of course, what if he plants them in the wrong place? what if the ground is too wet/soggy/dry/cold/dark/light? What if it all goes wrong?

He has such a beautiful idea, but the spade doesn’t come into that dream anywhere. He didn’t really want it. He doesn’t care if it has a brown handle or a green one. He doesn’t care if it’s stainless steel or carbon fibre.

Are you selling spades or holes?
Do you show a picture of a spade or of big earthy potatoes?
Do you talk about the spade’s dimensions, colour, weight, portability, ergonomics or do you explain how much easier/quicker/better/deeper the resulting holes will be?
Do you package it with a trowel or rake? Or with planting instructions and yearly calendar? Shed building tips or even recipes?

No matter what we sell, we’re selling to people… REAL people and REAL people have REAL hopes, fears, dreams and desires. REAL emotions.

[spade photo courtesy of Lee Jordan]