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Archives for June 2010

Sitemaps: Safety Nets Should Not Have Holes

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When was the last time you checked your sitemap?

I ask because recently I’ve seen a few sitemaps with one of these problems…

1. Sitemap contains broken links

Broken links in the sitemap are probably because the site got redesigned, but no-one thought to revise the sitemap. This might be as simple as a page being moved, renamed or removed, but it can be as extensive as the site being recreated but redirects not working properly.

A good 404 page can help recover in this case, but there are tools to check for broken links.

2. Site map contains duplicate references

What appear to be duplicate links sometimes happen if the sitemap is derived from the final step in the URL: the filename. Example:

  • majorcorporate.com/about/location-one/map.html
  • majorcorporate.com/about/location-two/map.html

These two lead to different pages. Fine, but if what is visible on the page is

map
map

then this becomes less helpful for the human visitor – though with a bit of thought they’d work it out – even though it may work for the visiting search engine spider. This could be designed out, either by specifying different filenames (location-two-map.html, for example) or by using indentation to indicate ‘ownership’ of the map links.

3. Sitemap contains meaningless references

I’ve seen this once, and suspect that the sitemap was derived automatically, with the result that the sitemap literally read:

  • Page 1
    • Page 2
    • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5

(I’ve changed the numbers!) As you can see, not very helpful to the human visitor, though search engines will have spidered the pages satisfactorily, as all the links were working. A thorough review at the sub-edit stage would have picked this up.

4. Sitemap contains links to dummy page

Sometimes a sitemap can contain a link to a page that hasn’t been made live, and which still contains development elements (sometimes lorem ipsum text, sometimes instructions such as ‘insert image here’).

This is probably as a result of a typo in the site map, or possibly a slipup in version control in development. This is more difficult to spot without manually checking every single link, as the link goes to a functioning page. And manually checking every single link on a sitemap for a big corporate site is a horrible job.

5. Sitemap is incomplete

Of these four situations, this is the one I see most often, and is probably because the sitemap wasn’t generated automatically, but by hand, and the owner of the hand forgot to add in the new pages. Or else they decided that it was enough to map to the level 2 pages, and let the level 3 and 4 pages alone.

Either way, there are people who use the sitemap to find content, so including most of the content on your sitemap is helpful. I’m not going to suggest including all of it: a link to Press Releases 2009 is probably better than individual links to each of the press releases in that year. And if you have good search and filter options in your Media section, then you could probably get away with a single link to Press Releases. Sitemaps and search aren’t interchangeable.

According to Nielsen, back in 2008, 7% of people used a site map to find content. Though this number had declined since his last check, I’m sure it’s not just me that visits these pages.

Good practice for site maps

BASF IR sitemap
  • Have one. Not all companies do.
  • Link to it from every page. Some sites make it available only from the Site Services pages.
  • Make it legible. A long list is difficult to read. Consider using design elements to make it easier, such as indentation (see Marks and Spencer) and bullet markers. Some companies colour code different sections; others put them in separate blocks (for example, see Novartis or BASF, right).
  • Hundreds of pages? You could consider having different site maps for the different sections of your corporate website, but do make it clear on each one that there are other site maps – and link to them.

    BASF have a separate sitemap in their investor section (which is a subdomain of the main site).

Site map or site index?

Kingfisher site map

I’ve noticed that some companies now maintain a site index, alphabetically (so: analyst estimates, analyst recommendations, auditors, awards…) rather than a map.

Kingfisher do this (though they still call it a map), as do Centrica. These two both indicate the breadcrumb trail as the link (example: About Us – The Kingfisher story – Vision), to show where the page sits in the site. Though this isn’t a functioning trail – you can’t get straight to The Kingfisher story – it does show how the pages fit together.

Interestingly, Kingfisher provide two trails to some of their pages on the site map. Business Principles, for example can be reached by
About us – Business Principles, or Responsibility – Our approach – Principles and policies – Business principles.

Integral sitemap or dedicated sitemap page?

There are lots of different ways of presenting your sitemap, including on a dedicated page (example: Standard Chartered), listing the links in the footer (as Shell do), a dropdown from the footer site services bar (see Logica for an example) or possibly via a megamenu containing all links.

Cephalon sitemap

I recently saw this one on the Cephalon site, which struck me as rather unusual: it’s a pull down site map, clearly highlighted in the top site services bar.

Clicking on the link pushes down the whole body of the page to drag down the sitemap from ‘above’ the window, rather than pulling down the sitemap over the top of the page. I did do a cross-browser check, and it works like this in at least the 3 browsers I checked, so it is intentional.

I like it, though clearly if you had hundreds of pages to link to it might not work so well.

More to sitemaps than you thought?

Want to read more about sitemaps? Elated have a helpful discussion of sitemaps with plenty of examples, and Rob Mills (whose ‘safety net’ description I picked up) provides more examples over at Think Vitamin.

What would you add? What else should someone designing a sitemap think about?

Brands Connect with Twitter Moms Through Content and Value

Twitter-momsIs your brand leveraging Twitter to connect with the active community of women dubbed Twitter Moms who hold massive buying power and actively follow and engage with brands on the social web?  If you’re not, you should be.

New research from lucid marketing (via eMarketer) reveals some interesting facts about Twitter Moms’ preferences when it comes to interacting with brands on the microblogging site.

While many brands rely on self-promoting sales and discounts via Twitter, it turns out that content marketing and creating shareworthy content is just as important on Twitter as it is anywhere else on the social web.  In fact, this is something I talk about extensively in 30-Minute Social Media Marketing.

Here is what the new research tells us:

  • 71.3% of Twitter moms want to see links to interesting articles or news from businesses’ tweets.
  • 67.1% of Twitter moms want to see businesses tweet links to sales or special offers on their websites.
  • 62.6% of Twitter moms want to see links to downloadable coupons and discounts from businesses’ tweets.
  • 55.2% of Twitter moms want to see updates on new products from businesses’ tweets.
  • 52.2% of Twitter moms want to see funny tweets from businesses.

But there’s more.  What kind of content from businesses do Twitter moms share with their own connections by retweeting it?

Check out the stats from the lucid marketing study below:

  • 76.1% retweet Twitter updates from business that include links to interesting articles.
  • 66.7% retweet Twitter updates from businesses that include coupon codes or downloadable links to coupons.
  • 59.5% retweet Twitter updates from businesses that are funny.
  • 54.4% retweet Twitter updates from businesses that include a link to a sale on a business’ website.

So now you know what Twitter moms want from businesses — great content and useful links to discounts and coupons.  Next — what do they not want?  In other words, what makes Twitter moms unfollow businesses on Twitter?

Check out the stats below:

  • 67.5% unfollow businesses on Twitter that tweet about things that are not interesting to them.
  • 60.6% unfollow businesses on Twitter whose tweets have no personality.
  • 55.4% unfollow businesses on Twitter because they publish tweets too frequently.

What can we learn from these statistics?  Most importantly, your business needs to share content that adds value to people’s busy lives but don’t overwhelm them and add to the already cluttered web experience.  Instead, make your Twitter updates shine by being interesting, adding some personality (no one wants to follow a corporate machine), and knowing when enough is enough.  Once you have their attention on Twitter, don’t annoy your audience.  Instead, leave them wanting more!

Image: stock.xchng

Just Yodel It to Me

“Just Yodel it to me.”  That’s a phrase you’re likely to start hearing a lot in the near future with the launch of HDN’s new brand identity.

HDN (Home Delivery Network) is the biggest home delivery service in the United Kingdom.  After purchasing part of DHL’s U.K. business, HDN needed a revamped brand identity, and in an attempt to stand out from the acronym-heavy package delivery business, the company went with a fresh, creative, and memorable brand name — Yodel.

That’s right, “can you Yodel it to me?” is catchy, isn’t it?  Check out the old HDN logo compared to the new Yodel logo below.


yodel_logo


Here’s the strategy behind the new identity from The Clearing, the company that created the new Yodel identity:

“We created the name Yodel by building on the brand promise and thinking about the service from the perspective of both business and home customers: ‘it’s your delivery’. So Yodel comes directly from the words ‘YOur DELivery’. And because the service is tailored for customers, it’s their call how it works — which perfectly resolves the name.”

The new logo is clean and simple and works well in the bright colors connected with the new brand identity.  There is no doubt that Yodel delivery trucks will stand out on the street and develop a brand persona all their own.


yodel_trucks


And I love the slogan on the back of the new Yodel vans: “You get more delivery options and a can-do attitude when you Yodel it.”


yodel_truck_back


There are just so many creative ways that this new brand identity can bring a business in a fairly dull industry to life.


yodel_graphic


Sure, it might take a little time for consumers to catch on to the Yodel craze, but I think it will inevitably sink into popular culture and live harmoniously as a brand, a proper noun, and a verb.

What do you think of the new Yodel brand identity?  Love it or hate it?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Put Your Brand Logo Through the One Color Test

water_colorsBrand identity is an elusive subject for marketers and non-marketers alike.  One of the most important tangible representations of your brand is its logo.  These days, logos are getting more and more elaborate with half-tones, surface effects, and a myriad of design effects that look great online but can be a nightmare to reproduce offline – technically and financially.

While it’s nice to say, “logo design shouldn’t be restricted by future production budgets,” the truth of the matter is that an elaborate logo could become cost prohibitive every time you need to print it.  From brochures to business cards, billboards to coffee mugs, and everything in between, your logo needs to reproduce well in a lot of sizes and on a lot of surfaces throughout the course of its life.

As you’re developing your brand logo, you need to use the Brand Logo One Color Test to ensure the logo you create to stand for your brand promise takes more into account then how cool it looks.  While I’m not suggesting that you sacrifice “coolness” in an effort to save money, I am suggesting that you take the time to consider all applications of your logo before you commit to a design which will cost you a fortune every time you print it or a design which doesn’t translate well onto various media.  I’m continually surprised by how even large corporations roll out logos that a design agency sold them on, knowing the production issues they’re likely to face down the road could be expensive and limiting.

With that in mind, here is the Brand Logo One Color Test

Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Will my logo still stand out from the crowd in black and white?
  2. Will my logo design force me to print it in one color because it would be cost-prohibitive to print it in full-color?

Depending on your answers to the above questions in the Brand Logo One Color Test, you might want to reconsider your logo design.  Remember, there is more to logo design and brand identity than meets the eye (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun, but it’s very true).

Image: stock.xchng

Spin and Story: 2 Different Things Entirely

Regular readers will know that we sometimes host guest writers. I invited Ian Berry from Differencemakers Community to contribute his views on being remarkable.

Ian Berry CSP FAIM is a writer, mentor, and international business speaker. He is the Founder of Differencemakers Community, an online and in person home for individuals who wish to increase their differencemaking and who want to find collaborators to work with in order to increase the scale of differencemaking in the world.

Over to you, Ian.

R for Remarkable and ReputationYesterday I drove past the BP service station where I normally do business and went to a competitor. In the process I wondered how many people are doing the same, even if unconsciously?

BP’s story of beyond petroleum signaled an intent at least that the giant company was different to the rest and prepared to create a future without oil. Of course because of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, BP’s story now looks like spin and their reputation is in tatters!

Remarkability

Role model companies are such because their story is not spin.

Role model companies differentiate themselves from the rest because they do business in remarkable ways, think Virgin or Cirque du Soleil, or any of the companies I have referred to in previous posts.

How we are remarkable is a key to our story however unless there is relevance, remedies, backed up by reputation our story can soon become remarkable for all the wrong reasons or worse spin that we all take to mean as a story without substance.

Relevance

What is your cause? Are you impacting the communities in which your business operates in positive and productive ways? Are your products and services relevant to the needs, expectations, and desires of people? Is all that you do good for our planet? A no answer to any of these questions means you are not 21st century relevant and soon it won’t matter what you do because you will have declining customers and less than the required high levels of engagement from your employees. It is a long way back from here.

Remedies

Do your products and service/s provide solutions to your customers’ and society’s challenges and problems?

Design in its simplest form is the activity of creating solutions says former Vice President and Chief Designer at Nokia Frank Nuovo.

Are you designing your products and services so that they provide genuine solutions for your customers? And do your products and services provide solutions to society’s challenges as well?

As Bjorn Stigson, the President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development says: Business cannot survive in societies that fail.

Reputation

Conducting business in remarkable ways, being relevant, and providing remedies to customers’ and society’s challenges are all reputation builders; however what you do in moments of crisis, or when you are under pressure can either enhance or kill your reputation.

BP has so far failed to rise to the occasion. How about you? When the pressure is really on, when trouble is all around you, do you rise to the occasion with your story enhanced or do you need spin to seemingly get you out of your mess?

Remarkability, relevance, remedies, and reputation are all keys to creating and sustaining a compelling story, and for me a compelling story is the first thing we need to ensure our businesses stand out from the crowd.

Be the difference you want to see in the world

Ian

Thanks, Ian!