We’re giving away the (Web) Farm at Making Media Connections 2010!
Posted on | May 4, 2010 | No Comments
We’re offering one of our custom web analytics and social media trainings to one company or organization at Making Media Connections 2010. If you’re attending MMC 2010, just answer the following two questions and send your answers to howdy@thewebfarmers.com
1. What’s your primary business/organizational goal and what role does your online presence play in helping you acheive that goal?
2. Why should your organization win?
The best 3 answers will win the following:
1.) Your choice of a custom training seminar from The Web Farm (a $1200 value!)
2.) A 30 minute phone consultation
3.) A Web Farm T-shirt! (They’re great looking!)
The game is on!
We’re looking forward to reading your responses.
Love, The Web Farm
Tags: Community Media Workshop > Making Media Connections > social media > the web farm > web analytics
6 Steps for a website redesign. PART 2: Web analytics are a MUST
Posted on | February 16, 2010 | 1 Comment
The next part of our series focuses on web analytics, a topic that seems to be on a lot of people’s minds in the marketing world, but still shrouded in a lot of mystery.
Web analytics in a nutshell
So what is web analytics, exactly? To make a long story short, web analytics is a tool to help you to understand how visitors use your website. This is, of course, crucial if you’re using your website/online marketing to achieve your company’s business goals (marketing, sales, etc.)
You can’t get into every user’s head as they visit your site and ask them “is this content useful to you?” or “do you find our online registration form tedious?” but web analytics is the next best thing.
It’s one tool (among many – including usability testing, focus groups, surveys, etc.) to help you get into the head of your online customer and really respond to their needs and wants.
6 Steps for a website redesign. PART 1: Do some user testing
Posted on | February 8, 2010 | No Comments
Want to redesign your website? Fabulous. technology changes so fast, it’s amazing we don’t see web developers walking around in neck braces.
Before you start sourcing web designers and developers, let’s talk nuts and bolts. And yes, I’d recommend hiring BOTH a designer and a developer. They are experts in different, yet overlapping fields. It takes almost genius-level intelligence to do both as one person. The design process is rich and content-driven. And web development technology changes at light speed, is multi-faceted and extremely precise. (We’ll talk more about hiring vendors in another post.)
So where do you start?
First, think about why you came to this decision to redesign. Did your developer leave you high and dry with no access to update files? Is the design outdated? Have you switched markets or audiences? Keep these answers in the back of your brain throughout the whole process. They help to keep your scope in check.
Step ONE: Do some user testing to establish a baseline
Conduct user testing to find out what is and isn’t working on your current site. What you think is obvious might not be so obvious to your users. Use the results to guide the redesign process: new content, new structure, new design elements, new workflows, new wireframes.
User testing entails: figuring out what you want to learn; determining your own organizational goals; writing tasks, scenarios and questions for specific segments of your audience; letting them attempt the tasks; asking questions; gathering and interpreting that data. Hopefully someone can take that data and interpret it visually. That’s a big talent.
You don’t have to test hundreds of people. Six people per task is just fine.
What you get back from user tests:
- video, which is golden because it not only shows you what people are doing, but their body language and physical actions. Sometimes what users say the do is not what they actually do.
- a data about what they did, didn’t or couldn’t do
- and answers to your written questions.
Why should you hire a professional to do this?
Firstly, an outside professional is going to be a monumentally more objective listener than anyone in your organization could be. Your website is your baby. To us, your website is someone else’s baby who we want to clean up and return.
Secondly, professional user testers not only know the best questions to ask, but they know how to extract and interpret data. And as a super bonus, The Web Farm offers visual reports, like revised wireframes and page designs.
Thirdly, professional user testers have years of experience and have most likely dappled in all kinds of websites. They know what’s best. They can make recommendations. It’s their job to know what works.
But if you are going to try to do it yourself, here’s where to start:
After you’ve figured out what your goals are and what you want to measure, create a persona your testers need to assume. So: you are a journalist looking for information about our group/organization/business. Then, write some good questions. Make sure you not only have a few easy yes/no questions, but also some good open-ended questions that aren’t leading. Then you can start asking away.
5 Quick Questions to Ask Users:
1. At first glance, what is this site about?
2. Can you find where you need to go?
3. Can you quickly find where to contact a human being?
4. Are there too many links or buttons? Too few?
5. What can you tell about the people behind the site?
Write as many as you’d like, but don’t overwhelm your users. Questions should be tailored to what you want to learn but open-ended question will reveal surprising insights.
Then:
Doing more user testing after you have a few home page designs hammered out is also a good idea. No sense designing a whole site around something that isn’t quite reaching your goals and audience, right?
COMING SOON:
PART TWO: Use and interpret your analytics
It’s our first After Work Special and we are so stoked!
Posted on | February 5, 2010 | 1 Comment
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2010: Web Analytics 101 at OfficePort Chicago
Come have a drink and learn about web analytics from your friends at The Web Farm. We promise it won’t hurt!
Do you have Google Analytics (or a similar free analytics tool) installed for your website? Learn how to do more than just ogle pageview traffic every day. The instructors at The Web Farm love this stuff and we want to help you learn more.
Learn:
- What exactly IS web analytics anyway?
- What stuff like pageviews, unique pageviews and bounce rate actually mean.
- How to use web analytics to make your website better.
- How to create web analytics reports your boss will care about
- Where to go to learn more and get really dangerous with this stuff
This workshop is for small business owners or non-profit professionals who are new to online marketing, or who eyeing a revamp of their web presence. Come with questions!
Instructors: The Web Farmers – Keidra Chaney, web analytics and social media specialist AND Emily Lonigro, online branding and user testing specialist
Location: OfficePort Chicago, 9 W. Washington, just west of State
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Format: Interactive presentation, thoughtful Q&A and tasty drinks
Cost: $20 per person, FREE WINE!
NOTE: After you register, make payment via PayPal
Tags: afterwork special > officeport > web analytics
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2010: Special Web Analytics Event for Big Ooga Members
Posted on | February 5, 2010 | No Comments
If you’re a member of Chicago networking group Big Ooga, we’ve got something special just for you!
Intro to Web Analytics: What it is, how to get started and what to measure
What is web analytics? It is a way to better understand your website’s visitor behavior by monitoring and analyzing website traffic. It’s a valuable tool for an organization with an online presence. Learn tips and tools how to incorporate web analytics as part of your organization’s online communications, marketing, or fundraising strategy. The instructors at The Web Farm make this in-depth topic not only informative, but fun! We love this stuff!
Learn:
- Technology and fundamental thinking of Web Analytics (in a nutshell)
- How to create measurable goals for your online marketing
- Analytics planning and implementation in your workplace
- Resources for training and education
Instructors : The Web Farmers: Keidra Chaney, web analytics and social media specialist AND Big Ooga Member Emily Lonigro, online branding and user testing specialist.
Location: Big Ooga HQ, 641 S. Wesley, Oak Park 60304
Time: 1-3:30 PM
Format: Private Gathering, Interactive Presentation & Thoughtful Q&A
Maximum: 20 people
Cost: $30 per person, $20 for Big Ooga Members (promocode: BIGOOGA)
Take the chill out of your Sunday afternoon with enlightening information, lite faire & libations. There will be time to mingle and sip.
(After you register, make payment via PayPal)
Subscription Options:
Blog Posts on The Farm
- We’re giving away the (Web) Farm at Making Media Connections 2010!
- 6 Steps for a website redesign. PART 2: Web analytics are a MUST
- 6 Steps for a website redesign. PART 1: Do some user testing
- It’s our first After Work Special and we are so stoked!
- SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2010: Special Web Analytics Event for Big Ooga Members