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Rob passed me a great article in the Telegraph on Sunday, which I subsequently found online. The very fact that The Telegraph is profiling people running e-commerce websites and using Google Adwords is testament itself that things have gone fully mainstream.

Google - A Crutch?

The article reinforces an idea, which has been doing the rounds on the web for some time, that Google is becoming just a little too powerful. These small web-based retail companies, and many like them, may end up relying a little too much on Google to run their businesses successfully.

In fact Heather Gorringe, owner of Wiggly Wigglers, one of the companies profiled, is already resisting Google checkout:

The pluses of Google outweigh the negatives. But there is something a little uncomfortable about handing over both ends to one company. I can’t help but think about world domination.

In her favour, and impressive it is too, is the fact that Heather’s website goes so much further in developing a sustainable online business.

Niche Market

First and foremost, the products they sell are fairly niche and they are branded as an experience.

Wiggly Wigglers supplies everything from larvae and worms to straw, compost and seeds for gardeners keen to encourage wildlife in their green spaces.

Social Interaction

To re-inforce their own brand in the customer relationship, the website offers so much than just a catalogue.

Heather has a Wiggly Wigglers blog, they have video demonstrations (using Google Videos), news articles and they encourage feedback - you can even leave a voicemail on the Wiggly Voicemail. They even have podcasts.

Basically, they come across as people who are passionate about what they do and they seem like nice people to do business with. That kind of ‘branding’ can’t be portrayed with a simple e-commerce website full of products and they are managing it beautifully.

Building Relationships

What they are doing is building the relationship. Not relying on lots of advert sales now and in the future. They may encourage first time visitors in via Google adverts and then work hard to turn them into a Wiggly Wigglers customer - if not an evangelist - leveraging permission no doubt to encourage repeat sales.

If you want a good example of an e-commerce website, they have it.

The Google Pipeline

The thing to remember with any advertising, is that you shouldn’t become reliant on it. Nathan Wood from Dustbag.co.uk (also profiled) seems to have fallen in this trap:

Wood realised how dependent he had become on search advertising when he forgot to renew his campaign on Google one weekend. He returned to the office to find orders had dried up to a trickle. “We are quite reliant on it,” he confesses.

That said, Google is a great pipeline for new business when it comes to consumer-based e-commerce websites. It has made many a business and is a great way to get started. The trick is to ween yourself of the reliance.

The words ‘egg’ and ‘basket’ come to mind.

Well, the illustrations may make you whoop anyway. They’re all made from typefaces, like this one of Futura City Trucks and Cranes from a new book “The Serif Fairy” from René Siegried.

Link from Creative Review (heads up to Andy)

An article at Improve The Web and a client meeting recently inspired me to mention the (perceived) risk involved with web management and SEO.

That’s because, sometimes, a lot of emphasis is put on ‘getting it right first’. Sometimes the word ‘time’ is added to make this dream even more impossible.

The problem is that with many websites the decision of ‘how it should be’ are based on subjective measurements, usually by the management or board, and these tend to be based on personal tastes, not taking into account the more important drivers of success on the web, such as usability, customer experience and user feedback. And, although return on investment is fully understood, personal opinion can get in the way.

(more…)

It seems that Facebook is taking over in the social networking scene.

I only say this because it seems to be popping up in conversations in all directions at the moment. All the people I know who use social websites are moving from MySpace to Facebook en mass. (more…)

[when used in the right way]

I found this article by Ken McGaffin, chief marketing officer of Wordtracker.com, very interesting… over on E-Consultancy… How to write an article with keywords in mind - Which are your best keywords?

It makes me realise potential opportunities of traffic I miss out on when I don’t structure my posts and just start rambling. Like now for instance.

I saw this link through Pronet - so hat’s off to them…

The original article (on the great Ads of The World Website) also has some great comments.

That’s the question posed to seven industry experts. Definitely worth a read if you want to know more about how to market a website on a budget.

Some of the key messages that I got from the article:

• $100 is a very small amount of money.
• The money may well be better invested in further education - I would join one of the authors in recommending SEO Book.
• Only one author mentions technology. The others talk about content or social interaction.
• Most of the authors recommend attending industry conferences and networking off-line.
• Wordpress was mentioned as great platform to start with.
• It takes time but it has never had a lower entry cost.

You may have noticed, if you subscribe, that we have changed the way we are posting. It’s an experiment to see if it works better for us and whether our readers like it or not.

Basically we are testing short posts. Posts that come up as shorter intros (so you only get a snippet) and then decide if the rest of the post is worth reading or not. (more…)

With all the talk of web 2.0 and everything that goes with it, I keep dragging myself into the whole “2″ argument: What does it mean? To me, it is more a way of thinking: Social interaction, rather than features on a website. Here I find myself using the same analogy to describe a brand that I truly admire. (more…)

A report this week about the growth of online retail by Verdict Research, reported by the BBC.

The amount of money spent by consumers shopping online increased by 33.4% to £10.9bn last year. The report also predicts that in 2011, online retailing will be worth about £28.1bn, or about 8.9% of the UK’s total retail sales.

Even with some retailers staying out of the market, online sales in the UK are set to triple in value.

With that in mind, you may be interested in E-Consultancy’s Six Ways To Improve Online Experience. And make sure you don’t start Philfing!