Author: Nancy McCord

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Alternative Browsers: Have You Tried One?

All the sudden IE9 simply would not allow me to login to my Google AdWords MCC control panel. I am sure it was a change in an update to a security setting done by an automatic update. For a full week I pulled my hair out. I tried to troubleshoot the problem, dropped my cookies, deleted my cache, tried to import cookies from a computer that allowed me on, tweaked registry settings; all to no avail. I was simply locked out with a grey screen.

Sounds like maybe no big deal, right? However if you spend hours and sometimes all day on Google AdWords, as I do for clients, this was a REALLY big deal. In fact, so big I decided that maybe it was time to simply move to a new browser and scrap IE9. I had Firefox installed and also Google Chrome. My assistant swears by Chrome but that is because IE9 works quirkily on his Windows 7 64 bit computer.

I really tried to like Firefox, really! I migrated everything there for two full weeks and worked exclusively with that browser. What I found was that I could get on AdWords just fine but there were two things that I really hated.

  1. On downloading files – which I do a lot of from writers sending me things via YouSendIt.com, the save file as interface is goofy and not streamlined. There simply was no way to streamline the interface.
  2. I hated the bookmark tool. IE9 does have Firefox beat when it comes to bookmarks, organization, and showing them while browsing.

I really tried to like Google Chrome too! I lasted about two days with this browser. Sure it was speedy, but the big drawback was bookmarks. As I live by my bookmarks having to check writers on our client blogs, I have an extensive listing of bookmarks and logins that are used daily and more than daily. I don’t want to hunt around and I want things to be in the order I determine.

Guess what? I am back on IE9 now for everything except Google AdWords, and there I use Firefox. I just simply like the elegance of the browser chrome (frame surrounding the screen), I really like how bookmarks are done and managed, and I really like the very simple streamlined interface for saving files with one “save as” drop down.

Now in your case, you may swear by Firefox, or you may love Google Chrome, but if you have never tried either one I recommend that you do. You won’t personally know which is best for your own needs until you really give them a go. In fact did you know that Chrome is now 20% of the browsing market as of just this past week? Internet Explorer has shrunk to 59% of the market and Firefox has dropped to 28% according to StatCounter. (Read the article.) Take them both for a test drive and see what you think. You may be like me and say ahh, there is no place like IE9!

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EchoSign for Fast Online Contract Signatures

I lost a project with a client last week as the client said that signing a contract and faxing his copy was too archaic and troublesome for him as he is totally digital. I hate to lose any project for any reason and I thought “hmm, maybe the client has a point?” With our firm serving clients worldwide it can be troublesome for some to fax long distance, some clients may not have a scanner to send a copy by email, so I started looking for alternatives.

Here are two sources that I have found that you may want to check out too if you are faced with the same issue:

EchoSign
This is the site that I will be using as I am allowed to use the service free for a set number of signatures a month. Once I find out I like it and use it, I may move to the basic paid program of $14.95 per month. (The will pay me a commission if you click my link and buy, but that is not why I am mentioning them to you.)

I like the interface, it is super easy to use and works fast and sends you and the signer copies that can be printed when the signing process is completed. If you sign up for the free account, you can get five signatures a month free. This allows you to try it out send a few to yourself as tests. If you connect your Twitter account to the application to shout out when you close a contract, you get ten more free signatures to use. I think that this is the perfect solution for my sometime situation.

RightSignature
I really liked the look and feel of this application, but for me on a free trial the document would not load. Never moved past 10% loaded with a Word document or PDF file. If they get this kind worked out, this one could be good.

DocuSign
I really liked this application and if I do a lot of online signing, I will most likely move to this application but with a fee of $24.95 a month it was too rich for me to use when I am not sure I will use it frequently. What I liked was the ability to add a phone number verification before the client could open the document. This makes knowing who you are dealing with much better. Although the interface is much more complicated to use, it seemed more secure, allowed for mouse signature signing (you write your signature by moving your mouse), and just overall seemed more robust and a good match for lawyers and real estate agents.

I don’t want to ever lose another sale by making our sign up process too complicated. You may want to consider this as an alternative for your contract signing process too.

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Google: Get Over PageRank – Move On!

June 30th, on the Google Webmaster blog talked about how webmasters and site owners should move on beyond measuring site success by the Google Toolbar PageRank. The post explains that Toolbar reported PageRank in NOT the same as their patented algorithm PageRank which determines organic placement.

Susan tells webmasters:

“If you look at Google’s Technology Overview, you’ll notice that it calls out relevance as one of the top ingredients in our search results. So why hasn’t as much ink been spilled over relevance as has been over PageRank? I believe it’s because PageRank comes in a number, and relevance doesn’t. Both relevance and PageRank include a lot of complex factors—context, searcher intent, popularity, reliability—but it’s easy to graph your PageRank over time and present it to your CEO in five minutes; not so with relevance. I believe the succinctness of PageRank is why it’s become such a go-to metric for webmasters over the years; but just because something is easy to track doesn’t mean it accurately represents what’s going on on your website.” Read the full article.

The bottom line is that you totally should disregard the Google Toolbar PageRank as an indicator of health or success of your website. Instead you should focus on the following:

  1. Bounce Rate
  2. Click Through Rate
  3. Conversion Rate

A website owner can track all of these metrics using Google Analytics or other premium website statistics program. As Google now only updates the Toolbar PageRank once to twice a year and it is not an accurate representation of what is really happening on your website, now is the time to make a paradigm shift and focus on what is really happening that you can see yourself on a daily basis back on your website using statistics YOU can read.

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Are Coupons Right For Your Business?

Get $100 of AdWords clicks free.So are coupons right for your business? From my point of view they should be used for just about every business. Prospects love to get something free and clients love little perks. Shoppers may choose your product or service over a competitor just because of a special discount or free shipping offer.

So what kind of coupons should you consider? Here are just a few. When you create one, make sure to list it in your Google Places account as coupons and reviews are just two of the factors that help to boost your Google Places page organic position.

  1. Free analysis
  2. Free shipping on your first order
  3. 10% off your first service
  4. Free gift with purchase – could be a pen, coffee cup or promotional item
  5. 10% of the purchase of a yearly service plan
  6. Free inspection
  7. Free review of existing coverage

You don’t have to break the bank or destroy your own profit margin to have a coupon. In my case, I am offering $100 of clicks on Google AdWords free with the set up of a new account. AdWords gives me many coupons each quarter and I am glad to give them away as I get new business. You may have similar situations with your vendors all you may need to do is to ask.

Are there any businesses where coupons would not work? I can’t think of too many, even insurance reps can offer free analysis or a free review of your existing coverage. Don’t consider a coupon a way to cheapen what you offer but rather think of a coupon as an incentive for a potential customer to ask more questions and to make contact with you in the first place.