A new discovery for me and a refreshing one indeed! I like their philosophy and while I am only beginning to explore their work, I love what I see!

1. WEBSITE How to Generate
Amazing Results
FUNDAMENTALS Online!
Copyright © 2005, Zeald Limited
You have permission to post this document, email it, print it and pass it along for free Disclaimer. Every effort has been made to verify the information provided in this
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2. About the Author
Hi, my name is David Kelly and I lead the team
at Zeald.com. Zeald.com is one of New
Zealand’s largest and fastest growing website
design and E-Business consulting companies.
It is a franchised business, with licensed E-
Business Consultants located through-out
New Zealand. At the time of publication, it
has been in operation for 5 years and has David Kelly
worked with 500+ New Zealand companies,
Chief Executive
helping them to achieve amazing success
Zeald.com
online.
Most business owners set up a website to Contact Us
drive a sales and marketing result. They want Free Phone: 0508 WEBSITE (0508 932 748)
the website to drive more business. We have Email: sales@zeald.com
found repeatedly, though, that many Web: www.zeald.com
businesses are achieving very poor results
with their website. The fact is, many business
owners don’t understand how a website
works or how to make a website successful.
This booklet has been put together as a
practical guide for all business owners and it
clearly outlines what is required to make a
website successful.
If, at any stage, you would like to spend some
time with a Zeald.com E-Business Consultant
discussing the concepts outlined in this
booklet and how they relate to your business
and its products and services – feel free to
give us a call on 0508 WEBSITE (0508 932
748) or visit our website to register.
I sincerely hope you find this booklet helpful!
02

3. Introduction
Done right - your website can be the most successful and
cost-effective 'sales rep' that you have ever hired!
03

4. The Internet Website Advantages
The mid 1990's saw the emergence of a When a website is done well it can be turned
phenomenon that was to take the world by into an incredibly powerful business tool with
storm. It was something that would change the potential to generate massive amounts
the way we communicate, work, live and play of qualified enquiries and sales. In fact, a
from that time on. It was called the Internet. website is unique in that its advantages
include:
Communication Revolutionised
, You can access it anywhere, globally,
The Internet saw the introduction of an 24 hours a day, seven days a week
amazing new technology called the World
, It presents in-depth product/service
Wide Web (www) - a tool that took worldwide
communications to completely new levels. information and knowledge
This new, affordable 'cyberspace' enabled
, It follows the correct business processes -
online communication between people
every time!
regardless of their location or time zone.
, It can successfully satisfy many service
Because the Web knows no boundaries, the
enquiries simultaneously
playing field was leveled. International
communities grew closer and within reach , It can faithfully encourage up-sells, cross-
of small to medium sized businesses. sells and re-orders.
Today, the Web enables any company to Think about this - a website allows you to
present itself globally, 24 hours a day, seven deliver your best sales presentation, every
days a week, via their own website. time, no matter what the time or location.
Done right - it can be the most successful
and cost-effective 'sales rep' that you have
ever hired!
04

5. 80%
More than 80% of New Zealanders now have access
to the internet
nielsen//netratings - nz herald (april 2005)
70%
Over 70% of people in the USA use the internet when
seeking local products & services
us survey – kelsey group (feb 2005)
34%
34% of New Zealand internet users investigated a purchase
or bought something over the internet in the last 12 months
(a 60% increase in the last 2 years)
nielsen//netratings – nz herald (2005)
05

6. New Zealanders Embrace I think you’ll definitely agree with me –
websites are here to stay and are becoming a
the Internet
vital part of any organisation's sales and
Did you know that New Zealanders are marketing strategy.
amongst the heaviest Internet-using
populations in the OECD? And, as our uptake But here’s the big problem: many business
of ATM and EFTPOS technology shows, we owners don’t understand how to make a
have historically embraced new technologies website successful. They don’t understand
swiftly. Given this penchant for technology, how a website works! How does one go about
it’s no surprise that online trading has taken generating a website that is going to provide
the country by storm and is growing an incredible return on the money and time
exponentially. invested into it?
Some figures to put this growing business In this book we are going to unlock the
trend into perspective: fundamental principals behind every
amazingly successful website on the planet
, More than 80% of New Zealanders now
and look at how you too can drive fantastic
have access to the internet. amounts of new business online!
(Nielsen//Netratings - 2005)
, In the USA, over 70% of people now use
the internet when seeking local products
or services. (Kelsey Group - 2005)
, 34% of New Zealand internet users have
investigated a purchase or bought
something over the internet in the last
12 months (a 60% increase in the last 2
years). (Nielsen//Netratings - 2005)
It has also been predicted that by 2008 as
many as 30% of all ‘offline’ purchases will be
directly influenced by a website!
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7. Business Fundamentals
Still Apply!
Websites aren’t magic! They require a good product or
service and hard work
07

8. Competitive Offer It seems like common sense, right? Yet, these
basic business fundamentals are often
You’ve possibly heard stories that a website
forgotten – people take their struggling
will completely change your business – and
business online and expect the world to make
your fortunes – beyond your wildest dreams,
a beeline to their website.
all without you ever having to lift a finger; or
about companies that have paid hundreds of
thousands of dollars for websites but been
Commitment
very disappointed with the returns. If you want to establish a successful website
there are a number of facts that you need to
The fact is that the Web cannot miraculously know:
make your products or services good if they
, It is going to involve work
are not. Just as in the bricks and mortar world,
, It is going to cost money
sub-standard products and services will not
, It is going to involve learning new skills
last long. The Web is a huge consumer
, It is going to take time.
machine and ethics, value and integrity are
still fundamental in this vocal community.
There’s a common misconception that people
will suddenly start purchasing from you just
because you have a website. Wouldn’t that
be nice? But your product or service must
have a potential market to begin with! Most
importantly of all, it must be competitive and
attractive to your prospective customers.
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9. Why Go Online?
Before you even consider getting a new website or
revamping an old website, you need to know exactly
what you want to achieve by going online
09

10. There are five common reasons why an its revenue in the physical world.
organisation will establish a website.
Generate Referral Revenue
Generate Enquiries & Leads
Some websites make money by referring (or
Many websites are focused on generating linking through) to products and services
enquiries and leads. They are designed to contained on other websites. Every visitor
generate interest in the organisation's that is referred is tracked by the website
products or services. Prospects can then receiving the referral. A commission is then
enquire about the products or services via a paid back to the referring website. This is a
number of methods: powerful form of online marketing called an
‘affiliate program’.
, Online Forms
, Email In 2005 a book was published by Rosalind
, Phone Gardner, titled `How I Made $436,797 in One
, Fax Year Selling Other People's Stuff Online!’
, Or even by visiting the physical premises Never underestimate the power of the Web!
of the organisation.
Present Information
Generate Sales Revenue
Finally, every website is about presenting
More and more businesses are setting up ‘e- information! The website may exist simply
commerce’ websites. These automate the to support the organisation’s brand. Or, it
buying process by allowing customers to may exist to automate the process of
purchase products and services online. An e- distributing information to prospects and
commerce website provides the business customers.
owner with a tool that they can use to directly
drive sales. Different organisations will have different
website objectives and most business
Generate Advertising Revenue websites have a number of objectives. But it
is absolutely vital that you are completely
Some organisations are starting to make
clear on exactly what ‘business result’ you are
money by selling online advertising space.
trying to achieve from your website before
Take, for example, the New Zealand Herald
you venture into the online world.
website, which provides an online edition of
its daily paper for free (www.nzherald.co.nz).
Why? Because it generates revenue by selling
advertising space on its website - very similar
to how the paper generates the majority of
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11. Website - Think Branch
Office
The best way we have ever found of describing a website
is to think of it as an ‘Online Branch Office’. The key
factors that determine success in a physical branch office
can be applied to an online branch office
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12. Physical Branch Office Online Branch Office
The revenue of any business is determined by Following a similar pattern, the performance
four key metrics: of a website is determined by a very
comparable set of metrics:
, Leads
The number of people that enquire , New Visitors
about the products or services of the The number of new visitors to the
business. website.
, Conversion Rate , New Visitor Conversion Rate
The percentage of ‘leads’ that purchase The percentage of new visitors that
products or services from the business. make an enquiry, make a purchase, click
(A 20% conversion rate means that for on an advertisement, sign up to the
every 10 leads, the business makes two organisation's mailing list or do whatever
sales). else is part of the overall objective of the
website.
, Transactions
The number of times a customer , Returning Visitors
purchases from the business over their The number of visitors that return to
lifetime as a customer. visit the website.
, Average Sale , Returning Visitor Conversion Rate
The amount of money that the The percentage of returning visitors
customer spends on average at the that make an enquiry, make a
business each time they purchase. purchase, click on an advertisement,
sign up to the organisation's mailing
One of the golden rules in business is this - if
list or do whatever else is part of the
you can increase any one of the key metrics
overall objective of the website.
outlined above then your business will
increase its turnover. , Average Sale
The amount of money that each customer
spends on average at the website (this
metric is only applicable for websites that
sell products or services online).
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13. Website Success Metrics
The performance of any website on the planet is
determined by a small set of key ‘success metrics’
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14. The Golden Rule!
The golden rule of all websites is this:
If you can increase ANY ONE of the website
success metrics then your website will deliver
more results!!
It is as simple as that!
The following table outlines the exact success
metrics that determine the performance of
your website depending on your website
objectives.
Website Success Metrics
6Website Objectives New Visitors New Visitor Return Visitors Return Visitor Average Sale
Conversion Conversion
Rate Rate
Enquiries / Leads P P P P O
Sales Revenue P P P P P
Advertising Revenue P O P O O
Referral Revenue P P P P O
Present Information P O P O O
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15. Automatic
Measurement!
Monitoring & measuring the key metrics is important,
but time consuming. Automation is the key!
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16. The Best Thing About a Website! One of the most powerful aspects of any good
website is this:
It is very important that you measure every
aspect of your website’s performance. You A website runs on a computer and due to
may have heard the saying - “If you can’t this, it is possible to get the computer to
measure it - you can’t manage it!” automatically measure every single one of
the key success metrics.
This saying rings true throughout every aspect
of business. And this is where it gets really These figures should be available to you at
exciting! the click of a button!
Zeald.com Website Dashboard
16

17. Improving the Success
Metrics
Tune your website to increase the performance of each
and every one of the key success metrics
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18. A Wide Range of Strategies! Conversion Rate
So how can you 'tune' a website and increase , Fast-loading website
the performance of each and every one of the , User-friendly website layout
success metrics? , Professional, personalised website design
, Compelling website copy
There are literally hundreds of strategies to , Clear sales process and pathway
achieve this. The optimal strategy depends , Great testimonials and references.
on many factors; the business, the target
customer, the market environment and so on.
Average Sale
A summary of some you might find effective
follows: , Cross-sells
, Up-sells
New Visitors , Specials and promotions
, Wish-lists
, Search engine optimisation
, Volume pricing
, Search engine advertising
, Gift vouchers
, Affiliate program
, Best sellers
, Promotion of website on business cards,
, New items.
, brochures, letterheads, etc
, Online banner advertising
, Directory listings, e.g.
www.yellowpages.co.nz, www.ubd.co.nz.
Returning Visitors
, Email marketing
, Regular promotions
, Next purchase offers
, 'What's New' webpage
, VIP programs
, Reminder systems.
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19. Get the Order Right!
Build a strong foundation for your website business. In
order to maximise your return it is absolutely vital that
you work on your success metrics in the correct order
19

20. Work Smarter Not Harder! Many organisations focus too early on
attracting new visitors and spend large
In order to maximise your return, it is
amounts of money on marketing and
absolutely vital that you work on your success
promoting their website before ensuring that
metrics in the right order.
they have a good conversion rate, return
visitor rate and average sale. This is money
1. Conversion Rate
down the drain!
Start by producing a website with a great
conversion rate! This is absolutely vital and Make sure you get the order right!
forms the basis of everything that follows;
Remember - just as the success of a business
2. Returning Visitors is governed by a number of key metrics, so is
Focus on maximizing the number of visitors a website. Understand your website’s success
that continually return to your website; metrics and the keys to improving each of
them and you will have learnt the secrets to
3. Average Sale developing a website that generates amazing
Now work on the average sale to make sure returns at a fraction of the cost of the more
you are making the most of every opportunity traditional forms of sales and marketing!
(e-commerce websites only);
All the best in your online endeavours!
4. New Visitors
And then and only then, look to increase the
amount of new visitors to your website.
4. Increase New visitors
3. Increase Average Sale
2. Increase Return visitors
1. Great Conversion Rate!
The building blocks of a successful online business
begin with creating a solid base.
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