Creating new website for searched-for topics. Here is the manual.

1. Workshop Information Market Research
AS New Media International
Berlin, 23rd & 24th October 2008

2. „If you choose the weapon,
look at the battlefield,
not in your arsenal!“
Aleksy Uchanski, AS Polska
2 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

3. Content is King – but only the RIGHT one
The users will valuate the website based on the content.
Is it interesting? Helpful? Entertaining? Unique?
Or, to summarize it: Does it make sense to come back?
Axel Springer as a publisher has lots of content. Huge archives. Many
editors. Millions of photos available.
But, is it unique? Is it significant? Today content is (mostly) commodity. To
the user it‘s available for free – everywhere!
Axel Springer has a lot of strong brands and reputation. This is unique, or
not? The biggest brands in the internet are mostly pure online.
Brand value has to be re-earned in the web (i.e. spiegel.de)!
3 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

4. Print mindset versus web reality
Print Web
!! Information is precious and therefore !! All information is accessible from everywhere
content is unique for free. Content became commodity and even
professional writing can be purchased cheap.
!! Production is expensive and capacity !! Everybody can “produce” a website within
is limited minutes and it costs only some money (if any).
!! Distribution is expensive and limited !! Distribution of information is much faster,
includes more possibilities (pictures, videos
etc.) and costs nearly nothing.
!! Based on that bundling of topics !! In the internet bundling makes you insignificant
made sense: a computer magazine
did cover previews, reviews, tests,
tips& tricks for hardware, software
and even games
4 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

5. Before you start:
Which way do you want to go?
In general, there are two main reasons why a user could come to a website.
The same user (person) will visit different websites in different situations.
Entertainment Search/Information
Be surprised, receive
Search for solutions.
Impulses.
Kill time and be Learn new things and get
entertained. things done.
Looking for fun. Looking for help.
5 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

6. Group Work I: Entertainment vs Search in a nutshell
Entertainment Information
User mentality / need
Publishers job
Standalone examples
Integrated examples
Dominant entry page
Editorial voice
Signal to noise ratio
Primary traffic source
Preferred ad form
Google ad strategy
You want users to
6 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

7. Entertainment vs Information in a nutshell
Entertainment Information
User mentality / need Kill time / stay informed Learn things / get things done
Publishers job Deliver news Fulfil impluse driven (mostly delayed) search
demand
Standalone examples Spiegel, engadget, social networks Wikipedia, holidaycheck, about.com
Integrated examples Techcrunch crunchbase
Dominant entry page Homepage Content pages
Editorial voice Punchy, creative, editors, voice Down to the facts, keyword-orientated, users’ voice
Signal to noise ratio Low High
Primary traffic source Word of mouth/links Search engines
Preferred ad form Banner / image / cpm Text / cpc
Google ad strategy Doubleclick / admanager Adsense
You want users to Navigate & generate Pis Leave through ad click
Result: You can’t optimize pages for both simultaneously-
but you can run both types on a website. Or provide two websites!
7 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

8. Entertainment pages

9. Entertainment
!! Speed: be first and correct
!! Preferred Design:
blog, pictures, few distraction,
comments, short and funny texts
!! Content:
editorial, „fresh“ content
means unique content, gossips
& rumours instead of analysis,
previews than reviews
!! Sales:
maximum reach, mostly banner
!! Marketing:
word of mouth, linking, SEO/
SEM limited, (RSS)
9 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

10. How to build an Entertainment page?
!! Relatively quick ‘n easy with standard open source platforms
!! Set-up within days at low cost and with little technology knowledge
possible
!! Few Features needed (all included in standard platforms): photos,
short texts, archive, categories, search, community
!! Which platform?
!! For pure blogs: e.g. Wordpress, Simplog, Movabletype
!! For blogs with advanced features: Drupal!, Typo3
" can be used for all kinds of websites e.g. integrated websites with blog and database
10 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

11. Search/Information pages

12. Information
!! Preferred Design:
Wiki, info graphics, facts,
comments, detailed and serious
texts
!! Content:
editorial & UGC, „high quality“
content means unique content,
professional analysis, detailed
reviews and tests, experiences
!! Sales:
affiliate and ad sense, mostly PPC
!! Marketing:
SEO/SEM, backlinking
12 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

13. How to build an Information / search page?
!! Design of a flexible and scalable database structure
!! Critical mass of content is needed to start
!! Find content sources to feed database
!! unstructured data: Manual input takes time and needs human resources
!! structured data: Automatic input needs development of tools
!! Set-up usually takes more time, resources and technological skills
!! Features depend on project and often have to be developed separately
•! Database: e.g. MySQL
•! Frontend: CMS: e.g. Drupal, Typo3
•! Backend: e.g. CakePHP framework for input templates
13 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

14. Entertainment versus Information
Blog-Database integration
Points for reflexion and discussion:
!! Does a database need a blog?
!! Does a blog need a database?
!! One blog for several databases?
!! Several blog from one database?
!! Channel vs Subpage vs own domain
14 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

15. Revenue streams
Points for reflexion and discussion:
Reach vs. Relevance
Banner vs. PPC-Models
•!Skyscraper •!Google AdSense
•!Rectangle •!Pay per lead
•!Pop-under •!Pay per order (e-commerce)
•!Top-layer •!Pay per download
KPI# eCPM (effective Cost per Mille)
#Key Performance Indicator
15 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

16. “Manual” for Information Market research

17. Steps for creating Information Markets
Information Markets are content topics
!! “Need for that content“?
You have to find out, if there is enough demand for your topic. Are people interested in it
(…more than just a few single ones)?
!! “Can I answer the need?“
Make sure, you are really versed in that topic, which has a huge demand. You offer specific
knowledge e.g. or provide special services.
!! “Can I sell my answers?“’
Brilliant ideas and a huge demand don’t bring you any profit. Analyse, if your site will be
financially rewarding. Who could be the potential advertiser?
!! “Who are the competitors“?
At last you have to analyse your competitors. What separates your offers from those of the
competition? Are there already big players?
!! “Which approach do I use?”
Blog or Database?
!! “Do I have a voice?”
Think about a clear opinion. Are you willing to give and defend a point of view?
How to Step-by-step with Google Adwords Tool
17 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

18. Shaping your Information Market
1. 2. 3. Analyze 4. 5.
Use Adwords Check Adword Analyze
Google’s
Brainstorm tool to check competition, competition
suggestions for
keywords selected words check keyword (SEO/SEM) for
relevance,
describing your and find in Google your
typos, user
content alternative Search for information
voice, search
combination Adword clients market/content
volume
Keyword cloud General list Sorted list Impressions Competition
of keywords of relevant about sales from organic
keywords opportunity search and
sponsored links
•!Is there an information market for your content / product?
•!How big is the market? How relevant is it?
•!Can you narrow down your topic, making it more specific?
18 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

19. Next steps / workshops

20. Workshop – EDITING – Editorial Framework
“Form follows function”
Topics (discourse oriented site conception)
!! Shape our voice (cynic, ironical, critical, euphorically)
!! Define market to be served (who is our target audience?)
!! Define and limit site’s content (which type of games are we reporting on)
!! Frequency of publication (how many daily updates?)
!! User Integration (trigger user participation?; feedback management)
!! Size of Editorial team (time zones, backup, holidays etc)
!! Content (sources: picture and text, depth of structure)
!! Linking style (give credits, own work?, link to foreign language sites)
!! Trial editorial conference
RESULT Editorial Concept
28 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

21. Workshop - DESIGNING – Design Framework
How to build up a site, which will be high ranked in Google
Topics (SEO Friendly Site Design, Website design & technical issues for setup)
!! Editorial concept
!! Site-Structure
(Domain Name, Subdomains vs. Directories, Directory-Tree (Depth / Naming)
!! Tools & Utilities Setup
(HTML Sitemap, Google sitemap / Webmaster Tools / Analytics)
!! Page-Template
(Title tag, text and elements order in html)
!! Readability Tests
(Browsers, print)
RESULT Pilot (beta site)
29 October 2008 WS Information Market Research

22. Workshop - OPERATING – Operations Framework
How to build up a site, which will be high ranked in Google
Topics (SEO Friendly Writing, Link and PR Management, Measurement, Google)
!! Wording
(Keywords: selection /amounts / clouds / variation, vocabulary, signal to noise ratio)
!! Formatting
(Abstract, lists, etc., signals of quality, length of text blocks, column breadth)
!! Link and PR Management
(internal links / hierarchy / anchor texts, links to / from own properties, PR development
and inheritance)
!! Measurement
(setting up measurement tools, understanding and analyzing data, implications for
redesign and development)
!! Google Watching
(understand Google's strategies, get proactive, make sure you're not doing evil,
understand changes in algorithms)
RESULT Final Site
30 October 2008
23rd July 2008 WS Information Market Research – Results and Learnings

23. Thank you!
Contact:
Nils Reimelt Martin Scholz
Manager Business Development Manager Business Development
Axel Springer AG Axel Springer AG
AS New Media International AS New Media International
Axel-Springer-Straße 65 Axel-Springer-Straße 65
10888 Berlin 10888 Berlin
Phone +49 (0)30 2591-79613 Phone +49 (0)30 2591-79606
Mobile +49 (0)151 1683 0078 Mobile +49 (0)151 1683 0120
nils.reimelt@axelspringer.de martin.scholz@axelspringer.de
31 October 2008 WS Information Market Research