aaron dalrymple dot com

A recent study analyzing clickstream data and eye tracking results found that the web is quickly becoming the interactive tool that it has always promised to be. The development of web based technologies like Ajax and the expanding adoption of broadband have led to a number of changes in how users interact with the web.

The University of Hamburg research found:

• An F-shaped pattern of clicking activity similar to results found in eye tracking studies. There appears to be a strong link between our eye and hand movements over the surface of web pages.
• Following links accounts for 43.5% of page transitions.
• Direct access through bookmarks, typing in urls, or home page buttons has remained relative steady over the last several years at around 10%. However, new window launches has jumped from less than 1% to over 10% of all page transitions in the past 11 years.
• Form submission has increased from 4.4% to over 15% of all navigation actions reflecting the increase in web services
• 43% of all form submissions involve search submission, followed by online dictionary and travel planners.
• There has been a 50% drop in the use of the back button for web navigation.

The study attributes many of these changes to the increase in web services, AJAX, etc. I wonder how much tabbed browsing affects these numbers as well? Considering the study was performed with “experienced volunteers,” are avid users more likely to use tabbed browsing and therefore driving the new window launches up considerably? I know I use tabbed browsing and launch links in a new tab more often than I use back and forward button browsing. Other findings include:

• Over 45% of all user clicks occured in a region slightly larger than the upper left quadrant of the visible page.
• Over three quarters (76.5%) of selected links were in the visible area at load time (above the fold).
• 23% of all links followed were below the fold.
• For 1024 by 768 screen users, the average available document width was about 890 pixels because users are not necessarily expanding their browser window to fill their entire screen.
• The average web page has 53 hyperlinks and 551 visible words.
• 25% of all documents were displayed for less than 4 seconds and 52% of all visits were shorter than 10 seconds with a peak value located between 2 and 3 seconds.

The data also reveals some mistakes that we make when designing pages for the more dynamic Interweb.

• Designing pages for a specific resolution may not be a great idea. Users generally only use 85% of their available screen space for a browser window. And, users almost never scroll horizontally. Make sure your “above the fold” calculations consider this data.
• Fast loading pages are as important as ever. With 52% of users visiting a page for less than 10 seconds, your page should load in less than four… And don’ forget that some still use dial-up.
• The upper left hand corner of the page is where most users are clicking. Put your important links there. Be careful not to put important links (usually those that generate revenue) in areas that users generally ignore.

I do see a few problems with the data. For instance, it appears by the heat maps that Google’s layout has greatly influenced the results… I wonder how different the heat maps would loook if the search engine sessions were ommited from the data… See the entire write-up here:

Clickstream Study Reveals Dynamic Web - fast web navigation in browser study heatmaps

Tagged as: Travel Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, Other, clickstream, interweb, University of Hamburg, heat map, click data, eye tracking

1 Comment »

According to OneStat, a web analytics company, most people use two and three word phrases when using a search engine and less people are using one word phrases when compared to last year.

This is important information to consider when coming up with keywords to target for your search engine optimization campaign. One word keywords are also usually the most competitive too. So, the point is, don’t waste a lot of time trying to get a top placement for “travel” when it’s searched for less and has much more competition (Google currently has over 3 billion pages indexed for “travel”).

A better strategy would be to target 10 (or 20 or 100) two to four keyword phrases that more accurately describe your product, then create additional content to cover those terms. Your chances of a top ranking go up and you’ll be appealing to a wide range of searchers who are looking specifically for what you are offering.

Here is the breakdown according to OneStat’s data. The 7 most used word phrases in search engines on the web are:

July 2006
1. 2 word phrases 28.91%
2. 3 word phrase 27.85%
3. 4 word phrases 17.11%
4. 1 word phrases 11.43%
5. 5 word phrases 8.25%
6. 6 word phrases 3.68%
7. 7 word phrases 1.59%

The data is also broken down by country. Most of the countries have similar search behavior with the exception being Germany. Germans seem to be stuck on shorter search terms with 28.89% searching for one word terms and just over 40% searching for two word terms. I wonder why the big difference… Any ideas?

OneStat.com - Press Box

Tagged as: Google, Search Engines, SEO, Online Marketing, Optimization Tips, Analytics, OneStat, search behavior,

No Comments »

In yesterday’s post about the struggle for customers between agents, online agencies and suppliers, I noted that branded sites (airlines, hotel chains, cruise lines, etc.) are fighting hard to cut out the middleman and have their customers book direct. Some do it through incentives like free miles or points, some do it with low rate guarantees or a combination of both.

United Airlines, for example, has a low rate guarantee and gives you 1000 miles when you book direct. Therefore, I use Orbitz to search for a flight, then usually book directly with the airline and save a few bucks. Which makes the point that the airline sites really need better shopping tools…

Airlines have done a pretty “good” job at online price control. The cruise industry is finally getting there too (after some changes that caused a lot of heartburn for cruise resellers, including my former employer). Hotels, though, have an uphill battle controlling brand and pricing through online channels.

Hitwise has released a white paper on search engine brand management that focuses on “brand theft” with some examples from the travel industry.

I have a bit of a problem with over zealous brand protection in the travel industry when it comes to PPC advertising. There is definitely a line that can be crossed, but many chains are abandoning a philosophy that helped make them a successful brand in the first place: other people selling your rooms. Instead of making enemies out of resellers, they should recognize that maybe others can sell their products better than they can. Some of us were selling online back when the hotels still thought it was just a fad that didn’t deserve any real resources (oh, and that was just a few years ago).

Give us a reason to want to book direct (incentives, exclusive inventory, price, content, something!). Don’t just make sure nobody else is buying your brand name in the search engines. Seems like those resources would be better spent on actually listening to the online travel consumer.

Hitwise’s study is definitely worth a read, especially if you can’t afford to buy keywords for your own brand name anymore. (-;

Download it here:

Hitwise White Paper

Tagged as: Travel Marketing, Search Engines, Marketing, SEM, Online Marketing, brand management, Hitwise, United Airlines, branding, hotels, PPC

No Comments »

I assemble and manage a weekly newsletter for travel industry executives over at Travel Career Connexxions. One of the ongoing themes being presented in industry news is the struggle between online travel agencies, traditional agencies and direct supplier (branded) websites. Are travelers buying direct (as the airlines and hotel chains would like them to do)? Are brick and mortar agencies doomed? What differentiates the major online agencies?

It seems that the stats can show whatever position the particular agency/supplier desires. Here are some headlines from previous issues of the newsletter (note- most of the stories are pulled from press releases, so the headlines should reflect the general sentiment of the industry as a whole):

• Survey: Luxury Travelers Prefer “Human Touch” when Booking Travel
• Survey: Most Consumers Not Buying Direct
• Online Travel Comes of Age
• Major Hotel Chains’ Internet Reservations Up 26.8% in 2005
• Online Hotel Bookings Up, Challenges Ahead
• 2006 Agency Bookings up 14% in February
• Travelers Surf the Web to Research and Compare
• Online Travel Sales Rapidly on the Rise
• Research Shows Travel Agent Bookings Account for 80% of Room Nights
• Consumers Prefer Online Agencies To Compare and Book Air Travel
• Direct Booking Model Benefits Small Business Travelers
• Study Shows One Third of Travel to be Booked Online in 2005
• Travelers May Still Prefer Agents

So, as you clearly see, travelers prefer to book with agents, but don’t. Or do they? 66% of travel is booked offline? Only 20% are booked direct, which is a 27% improvement… I think..

I think the point here is that different travelers like to book in different ways. Traditionally the human travel agent was the gate keeper between you and all things travel. And some agents specialized in different types of travel (cruise, adventure, business, etc.). Every agent didn’t try to be all things to all people. And best of all, they each had an individual personality!

Then the internet came along and the online agencies tried to be all things to all people. It doesn’t work very well. Then came the niche travel sites. OK, good. Now the airlines, hotels, suppliers want you to book direct and bypass the middle man all together.

Still, the premise that online agencies as a whole can be all things to all people is false. For example, some people prefer to book direct. The first time you show up at a Laughlin, Nevada hotel to find out that Worry Free Vacations took your money but didn’t actually book your room and the hotel is sold out (true story), you’ll consider booking direct. Airfare is almost always cheaper when you book direct.

Then, there’s still the human travel agent. And it seems that luxury travelers may still prefer a human being when shelling out thousands of greenbacks for their exotic vacations. It makes sense to me. Isn’t it interesting that the internet has made self service the standard and human contact something that only the wealthy enjoy?

A recent Guideline, Inc. study shows:

• 46% of luxury travelers prefer to use a live agent
• 25% of luxury travelers consult with tour operators
• 30% of luxury travelers prefer a personal service when booking

That’s the life. Here is a piece on the study:

Online travel suppliers need to build brand equity

Tagged as: Travel Marketing, Other, travel agents, online travel agencies, online travel, luxury travel, Worry Free Vacations, Guideline Inc

No Comments »

I don’t stay at hotels that don’t offer free WiFi access. I work in hotel rooms, I rarely watch cable (which is free), use the pool (free), or play in-room video games (which I wouldn’t know if they’re free or not). Some folks, however, seem to think that nickel and diming customers by charging outrageous (usually around $10/day) fees for using WiFi is good business practice.

Hotspot International CEO Louie Miller thinks so. From an article featured on 4Hoteliers.com:

Under the Hotspot business model, guests purchase time cards that they can use to access the hotel’s Internet. His company has grown to include 50 hotels in four countries, mostly on a revenue share model in which Hotspot maintains the systems and splits the sales.

“If the hotels stopped and think about what they’re giving away, they’re giving away telephony and, potentially, home movies,” Miller said. “I don’t think it’s viable that hotels will ever give it away. People have to take into consideration and look at Internet as being the infrastructure for delivering additional services and, if they give it away, they’re giving away other services. For example, I’m sitting in a hotel right now and it costs me $3 to $5 per minute to call the U.S. If they give me the Internet for free, I can hook up Skype and my Bluetooth headset and call the U.S. for two cents per minute.”

Huh? By that same logic hotels should charge for basic cable television (they don’t) and slather the walls with cell phone blocking paint (maybe they do?). And, by the way, downloading movies is unpractical and irrelevant to business travelers, who are the ones most likely to use WiFi access, Lou.

Oh and Lou, if you’re paying $3 to $5 per minute to call the USA from your hotel phone when you can buy wireless internet for $10/day from the hotel your “sitting in right now,” hook up Skype and call for two cents/minute, then you’re not very good at arithmetic or you enjoy spending lots more money than necessary anyhow. Also, most of us quit using hotel phones a long time ago. Calling from the US to the UK on a cell phone costs about .35/minute.

Hotspot has a losing business model (in the US market anyhow), and it probably knows it. Convincing hotels to abandon its business customers by telling them we’re downloading movies and Skyping around the world instead of using their in-room services is the only card they have to play. Hotels will continue to move towards free WiFi, and if they don’t, the citywide WiFi networks being proposed across the country will make it irrelevant anyhow.

WiFi: for free, or not for free? - 4Hoteliers

Tagged as: Travel Marketing, Other, Hotspot International, Louie Miller, WiFi, Hotel, Free WiFi, Skype

No Comments »

If you use Google Adwords to buy PPC advertising, you’ve no doubt noticed some changes to your accounts over the weekend. It seems that Google has launched their update that takes into heavy consideration landing pages when determining your minimum CPC, ranking and whether or not your ads even show up.

Just to review, Google has always used a combination of click-through-rate (CTR) and your maximum cost-per-click (CPC) when determining your rank in the paid listings section of their results page. If your CTR wasn’t high enough, your CPC was too low or some combination of those factors, your ads will be inactivated by Google until you raise the CPC to a new “minimum.” The logic here is that only ads with high CTRs make it to the top of the results. Makes sense.

Now, Google is also inspecting the landing page that the ads point to to make sure it’s relevant to the ad with the goal of providing a more positive experience for the Google user, oh AND helping Google’s bottom line, I’m sure. From Google:

“Although it is counter-intuitive to some who hear it, we’d rather show one less ad than to show an ad which leads to a poor user experience — since long-term user trust in AdWords is of overarching importance.”

In true Google fashion, however, the change has been dramatic, without adequate warning to advertisers or its own employees, and is causing lots of heartburn among many advertisers. Minimum CPCs have gone through the roof making them unrealistic for most advertisers. Again, from Google:

“We realize that some minimum bids may be too high to be cost-effective — indeed, these high minimum bids are our way of motivating advertisers to either improve their landing pages or to simply stop using AdWords for those pages, while still giving some control over which keywords to advertise on.”

Even though Google states that, “that the vast majority of advertisers will not be affected at all by this change,” there is a lot of talk on the blogs and forums since the changes took place at the end of last week (nearly 30 pages of posts on Webmaster World) making me doubt that it’s that isolated among larger advertisers. One person I spoke to who manages several Adwords accounts said that for one account nearly 90% of their terms have been deactivated. That’s enough for anyone to lose lots of sleep over.

Here are some posts, discussions and insights on the matter:

• WebMaster World Discussion: Open letter to Google Regarding Changes to The Ad Words Program

• SEOBook - Google AdWords Landing Page Quality Scores

• ClickZ - Google Advertisers Upset Over Landing Page Scoring

• Google - Landing page quality update

• SearchEngineWatch - Many Advertisers Are Frustrated With Google’s New Quality Score & Pricing

• Search Engine Roundtable - AdWords Landing Page Quality Score Causing Epidemic

• JenSense - New landing page quality score could affect click aribtrage publishers

It seems that Google Adwords is setting itself up to be usable only by advertising agencies or companies large enough to employ dedicated PPC staff, which is unfortunate. One of the great things about advertising on PPC networks has been that a company doing business out of the garage could always compete head-to-head with major corporations and suppliers…

Tagged as: Google, Search Engines, Marketing, SEM, Online Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Google Adwords, PPC, Adwords, PPC Advertising, pay per click

1 Comment »

A few weeks ago I posted on personal search engine optimization: What do the Search Engines Say About You? It seems that my Online Image Consultation Services may be in need sooner than I thought. Here are some new stats from an ExecuNet Study (it seems far from scientific, but the results are interesting):

• 35% of employers have eliminated a candidate based on information found online about the prospect (digital dirt).

• 77% of executive recruiters say they use search engines to find out more about prospective employees.

• Only 13% of executives have taken action to add positive personal information online.

Are you digitally dirty? This brings all that community, collaborative, social, web 2.0 stuff into question too… Is it really worth posting all of your photos to a public image site like Flickr, if it means you may get axed before your next job interview? Gee, it’s not like I’m going to do keg stands AT work!

There may really be a market for online image consultants… Of course it can go the other way too… which makes having one on retainer all the more important…

contact me for rates. (-;

Read about the study here:

‘Digital Dirt’ Derailing Job Seekers - E-business & Business Technology News by TechWeb

Tagged as: Search Engines, Other, digital dirt, web 2.0, web2, flickr, ExecuNet, image consultant, online privacy

No Comments »

Yahoo! does 2.0 well. Well, they’re good at snapping up successful 2.0 companies anyhow (Flickr, del.icio.us). Yahoo! does seem to have a way of bringing new technology to the masses though.

Take My Yahoo! for instance… It’s basically an RSS aggregator. It’s widely popular with tech and non-tech folks alike. They found a way to make RSS useable and accessible to everyone. And it works.

While Google seems to be focused on technology for technology’s sake, Yahoo! is moving toward becoming a true one-stop portal with a 2.0 twist. Although this does raise some privacy concerns, it presents a lot of interesting ideas about ways to use and integrate communities online.

Yahoo! has announced their latest 2.0 element with updates to their Yahoo! Travel product. Yes, Yahoo! Travel, it seems, will be going through yet another update…

From Motley Fool:

Forget those “wish you were here” postcards — now you can get a better idea of other people’s travels, on a much wider, more detailed scale. According to Motley Fool Rule Breakers pick CNET, Yahoo! Trip Planner will now let users share their travel journals with others, and view interactive maps of other people’s trips. It’s also integrating Trip Planner into its main search site. Furthermore, MasterCard’s helping out with a sponsorship and a co-branded site of its own.

Combine this with Yahoo’s other services and it seems like it could be a really cool tool. Will it be useable, accessible AND practical though?

I’m not sure that travelers see any value yet… Maybe when the MySpace crowd are planning exotic family vacations… but today’s travelers may be a bit more skeptical to the benefits of social networking online. Read Scoble’s piece: Sorry, I don’t do Social Networks anymore (be sure to read through the comments as well) for a view on how lots of us view social networks.

Will Yahoo! Trip Planner be cool? Yes! Will I use it? eh…

Deluxe Travel Plans at Yahoo! [Fool.com: Motley Fool Take] July 10, 2006

update- Here is Yahoo’ official Blog entry on Trip Planner:

Yahoo! Travel Update: Trip Planner Goes GA

Tagged as: Google, Travel Marketing, Yahoo, Other, Yahoo Travel, Travel 2.0, Web 2.0, Web2, Motley Fool, Trip Planner, Yahoo Trip Planner, TripHub, Scoble

No Comments »

Along the same lines of FareCompare, FareChase claims to help you select when to buy your airfare based on historical trend data on airfare rates. FareChase seems to have a cleaner approach with a look and feel that more resembles a commerce travel site.

FareChases’s results page (limited to just a few cities in the beta version) gives a easy-to-read fare history graph, flight times with prices and a great fare prediction tool that gives you tips on whether you should buy now or wait for rates to go down. It’s perfect for those of us who have some flexibility when we travel and are price conscious.

in a the spirit of 2.0, you can currently cast your vote for your home airport to be included in the next release. What a great way to decide the order to add airports to their data… OH, and to collect your email address too. (-;

Airfare Predictions, Find Cheap Airline Tickets - Farecast

Tagged as: Travel Marketing, Travel, FareCompare, FareChase, Airfare, Travel 2.0

1 Comment »