Nico Westerdale of Software Marketing Resource, BitsDuJour, Iconico and more has published his interview with yours truly: The SoftwarePromotions Interview Thank-you Nico!
Innovation can cripple your business
Most (but not all) business sectors are driven by the need to innovate. Yet consumers and business are fickle. We want innovative tech devices, but get annoyed when our media streamer isn’t as reliable as our CD player. We want ground breaking features in our new cars, then get annoyed when the electronic seat memory positions can’t be overridden manually. … Read More
Google Analytics is not free
In September 2007 I wrote an article for our Competitive Edge newsletter on What Price Google Analytics. The article generated a fair amount of debate, yet despite the large number of people who were quite vocal with their disagreement, many also agreed. The point of the article wasn’t that Google Analytics is bad. The point was that Google Analytics isn’t … Read More
What should I call my product?
Whether you’re about to launch a new product or are considering renaming an existing one, deciding what to call it often proves to surprisingly difficult. One approach is to name according to what the product does. For instance some of our clients have products like System Mechanic, PDF Annotator and Advanced Outlook Repair. Another approach is to make the name fit … Read More
Website users ignore pointless pictures – how very odd?
From Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox: “Users pay close attention to photos and other images that contain relevant information but ignore fluffy pictures used to “jazz up” Web pages.“ And he can prove it. Like many of Jakob Nielsen’s statements, it sounds absurdly obvious. So why do so many websites get it wrong? How many times have you seen websites using a … Read More
Conversion fraud – another AdWords thing that makes you go hmmm
As an Adwords Certified Partner, we spend a major chunk of our week handling client’s AdWords accounts. A part of our process involves looking for anything that stands out as unusual. Try this for unusual. One of our clients saw an unusual increase in conversions. As much as we’d like to think this was a direct result of our efforts, … Read More
AdWords customised date range options expanding?
Is it just me or has the list been getting longer? It’s a shame they don’t offer a “Last 28 days” option. I suppose that would be too useful.
I’m a software developer. What software should I write?
It’s a common question. Software developer leaves school or university and is great at churning out tight, functional, well-written code. Software developer doesn’t want to work for someone else, and likes the idea of running their own software company. But s/he doesn’t know what to write that will sell. They could start by following the wisdom of crowds through Google: … Read More
Question for the innovative: how do you make a splash big enough to be noticed in an ocean?
Forty-one years ago, my Mum was six months pregnant, and probably starting to get a little uncomfortable. A few months later I was born and turned my parent’s lives upside down. For a first child there’s a predictable pattern of shock, intense anxiety, the start of routines and then problem-solving. The problem-solving is endless. Perhaps, forty years ago, my Mum … Read More
Technology is no cure for stupidity
This was captured by my wife when she went to book tickets online for an event at the Royal Albert Hall. The team responsible for running the website and booking system clearly know that their server isn’t up to the task. So they’ve found a solution. I don’t know who first invented the numbered ticket queueing system loved by under-staffed … Read More
