Web 2.0 and Ecommerce

Technologies:

Searching for articles on Web 2.0 and ecommerce issues, I found some interesting ones on Jakob Nielsen's useit.com site that are critical of Web 2.0 technologies because they don't necessarily translate into profitability and can confuse web site users. He also says that the more profitable technologies are older and more simple. When I took an HTML class at UAS about a year and a half ago we had some Jakob Nielsen articles about web site useability as assigned reading.

The first article Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous, states that Web 2.0 technologies are over-hyped and concentrating too much on developing these for your website can take the focus away from older technologies that matter much more to users. Ajax and Mashup sites can actually be confusing to users. Another article, 10 High-Profit Redesign Priorities, discusses technologies and parts of web site design like email newsletters and high-quality photography that actually will translate into higher profits. Also making your site more accessible to senior citizens will increase your profits because many senior citizens are wealthy.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization refers to methods web site developers can use to increase traffic to their websites through search engine results. One article I found, How to Herd Organic Search Traffic to Your Blog gives detailed instructions on how to put specific keywords on your site that will increase your rankings in search engines. Even though the article was written for blogs, you could use it for other types of websites as well. Free Keyword Suggestion Tool From Wordtracker is a site that will give you keyword suggestions based on keywords you enter relating to your site.

Marketing Magic

I think a company like Amazon is successful for a variety of reasons. In an interview with Jeff Bezos for Wired magazine, The Zen of Jeff Bezos, Amazon's early success was do to having such a large inventory of books that it spread through word of mouth that Amazon was a good site for hard-to-find titles. Amazon's search engine makes it very easy to find items you are looking for. I often will use the Amazon site at work at the library if a patron is looking for a book but doesn't know the exact title. Often a book will not show up on our online catalog unless you know the exact title or author. Amazon has innovative aspects to their site like the search inside a book function. According to the Wired article, sales of books with the search inside function increase by 9% over books without it.

How Web 2.0 Service Providers Make Money On The Web

28 Ways to Make Money with Your Website describes many ways to make money on the web, mostly through advertising such as Pay Per Click, Banner Ads but also monetization widgets and RSS feed ads. It also covers techniques like creating an email list or newsletter and selling a book.

To be an ecommerce company and be successful in the Web 2.0 environment you need to first create a site that uses technologies such as in the 10 High-Profit Redesign Priorities article that have been proven to increase profits. You should employ techniques to improve Search Engine Optimization through effective use of keywords on your site. You should also develop effective advertising on your website.