Online Buyer Behaviour and Models II 3.

19
4) Time To Resolution: Time to Resoluti on is a custome · · th
. r service metnc at measure s t h e average
amount of time taken between when a custome r interacti on is created and when that interacti on
is marked as "resolved". Time To Resoluti on may also refer to Mean Time to Resoluti on or Time
to Resolve and abbrevia ted as MTTR or TTR. The shorter the time to resolution, the better it is.

3.5 Technology and Customer Relationship Management

"Customers are the king of market". Every company believes in this mantra and work accordingly.
Over
the years, there is a significa nt change in the nature of consume rs. With the continuo us developm
ents
in the field of technolo gy, radical changes in the consume rs demogra phic and behaviou r have
been
recorded. Changes in consume rs requirem ent and with the emergen ce of new technolo gical solution,
the compani es are now trying to create efficient relationship building with the consume rs with a strong
focus on integrati ng numerou s social channels .
Generati on Z, born after the year 1996, are highly tech-savvy and are fully engaged in social media
and are more likely to agitate and spread negative word of mouth on digital platforms, if their expectat
ions
with respect to value addition are not met.
Digitally advance d consume rs are more aware as they spend long hours everyday on digital platform s
specifically social media platform s where abundan ce of contents, reviews, experiences, feedbacks
etc.
both positive and negative are updated regularly and that may ruin the reputatio n of a company.
It is very importa nt for a company to closely monitor the nature and level of consume rs they are
targeting. A study was conduct ed by Deloitte, Digital CRM 2.0, Building custome r relations hips in
the
digital landscap e, which discusses about the contemp orary customers and their characteristics.
Accordin g to the study, the contemp orary and smart custome r are well informed as before buying
any product they refer online compari son sites, peer validation and smart recomme nders. Such type
of comparis on is only visible in today's time because of technological advances. Further they are
self
directed and do not trust media, business houses and are highly volatile in nature and and are willing
to
change brands frequent ly especially when they feel that they are not getting any special treatmen t.
111is generati on is highly influenc ed and depende nt on technology and consider technolo gy as more
reliable over people. This is why it is believed that technolo gy is at the heart of digital CRM.

What must be done to meet the customers expectations and to achieve the objective of CRM?
Custo mer 1 • h'
J re attons 1p managem en t 1ea ders have to rely on digital commun ication channels
. that. ..would
help · • .
m generatm g re11able va1ua bl e cus to mer data and establish advanced analytics capabilities to
demonstrate the perform ance and effectiveness of CRM measures. . .
1) As nowadays the custome rs are b ecommg · more aware and digitally advanced their desire for
. . • d b day It therefore becomes the responsib . .. f h
transpare ncy therefore is mcreasm g ay Y 1
i ity o t e
· . . •h h
c intaining healthy relat1onsh 1p wit t e consumers.
company to take care of transpar ency ior ma
3_1~.2~0~1~1~D~ig~it~a~lM=a.:.:rl:,le;,::.ti::n~u_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
=- ----
2) '(he organization mw,t understand the CRM value driwrs Jill~ stratc~ically address the
fum:tional, technological and regulatory factors that may result 111 a sat1sfadory custoincr
journey.
3) 'Jhc organization must align tltdr operating model with the customer journey. It is required 011
the part of the mm panics to develop a rnnsistcnt metho<l that can measure individual customer
value and allocate resources for relationship building.
1) 'lhc organizations must l'Stablish a data governance model that helps in ensuring data gathering,
quality and availability for each business.
It is also suggested that companies must ensure proper measurement of customer relationship
management performance.

How Technology Influences (RM?

Technology has a great bearing on CRM and has helped the companies in streamlining the process
of CRM and has also contributed in cutting costs of CRM initiatives. Let us discuss some of the ways
where technology is being used to communicate with the customers and is also contributing in building
relationship with them.

E-mail
Email is the first customer service developments where internet was used to connect with the customers
and provide customer service over e-mail. E-mails arc now system generated and automated. Email is all
about promoting the products and services,building relationship with the customers and reaching out
the potential customers. It can be said that email is helping businesses to keep their customers informed
about latest updates events and various transactions.
1bc various objectives of sharing emails with the customers arc:
1) To inform the prospects about all latest upchtcs of your business and create brand awareness.
2) To facilitate transaction related J etails with the customers.
3) To share various promotional campaigns with them.
4) To successfully drive sales and builds a long term relationship with them.

Mobile
As we all are aware that there has been significant growth in the numbers of smartphone users in the
recent years and therefore the companies are targeting customers via mobile devices which is again
technology driven. 111e companies have initiated various services on mobile through mobile apps th at
provides a lot of convenience in performing transactions and also offers a satisfactory user experience.
As similar to automated e-mails, the mobile phone is also being used to update customers about th :
various transactions performed by them or company's updates. Short message service (SMS), MMS
mcs~agcs can be automated in the similar way that of e-mails.
call centers
.. such
. ·I11h>h)g)'
h'1.. as voice over Internet protoccJ I mcam t hat V<H·cc ca II scan be n,utc:d <.:b.,1ply c;•,-er the
Int ernet and thousands of people get connected around the gl<,be with suc..h J.-in<l , ,f ,u\ icn. \Jme
1t.'d111ology can be applied on phone calls to route to call centers in any location around the i;l,>bt·.
I)c,-cloped nations have located their customer ca ll centers services in <lcvcl<,ring nJtirms a-, ~tarf anJ
otha overhead co st s are lower. With the help of Internet these calls are routed for a lo'l,er co st than in -
country calls.
Apart from the above examples of technology being employed for custom er rel at ion )hip man a bt. mc-n t,
Instant Messengers and Chat Rooms are also a similar example "'"here the potential customers are on a
Web site, the customers may ask very quick questions or concerns which they want to get addre:-,ed
before proceeding with an order.

(RM and Technology

CRM software is designed to allow the organizations for effective marketing, sales and dJtJ mana~t'mt'nt
efforts. The fundamenta l building block of the CRM technology applicat ion is the customer daub.i:-e.
This database allows the companies to store important information about their customers ::rnd rrosrects
as well. CRM software may contain information ranging from basic like contact infL1rmati0n tu J !Jr~~
set of complex information about the customers. Information generally stored by CR..\1 arrli~ations
include name, email address, telephone number, fax number, Instant messengc-r (l.~1) JJJrcss, D.lt~ of
birth, items purchased, purchase date, inquiry history, contact history, inYoice history, raymt'nt hi!>h'r~.
returns,e news letter subscription etc.

Benefits of (RM Software Systems

1) Having a CRM technology application software allows the Cl)IllrJnics lL) nun.1s1.' th..- L"tl::-tl'mt'r
and prospect databases in an efficient and effecti,·e n1Jnner.
2) The information provided by the software can be len·raged for \'.trkty l)f ruq't'S-.'S .mJ srt'l."i.1:l~
marketing. For example, you can track all the prospects who inquirt'"l Jflt)Ut ~ l, ur l'n.,Ju,:t .rn,i
can encourage them for buying decision, follow up saks c.dl cJn h-.' d,,nc.' t't"··
3) A good CRM system will allow you to access a grt'at dc.1l t,f int~~rm.1ti,,n ,1t,l~llt ~ "'llr ,:u~r\,nwrs
quickly and efficiently which was extremely i11n)t1\'l'ni1.'11t ,md time (t,nsumm~ c.n h,·r }'t H'r I"'
the introduction of technology with CRf\1.
1) CRM technology allows for building positive, ht-.dthy .uhl h,11~: h'tm "·usr,,,na 1d,1ti\'n:--h11''
.· l t:· L·tisloJ11l'l" ht·n the t'l\ll't,,,~·t'S h,l\t' h' ,,,,,!-. S!'f\·,lih i-,
by ennc ·
· experiences
· Iling o t· cac·h swg • · . •

· ·
1 l - . , •. - st'\' •t·} thit11• is ntn,· bl'llh: tlh'lltl,'tt',I .H h l t1 ,ld'.\!,f..,, .11hf
rc\o 1vc t hc quenc s o t 1c consunH. 1s •1- L " •
. I f 1 .. • ,v 1·1h H' ·'-l'l'd l,t'rl'Sl'h i111..:· ·i.:n,·,.11kl'S l'I the \\'ll~l11n,·1s
any ne gl 1gencc on t 1c part o cmp oyu:s
may invite explanation.
 4
We bs ite Pla nn ing an d
De ve lop me nt

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this chapte r, studen ts will be able lo:
r under stand the variou s types of Websi te.
,.. identif y the steps involv ed in the plann ing ~rnd dcvclo plllcn t of a wcb'.',i
te.
r under stand about the site struct ure, its releva nce and key consid
l'ratio n~.
:,... identif y the site users requir ement .
,- Know about how the stages in con tent <.kvel opmcn t and tc~ting .
... CJ

4.1 Website Planning and Development

Meaning of Website
'J\. set of pages of information on tltc internet czuout a purliculur subject, pul1lis
organizat1· on ".
hcd (Jy u sinilc pcrsun or
- 1) 1ct1011
· · ary Me,mi ng
Aweb
r · ·
site 1s
a collect ion of \,VebPagcs stored on a web serve r and these web pages
;~u~ st to the user throug
bile phones .
arc access ible on .1
h web brows er install ed on variou s device s likes deskto p, laptop , tabs
and
FacttoK
now: 111efirst websit e was built at CERN by Tim Berner s-Leea nd was launcl
,ed 011 Augus t 6, 1991.
4.2 11 Digital Mar~ecmg

Types of Websites . .. . .
. b d J ow a website is perfor111rng/rc~po11d111g like static Wl'bsil,
.· k' ds of websites asc on l • . . I . . . t.:,
111ere are va11ous m fi .. 1 it is being created Jikc business we J~lle, c-t:onimcrcc wd>si1e
d '1nmic website and the purpose or w1uc 1 . . '
bio , etc. Let us discuss the various types of website one by one. - ..
g • ( b' t' e/purpose) the websites may be dass1'1cd as:
On the basis of content o JeC iv ' .
. b • A hive website keeps a record of the contents ol one or mon.: other
I) Archive we site: n arc . ·
websites for example Internet Archive.
Z) Blog (weblog): A blog is a kind of a w~bsite typically run by ,~n indivi~lual _<~r a ~-n,1all. gr_oup
of people to present information that mtercst them and the mformat1on 1s prcscntcJ lll a
conversational style and in reverse chronological order.
3) Business website (corporate website): A business website is used to formally reprc.sent a brand
on the Internet. A business or corporate website not only serves as an information centre of
the company online but also provides access to customers, partners, clients, and potential
customers and other stakeholders. These wcbslles also play an important role in the growth and
success of the company.
4) Community website: A community website is a website that helps bring the visitors visiting
the site together using forums or another form of bulletin boards.
5) Content website and information website: A content website and information website are
the website that are created with an objective of displaying exclusive content which is related to
a specific category for example political website.
6) E-commerce website: An e-commerce (electronic commerce) website is a website that has
been created with the purpose of providing a platform for selJing online goods and services.
Amazon, Flip kart are the examples of e-commerce websites. 1he biggest advantage of these
websites are that they can be accessed at any time of the day, making the business 24x7.
An e-commerce website may be further classified as:
a) An affiliate website is a website created with the intention of selling third-party products.
b) An auction website is a website that allows other people to sell their goods or services. For
example, eBay is one of the most well -known online auction websites.
c) A classified ads website is a site that allows anyone to list goods or services, usually for
free or at a small cost. For example Craigslist, is an American classified advertisements
web~ite with division or sections that are devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted,
services, etc.
7
) Crowd funding website: Crowd funding is a popular fund raising strategy by which efforts
are made
. to raise capital in small amou n ts from a Iarge num b er of 111d1v1duals
· · · · meeting
tor ·
medical
. expenses i ica 1 campaign
. ' artistic pro;·e cts, po l't' · or a business startups. Crowd funding
651
we : es ~elps m connecting the people with lack of funds with the individuals who can mak~
contn 6ut1ons voluntarily and th h I · ••
_ . us e ps m ra1smg capital or funds for those in need. 1:or
1
examp e K1ckstarter, MyCausc, etc.
8) Gamingwcbsite:Agamingweb 51·t . ·b •· · h .
,b • E . ., e IS a we site t at present games which can be played on Lhl:
v,e site. Jxample Niche (Jamer, PC Gamer etc.
----

9) Government website: A . governmen

a local government, reg10nal
. .
t website is a websi·te th a t 1s
government , national go t
vernm en to communicat
. tc ,,r}r
• crea1ed an d cj e;,,H,ri 1
. e 0accurate
3
~ t _Jl_!_I~4~-~
m~en
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _\½:..:_::eb::.:s::it:'.e~P~l~a~n~n~in~g~a~n~d~D~e~ve~l~o!?_p~

overnment data, facts, statistics and information , to the · <Jr

me m b ers o f th e ,,enera1 pu 1.,i 1c
g
°
other stakeholders . A local government website may also be set up to h c1p prnm<, t c t <>Ufl\m · .

IO) Malicious websi~e: A malicious website is a site that attempts to install malwarc that will dhrupt
computer operatwn.' gather Y?ur personal information or, in a worst-case scenario, gain t<Jtal
access to your machme on their device. It has been set up with the inten tion of infoctiw, an<;thcr
computer or collecting personal data. For example, malware website, phishing webc,ftes.
11) News website: A news website is a site committed for giving the latest local or world news. A
news site may also be dedicated to a specific topic. For example, Indiatoday.in, ndtv.com.

=
= ~ ~ ~~
~ ~
~
~ TYPES OF Responsive
WEBSITE

Crowd
Funding

Figure 4.1

12} Personal website: A personal website is a site created by an individual that talks ab out their
personal life, family, life experiences, and so on. It is very popular now days as m an y people are
creating personal websites as a blog or using a social networking ,,,ebsite as a place to share their
experiences.
13} Educational websites: The internet or the web is nothing but a huge culmination of d ata and
information. The people are now able to connect with each other despite the physical, social
and financial barriers. These websites have a huge variety of content. Education websites are
basically used for education. They are inclusive of all forms of technology, used for res earch and
learning.
14) School website: A school website is a site that has been created to represent a school or a
college. School sites provide an overview of a school/colleg e and give unlimited inform ation
that is beneficial to students, parents and other stakeholders . All the upcoming events and other
achievement s are uploaded time to time and now a days with login credentials, concerned
students and parents can have access to unlimited information anytime such as they can review
grades, access to homework and can post queries online.
15) Search engine website: A search engine is a software system that is designed to carry out
Web searches, which means to search the world wide web in a systematic way for p ar ticular
~4!:_-4U11_!D~ig~ita~L~~f~ar~k~etJ~·n~g- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- ------....
. . .
, •ri ·<l in a textual web .<,carch query. Jn. c,tlicr wor<ls a search• engine web ~tlc
informat10n spc:c1 ic . I~
. 1, t · lc<li'cate<l to help. people .find 111format10n on the Jntcrnc:t. <1ooglc:, Ya hon 1,.
a WC b<i1tc t 1a IS ( · , ''Ilg
arc the examples of a search engine wcb~1tc.
Social networking website: Social networking website is the &itc that connects users With
I 6)
friends, family, celebrities, groups, and organ izat~om. 'J he :crvi~c is usu all r.fr~c, on the condition
that the website may collect and use the w,crs informat10n. J·acebook, 1witter, Jnstagrain are
some of the examples of social networking wcbsitc.
On the basis of response, the websites may he classified as:
I) Static \Vebsite: Static websites are wcb.i,itcs that have fixed layout s and designs an<l is typically
meant for the personal computer. 'Jhis means thc:sc website arc not user fricn<lly for example if
a user access a static website on a phone, then the user have to zoom in order to use it. 'J his type
of website is inconvenient and really uncomfortable for the user.
2) Responsive Website: A respomive website has the highest kv<:I of adaptation an c.l is well
optimized for different devices and platforms. In other words, a respon sive website will resize
and rtadjust itself as per the nature c,f device an<l provides the most mer-friendly interface. 'Jhis
kind of website is highly rcC(Jmmende<l.

Website Planning
\Vebsite planning is extremc:ly important as it can help in ensuring you produce a top-,performing
website and will also ensure saving of both time and money. A ponr website will permanently leave
a bad impression in the mind of target audience and there arc very minimal chances of bringing such
traffic to your website again. According to a survey more than 80'.Yc, of online consumers are less likely to
return to a website after having a bad experience. 'Jhcrdorc, it i'i recommended that one needs lo put lot
of efforts, patience and time to develop a website. Let U'i understand the basic steps in website planning
and development.
Steps in website planning and development:
1) Prerequisites
2) Defining the purpose and goals of website
3) Deciding budget
4) Understand your target audience and finalize keywords
5) Create a content strategy
6) Designing of blueprint and lay()ut of your w<..:l)site
7) Testing and launching of w<:bsitc
8) Maintenance
Let us <lhcw,s these steps one by one:
I) Prerequisite: For <levcl<Jping a website one need a domain name and a ser ver where one can
buy ~pace for its website. Ld us undcn,tand th ese two terms on e by one:
 __ ------------------~™:_:e~b~s~it::e!.P~la~n~n~in~g~a~nd~D~e~v~el~o~p~m~e~n~tJILIj4~-~5

A) oomain name
efers to the address of a website which is unique to every web si·t et h at means no two websites.
Itr . • h f . have the
me domam name. 1tis t e unct10n of the domain name syst (DNS) h . . . .
sa f d • D • . . em to c eek and av01d duplicity m
address w h.ich is .
. umque d kn h
th e name o a omam. omam name is similar to our postal an we ow t at
two houses have t h e same a dd ress. For example www·ebay·com • Th ere are two types o f d omam .
n0 name:
I) Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) - Th ey work as a top- 1evel domam . category in the domain
name syst e~. At present, there are 21 top-level generic domains. Few of the most popular top
level domams are:
• .net
• .edu
• .org
• .com
• .mil
• .gov

2) Country Code Top Level Domain - ccTLD: Country code top-level domain are country
specific domain names which end with country code extension like .ukfor the United Kingdom,
.in for India.
Domain name must be carefully selected as it creates an impression in the mind of traffic and also
helps in achieving the objective of search engine optimization . A website ending with .com domain
name is quite popular and easy to remember. One must consider few things while selecting the domain
name viz it must be shorter and easier to remember, pronounce and spell and must be a reflection of your
business type. (nature)
After finalizing the domain name, one has to buy it. There are many domain registrar from where
we can buy a domain name like Godaddy.co m, Namecheap. com, etc. Just visit the website as shown and
search for a perfect and unique domain name by paying a nominal amount of charges.

R
® GoDaddy· Domains Hosting Security Email & Marketing GoDaddy Pro
Cont.)Ct Us 24/7 v 13!og Hc!p S,gn In v

Find your perfect domain

iW ,com , ,w oo·

Source: GoDaddy.com official website

>.in , 14900 site , 199_00• ~ , 299.00·

Figure 4.2

B) Webhosting
After buying a d . h to buy the space on the server so that if anyone types the name of
omam name, one as .h b . ace on the server no
out uyi~gd sp f
your website in the search engine the website is visible. It means wit rvice h
o ' bh t' provi ers rom w om we can
ne can locate and reach your website. There are many we os mg se
buy ho st ing service for example Hostgator, Godaddy and etc.
4
4 ~.6~
...:.
11_.!_D~i~gi~ta~l~M~a~rk::e::ti::.:n~g_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

, ,.,1.,, · 1800-209. 9033 I 0824•28636 00

~uop,.,, 0824-6 6 14102 I 0824•286 1 556
----
Q11.\Q1. R~rt:.'ll I $_1m oo1.t , S~l'-LCl'~t I Af!Jio~tltl I 0 1011

Po we rfu l We b Ho stin g
Web Hostin g Made Easy And Afford able

..,, unmetere d Disk Space v Unmetere d Bandwidt h

..,, Lightning Fast India Serv ers ..,,,. 99.9% Uptime Guaran t ee

..,, 24x7 Technical Support v 4 5-day Money Back Guarante e

Source: HostGator official website

Figure 4.3

By clicking on get started on h ostgator, one has to choose the locatio n like India. 1hcre
arc various
plans like starter, busines s, hatchin g, baby etc., select a plan as per your require ment and
go for buy now.
This is how one may buy a space on the server.

T he most re liable Share d Web Hosti ng

--
,. -,, c_
L --

STARTER HAT CHLING BABY CUSIN!:S S

~ Elt C'1 ~Hl i ( 'I S E

· ._, <149/ mo .., :- ~2 4 9 / mo :. ~2 9 9 / mo

v v ~399 ·mu v

Source: HostGator official website

Figure 4.4
- - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _W.~e~bs~i~te~P~l~a~n~n~in~g~a~n~d~D~ev~e~l~op~m~e~n~t_!ILi
~4~-71_

C) Defining the purpose and goals of website

Bee l .
~ website is a way to reach potentia l clients and custome rs locally and around the alobe
· - . 1ore p anmng
· · d I t ·t · ...,
e,·e o men 1 1s . Yer Y 1mpor_tant to define the objectives behind developi ng a website.
the website P_ . '
for example th e obJe~tiv e behm d develop mg an e-comm erce website is to provide a platform to the
rod ucts a nd services can be done, similarly the objective of a business
consumers where sellmg of P
website is to create bra nd a_wareness and to contribu te towards expansio n and growth, and hence an
increase in profits. Ever~ kind of ~ w~bsite like an educatio nal website, a banking website, a
school
website, a blog have all differen t 0 bJectives and therefor e one needs to define the purpose of the website
de,·elopment.

D) Deciding budget
very
A professional v;ebsite requires efforts, time and money. Though website develop ment is not
expensive but a creative and professi onal webs ite requires creativit y and for which business may consider
to take help of professi onals. Therefo re, it is recomm ended that one must always set a budget for meeting
name,
website expense s ,vhich may include funds for web designin g and layout, buying a domain
program ming, and web hosting etc.

E) Understand your target audience and finalize keywords

For
Different age groups may be sensing for someth ing different and unique when they visit any website.
,
example one may visit a website fo r gaining insights about a brand i.e. merely for informa tion purpose
ral
while others may visit your website for buying a product. Underst anding your audienc e wants, behavio
pattern and expectat ions therefor e becomes very crucial and importa nt for planning your website.
It is
g the
equally importa nt for a website develop er to research keyword s for a website as it helps in achievin
search
objective of generati ng maximu m traffic to yo ur website and hence in realizing the objectiv e of
like
engine optimiza tion. Qne can take h elp of keyword planner tools to identify keyword s for a website
google ker.vord planner, keY'vord shitter and m any more.

F) Create a content strategy

and
Content is what informa tion are you produci ng through your website. The content has your voice
many
can be presente d in differen t ways like in the form of videos, images, ebooks, case studies and
goals
more. While develop ing contents for your website you must under your audience persona and
ons
behind website develop ment. Quality contents generate s lot of traffic and leads to higher conversi
market
which further provides lot of associat ed advantag es as well. Therefor e, it is always advisable to do
research before develop ing and finalizin g contents .

G) Designing of blueprint and layout of your website

A ~ood website design will always drive traffic to your website w~ere as a poorly des_igned websit_e may
dnve away t ra ffi c from your we b s1•t e perma nently· The ideal website layout must consider a user friendly
f
. .
. t h.mgs mus e e
approach · Th e fio11 owmg t b k pt in mind v,rhile dec1dmg the layout and structur e o your
Website like:
(a) make your website easy to navigate ,
 ~~.B~ll_!:Di~·g~i~ta~IN~1~ar~k~e~tin~g!___ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____
4
. d s ,fe should be sud1 as l'asy-to - rcad, .
(b) font size an t} . . k ·t ·t hpt ·ibk 011 CV{'l'Y :
d<. Vicc nnd fit on all M.. rccn types,
) use responsive design to Jll,\ c I • <. • ' .
(c . bsite lil'ht so that it loads qu1ddy,
(d) keep youn\e ~ .
d colors consistent across the wcl>s1tc, etc.
(e) keep styIes an

H) Testing and launching of website . . .

. · . , . ·bsite it is alw·1ys rccomllll'JHicJ to tc~t y<Jur wcb~Jk to avo1d any kind of
Before fina II y Iaunc 11mg a 't: ' . . . . ... c: . .
. the part of users and to ·1void lcav111g a ba<l un prcs~1on .rn case 1f 1t is not
.
1 unct10nmg
inconvemence on ~

proper)·I . \ 'arious t}'Pes of testing can be done like performance test, Joadrng test, capacity test and etc.
,. . h l . Yi
Many companies are providing testing service such as Soasta, Ncust~r, ~IC ftc no og_1es e~c. ou can
always go for re-testing and until you arc confident about the functwnmg and o_perat1~nality of your
website you must wait. You may launch the website for public accessibility after bemg satisfied from the
different tests results.

I) Maintenance
~laintaining a website is a continuous process and one must need to be very particular in maintaining a
website and updating as per the changes that are taking place in environment. v\'e must constantly check
for errors, monitoring user experience and meeting up to their expectations, ensuring content updation,
deleting outdated information which is no longer relevant are some of the aspects \•\'hich requires regular
attention.

4.2 Website Structure

What is a Website Structure?
A website structure often known as a site stru cture or website architecture means how your website
has been designed or how the various pages on your website ha\'e been connected for excellent user
experience. In other word~, it means the act ual disp lay of the n a, ·igation pb.n on your site and how
the cont~nts of your website have been organized. ·1he ,-vcbsik structure is quite important from the
perspective of user's and search engi ne optimization.

Types of Website Structure

1) Hierarchical Model Structure
This is the most popular and preferred type of website sl • •t . , ·1I11·. ·
where there is a home paoe at the t l .. . · I · I lll lllL. :-. rs alsl) 1'.n0wn as a tree structure,
'b op an<. rt 1s 1urt H.T c11l'1•nri;,, f l l t ·
F<lges and cateoories as it can be S"e . ti . , · n l l • th suo C:,lkfori1.cd into dirlerent
o '- n m 1e grvcn frgure .
 \\ ~·h-.it
• t
• 1•1 dnnmg
· rn1, I Dct•t•l,>pnwnt II 4.9

- -:r---- ·-·--··-- ----:-r

~--Y ___ - T
------.

, ,
r~)licit1s ] St, 1tistil'S Services

Highlights Lltt'$l Index &

Lnk'$l

, ,
Trnnds Information

Bffi,,1-..ing
Mt:'t'Ungs Hl,lt~$t Quick
N~\\S Lnws Inquiry
Sc ..1rclles

Acti\'ities Departmt.~nts lnterprct-1tion

Reports

Figure 4.5

2) Webbed Website Structure

In the webbed ·websitl.:' structurt:>, th1..' \\'1..'bsitc's m~1in ~1111.l sub -p;1scs ~lr1..' interlinked and connected to each
other in the form of a \\'1..'b as shc,\\·n in the strudur;1l diat,Llm bdow. 1his kind of strudure is used for
informatiYe m1J catalog b,.1sis wt'bsitcs like apparel, (L)Sml'tks l'tc. ·1h1..'l"l' is a large range of categories,
and such structure can easily supr1(1 rt ,mJ assist such dispby for the site users making convenient and
easy for them.

Source: 11 ·t'l>sty/c~11iilc:.LWII

Figure 4.6
 1
4.1 O 11 Digital Marketing

3) Tiered Website Structure

This type of struct ure is not very popu lar and is mostl y used for websi
tes that have multiple mai
subpages and where there is too much infor matio n to be share d with
the users. n and
This kind of website struc ture is mostl y used for busin esses with multi
ple subbr anche s or cate .
· n busme
like const ructio · ss prov1'd"mg servic· es 1or
c b oth comm erc1a · 1, an d res1"d entiaI constructio gones
n.
4) Hybrid Website Structure
This is mostl y prefe rred by big busin ess corpo ration s where the subpa
ges are linke d both in a hierarchical,
and seque ntial mann er for bette r user exper ience .

5) Sequential Mod el Structure

This mode l allows the user to brow se in a seque ntial mann er. In this
mode l, the user can only travel in a
forwa rd or a backw ard direc tion.
Site struc ture deals with how the conte nts are group ed, linke d and
prese nted to the visitor. Let us
under stand the impo rtanc e of website struc ture and how to struct ure
a website for increa sing its usability
and provi ding user friend ly exper ience .

Importance of Website Structure

1) Creates usability: The website struc ture has an imme nse impac
t on user's experience. In case a
visito r on your site is unabl e to locate the inform ation he or she is looki
ng for then it is obvious
that the visito r will never visit your site again. It is therefore advisable
that the website structure
shoul d be such that it is user friendly. TI1e navigation plan of your site
shoul d be so simple as to
locate any infor matio n related to the searc h query of a visitor.
2) Assis ts in SEO: A sound and clear site struct ure will definitely
lead to achieve the objective of
searc h engin e optim izatio n by impro ving your site ranki ng in search
engines. A clear layout
assists the searc h engin es in under stand ing the objective and purpo
se of your website. A well
laid struc ture serve as a guide to any search engine which furth er helps
in index ing and ranking
of your website.
3) Site structure prevents you from comp eting with yourself: There
are many occasions when
our website have simil ar blog posts. Some times because of poor
layout search engines get
confu sed and find it difficult to identi fy which post or page is more
prom inent and it happens
that you may end up in comp eting with your own conte nt for secur
ing highe r ranki ng in search
engines. But, if we develop a good intern al linkin g and hierar chica
l struct ure, such internal
comp etitio n may easily be avoided and instea d will serve as beneficial.
4) Helps in secur ing site-links: Your website layout and struc ture
not only allows you to secu_re
a highe r rank and achieve the objective of SEO but also enables to
get links for your website
which furthe r prom otes ranki ng and SEO. Sitelinks enhan ces your
brand's reputation and help
you rank bette r on search engin e result page.
 UNI Site Structure and its Designing

0 O□ □~
□
1280- 1024 pixel
1024-768 pixel
768-320 pixel
Heade r
] [ Header

□
Header

!
I Ii
Facilities
Conte nt

r===c=o=nt=e=x=t==::!
Content Content

Foote r Facilitie
I
s _ Context Context

Footer

Facilities

Footer
Source: Pinterest
Figure 4.7

Site Structure
The site struct ure is the actua l displa y of the navig ation plan on your
website and each eleme nt of your
,,·ebsite struct ure impli es a real page. By creati ng the struct ure
of your website you are creating the
na\igation and are laying the found ation on which the design of your
future site will be built. Site struct ure
is quite impo rtant as we have discu ssed above and theref ore must
be carefully planned. Site struct ure
helps your visito rs and searc h engin es to navigate your site. It make
s it easier to imple ment chanp.:'S and
preYe nts comp etina with your own conte nt as discu ssed under impor tance . Let us under stand
.
s1te structure can
b , how a
be create d.
1· Decide hierarchy
befo re developing website.
A_ "hierarchy" is simpl y a way to organ ize the inform ation in a simpl
ified way that makes sense. 1l1e
hierarchy becom es the navig ation and your URL struct ure.
\\nile decid ing the hiera rchic al struct ure, one must keep in mind the
following points.
• Create logic al hiera rchy- Let it be simpl e for the users and crawl
· ers to under stand ensuring_e.1(!1
• I t
~am categ ory to be uniqu e and each subca tegor y to 1 e a e O t the main cate 0 ory undt'r wh1ch 1t
.:,
is located.
 ~~.l!2~
11 ~D~ig~it~al~~~fa~r~ke~ti~n~g_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _______
4
. b f main categories between two and seven. 1hcre should be (,nJy ,
• Restrict the num er o . a iew
main things to make it more orgamzed.
umber of subcategories within each category.
• Try to bal ance the n
of subcategories within each category even and balanced. For Jn~tancc ·r
Try to keep th e nu mber . . . . ,1
. t has ten subcategones while another mam category has only two subcategones thi·
one mam ca egory ' ~
,,·ill seem to be unbalanced and will look bad.
Remember, a site hierarchy is the beginning point for an outstanding site structure.

2. Make a URL structure that goes with your navigation hierarchy.

l}RL is again a yery important element of a site structure. The URL structure follows your hierarchy and
v.ill be organized according to your site hierarchy. It means that your URLs will have real words and
appropriate kepvord coverage.

3. Create your site navigation in HTML or CSS.

When you create your navigation, keep the coding simple. HTML and CSS are your safest approach. The
Hypertext :Markup Language and Cascading Style Sheets are two of the core technologies for building
\Veb pages where HTML provides for the structure of the page and CSS the visual and receptor layout,
for a variety of devices. Coding in JaYaScript, Flash may limit the crawler's ability to cover your site's well-
thought-out navigation and hierarchy.

4. Design a shallow depth navigation structure.

The navigation structure follows site hierarchy. One must ensure that the important pages are not buried
too deep within the site which may become difficult in locating. Therefore, it is believed that shallow sites
work better, both from a user's and crawler's perspective.

5. Develop a header to lists main navigation pages.

Your top header should list out your main pages. The website menu is the most common aid for
navigation on your website. The main categories on your site should all have a place in the menu on your
homepage. By adding any other menu elements other than the main categories can become distracting
and unnecessary. Text links with appropriate anchors provide for the strongest form of SEO and therefore
they are recommended.

6. Create a comprehensive internal linking structure.

Internal linkjng allows users to navigate a ,.,·ebsite, to establish information hierarchy for the given
website and enhance ranking power around websites.
Every page of your website should have some link to and some linkfrom another page on the website.
Your navigation should accomplish internal linking to the main categories and subcategory pages.
Internal linking tells the search engines what pages are important and how to reach there.
The best time to create a strong site stricture is before one creates a website. There are so many things
to keep in mind ·when optimizing your site for search engines.
 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____:Wi:e'.:b~s~i~te:..'.P~l~a~~-~~~~~~~~ll_~~
---- - nnmg and Development 11 4.13

Some useful tips before creating and finalising the website structure:
• Proper planning: Various tools like 'Visual Sitema , t
structure and layout. Visit such tools to have bette. p <loo 1 can_ be used for planning the site
un erstandmg on
the bevinning of development the site map diagrainI all f · dl
user nen Y1ayouts. At
o
to estimate its scale and to work out errors. ows you to 1ook 'do ' •
wn upon your proJect,
• Visiting Competitor's site: One must pay due attention th . .
. dh I . · • on e competitors site structure as well.
This woul e p you m gettmg more appropriate ideas on the la t d ·11 I .
- "d you an wi a so save your time
and efforts as one can avoi unnecessary mistakes.
• Understand. .your Target Audience: It is very important to underst d th
. an e au d1ence
' persona
before finahzmg the .site structure
. . and layout to prOJnote better us er experience.
· A researc h must
be conducted to get mto the msights about user's requirement.
• Marketing is impossi~le without great content: Regardless of any marketing tactics a business
apply, content market!ng must be the part of your marketing process. Quality content is a part
of all forms of marketmg. Content should be carefully planned, keeping in mind the goals of the
website, users requirement and other related aspect.
• User Flows: It is difficult to imagine that the main page is the only entry point of your website.
The User Flow design tool allows you to consider different website entry points, highlighting the
shortcomings that the user may encounter. It is important to implement a User Flow Diagram to
evaluate the interaction experience.
Once you have completed all the preparatory work, you are now ready to build the structure of your
website. The most popular form is the creation of a 'Visual Sitemap'. A Visual Sitemap allows to define the
hierarchy of the web pages clearly and accurately. When creating the website structure, it is important to
understand that the page hierarchy is determined by the importance of the links.

4.3 Understanding Si_te user Requirement

Website users refers to all those web users who visit your website. Website user is also known as web
traffic and is measured in visits, often known as "sessions;' and is a popular way to measure an online
business effectiveness. It is believed that if you are successful in meeting the expectations of users then
you will have large visitors on your website which in turn will offer various benefits.
Your website is indeed a magnet for forming an opinion-and this opinion isn't restricted to the
website itself, rather it would result in forming an opinion about the the compa_n~ as a ~hole. A poorly
designed website can damage a company's credibility significantly and therefore it ~s very im~ortant for a
b~siness to understand user's requirement from a website an~ to develop tI:e w~bs1te accordingly. A user
fne n<lly website can result in increasing its influence and a higher conversion iates.

User's Requirement
Diffe . S ccess on the Web comes when a company
d rent types of users can be found exploring your website .. u d b d loping a website that meets
un erstands the expectations of people that visit their website an y eve
~:_!.lj~ll!_IED~ig~it~al~M~a~r~ke~ti~·n?,_g _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____
4 4
. . h in improving usability and helps in achieving the objective of a websit
user requirements. This e1ps e.
. k. d of user's requirements can be:
Tue yanous m
Mobile Friendly
Website

Engaging Visuals

\ i I Loading Speed

~ Complete Information
Quality Content - . _ User's
Requirement

Contact Page / ~ Navigation

I \
CTA's Colou r and
Contrast

Figu re 4 .8

I) :Mobile friendly website: It is projected that in India by the end of 2023, 500 million smartphone
users out of 875.38 smart phone users will have access to the internet via mobile phones
(source: statista). 57% of internet users prefer a website that is mobile friendly and therefore the
companies must plan and develop a highly responsive website which adjusts according to the
screen size of any device like laptop, desktop, mobile, tab and any other.
2) Loading speed: Web users expect your site to load at lightning speed on any kind of device.
Half of the users prefer those websites where the loading speed is high, as high as two to three
seconds and abandon those website where the loading time is more than three seconds. By
increasing your website speed one can increase conversions and search engine rankings, that's
why it's one of the popular way for website optimization techniques. Poor performing websites
can be a very major issue at times and you may loose potential customers. Low speed leaves
majority of visitors to your website highly disappointed.
3) Complete information: When site users land on your page, they want to get detailed
information to arrive at a decision. Insufficient and incomplete information may create doubts
in the mind of users and may leave a bad impression.
4) Navigation: vVhen a user lands on a website, they often look to the n:ivigation bar to orient
themselves with the page. The navigation bar is essential because it allows the site visitor
throughout their visit on your site and serves as a tool to go back to the landing page. Your
website's navigation structure has an immense impact on conversions, sales, and bounce rates. If
a user can't figure out where to find what they \Vant, they'll leave a website and no one wants the
user to do so. Therefore, users expectations with respect to clarity, hierarchical website navigations
should be planned that allows them to find what they want instantly should be designed.
S) Color and contrast: As per users color and contrast of your website also matters and therefore
one must carefully select an attractiYe and appealing combinations of colour for a website. It
 must be soothing to the e yes <>f th e users and alsc tr . d b
does your color need tu make sense fo r our brand > mus .:.r.i1 e:autv to ,-r 1 - b =t ,. 1
, : nr \4.t sl.e .. ,c;t •J--:.• y
Y • but
and text also nee d to be p c r1 ect so that the usc:r can rcr :i the
c crmtra~t bc:t\..-c:c:n tl-1 e b~ rkr•rr -, - ~
. ~ . _. h. · . a.'- t:: Jc.:., .....
. 1
c1c ext E:<1s1 1y \'> 1t cJut anv d1ffiru~t-.-.
6) CTAs: Site users who decide to pe rform any acti<Jn cm vour . . b'=t . h , ~ . ,
k h , v,e )1 e sue 1 a::. rc:g1str2.t10n, bt.:·.-m~
or any other must now ow to take the next ste:p Call tr act" 1- c d b . · ,. .
I v · ., > JcJn 1uert1ore nee s to e s1IT.p1e
and easy to ocate. 1ou mu ~t add ap propriate erA butte n w·th l b f, -
• d • ., J 1 easy a E:1 (Jr a11o~·:mg users to
perform t h e des1re action .
7) Contact page: Appro~imatc:l y S l % of the people belitve that c0mplete contact informatiGn is
someth i~g many ~ cb 5 itcs a re mis_sing. rJhcrc:forc as per users the \•,E:bsite must provide complete
con tact inform ation such as registered office addrcr:,s, trnail, UJntact number, customer care
number, toll free numb er, li ve ch at option etc. 'Jhis information promcJtes credibility and trust
among site u ser.
8) Great content: Use rs arc always interested in information that is timely, appropriate, rele;,-2.nt,
complete and appeali n g. All the content on your site should be customized accor<lir.g to your user.
Content helps in creat ing brand awareness, maintaining long-term relationships with the llsers
and in acquiring n ew cuslomers. If planned and executed carefully, content will boost the trc1ffic
to your business website, increase the social follmving and e\·en force out market competition.
9) Engaging visuals: User s not only expect your site to include quality content but must also
features a range o f vis u al information. Videos, images, infographics and photos can be used
with text to ensu re u sers satisfaction and engagement. ~ow a days the aYerage time span has
significantly dropp ed to 3-4 seconds, so your website must ensure to appeal the mer Kithin
such a short span o f t ime.
Beside the ab ove exp ectati ons of a user, users also expects from you to regularly update your website,
font size should b e appropri ate an d one must keep a regular interaction and collect feedback on ,,-hat all
improvements can b e done on a website.

Methods to Determine Site users Requirement

There are various methods that can be employed to know about site us ers requ irement. Let us now
discuss some of the most common method s to find out users requirement.
. survey 1s
1) Survey: A n on1me · on e of the best easy and quick way to collect the users response.
• . th
• b k d
lbe questions to e as e nee d to be carefully planned and selected m order to ensure e
th d f h
"bl t It is also recommended to give a space at e en o t e sun·ey
coverage f o every poss1 e aspec · d • h· th t
the user can add additional inputs in case if they wish. By omg t is we can ens~~e a
b . d t will be covered in this way. Also ask the part1apants
in case has cen mh isse o~ h surveys in future. There are many survey tools that
iheir willingness to be t e part O sue
considered such as:
k m / _ easy to set up, but h as no mo bil e sun·ey
onkey: http:/ /www.surveymo n ey.co

http://www.surv ey-me.eo.uk/. . bl ·h none needs to collect a rich insight.

. ffiine) is smta ew e ..
hcus group (on1me or O d. . be.,veen a number of participants
t a 1scuss10n ~•
• focus group is to genera e
4.16 II Di~iwl r.forkcting

,\lhl uultkl' ~,nl' h)-\'lll' inll•ryicw, fr.Kus groups ~low membe rs of a group to interact·... :::.-., _
,\lwllwr .md intluc1Kl' l',h:h other. It is n~ry beneficial to pro,·ide an initial hands-on tt:~::-_z;/
J'l\,t\)t) "l'l' \)f yt)Ur app, website or tool and to collect user stories.
- ,. ~
.,) n,.,q·study: A '-li,ny study .illows users to try out a prototype interface in their o,•.-n pref:::•,...
tinll..' and ''-'(ati'-ms where they often use their mobile de,ice. In order to get adequate fee:!.:~·=·,◄
it is rt:(1)mmcn,kd to s~nd users n~gular remind ers to use the interface and make the fr:ec:,:~
l'l\'l'l'SS quii.:k. lhc various ft>cdb,Kk techniq ues can include mobile -optjmi
sed feedback fo~
link to a nh.'bik survey rroYiding a phone numbe r where participants can call to reco:d \\:,t~
frcdb,1(k ,·i.i vokcm,,il etc
-t) User stories: Usa stories technique is used as a part of fast and acth·e de,·elopment 2.,.c!
a:t
suitc,J f1)r providing direction to development being completed in a short tin1esa!e K~:.1
f.t
intention. to deYdop further iterations and enhancements. Here selected users 2.re asked to
fJ
in the blanks in a statement that prO\ides information such as what type of user d-1ey are, ,\·:2-:
they want to be able to do throug h their mobile interface and why?
5) Interviews: 'lhis is a method where one meets with rarticipants or may contact
te!epr.o;)i(L:,-
onc-on -onc basis and discuss in depth what the participant thinks about the topic in qi:estic:
--..
Such a method could be very tiring and time consuming.
6) Eyctr.u:king: In this method, an eyetracking device is configured to precisely monito
r Kl::c:-~
particir ants look as they perform tasks or interact naturally with websitc~-5, 2pplie2.tioru, p::ysiC2.!
products, or environments. 1his is the best way to identify which corner is mostly preferred
l:y
the users and such space can be best explored for gaining max.imum benefit

Techniques for validating and refining user's requirement:

Ancr collecting the feedback from the users on various inputs, the ne:x."t step is to analyse the
inputs in
depth and take appropriate action. A numbe r of useful techniques can be employed in the
process cf
vi.llkbting and refining user requirements such as:
l) Brainstorming: It is a group creativity technique where efforts are made to arriw
at a
conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by the
kam members. All the ideas are noted down ";thou t criticism and later on at the end, the ideas
are evalu.1tt?J.
2) Card sorting is a technique employed for uncovering the hierarchical structu
re in a set of
concepts where users are asked to group items that are written on indi\idual cards. Card
sorting allows you to design an information architecture, workflow, menu structure or website
navigation paths.
3) Affinity diagram ming is a technique that can be used for coordinating the structur
e of a new
system. 1his te(hnique allows participants to work as a group. Designers or users ,,Tite do"11
items on sticky notes and then arrange the notes by grouping them. Affinity diagrams are oftc?n
consiJercd as good next !)tcp after a brainstorming session.
4) Storyboards, also called presentation scenarios, are sequences of images that show
the_
rdation!,hip between users action and system outputs. A storybo.ird contains a number of
im,1gcs of fl·atures like menus, dialogue boxes etc.
 Website Planning and Developm<?nt 11 4.17

Apar t from the. above discussed. methods there ar O th

' e er ways a1so that allows for the process of
·d •
vah ating and refinmg users
. reqmrements. Once this exe · · over, a 11 t11e mputs
.
. rcise is are then incorpnr.1kd
.
in a site to ensure a website
. to be user friendly and lea 1 bl d . . cxpcncncc
.
. . ves a P easura e an ennchmg in the
minds of users that dnves them to v1s1t your website again and again.

4.4 Developing and Testing Content

Content development is on~ of the n1 ost important and crucial step for ensuring the online presence and
getting more leads conversions. For ensuring success in content development, you must create content
according to the ne~ds and goals of the overall marketing strategy.
For most of the businesses, producing great content on a regular basis is a big challenge. 64% of the
marketers believe that building a scalable content strategy is one of the biggest challenge before them.
(Content Marketing Institute).

Stages in Content Development

To develop the conterits, one may follow the following steps:
1) Defining Goals: The process of content development begins with defining goals that we want
to achieve with our content and that could be driving more traffic, generating leads, increasing
lead conversions or boosting brand awareness etc.
2) Identifying the Target Audience: The next step must be to know and understand the audience
persona for whom we are creating content like the demographic and psychographic details of
our target audience, preferences, pain points, where do they spend their time online most?,
what persuades their buying decisions? etc.
3) Keyword Research: The next step is to find out the most preferred keywords for a business.
This is extremely important to identify and select the keywords as it is the keywords only that
would help your business to appear in maximum searches on search engines. There are various
keyword planner tools as well that can be used to finalize the keyword for our business like
google keyword planner, keyword shitter and many more.
4) Outline Preparation: The next step after defining the topic and identifying the target audience
and keywords is to prepare the outline of content. This step is very i~nportant as it helps ~n
keeping your contents more organized and will also ensure that the piece of content flows 111
a logical manner. It is equally important when the organiz~tion is planning to outsource the
content development. Outline of content includes the followmg heads:
• The topic including the main and sub headings.
• The target audience.
• Content length. • •
• F • . . .k r · type line spacing, colour contrast and combmat10n,
ormattmg gmdelmes 11 e 1ont size, ,
etc.
• Use of multimedia like images, videos, graphics etc
4.18 II Digital ~farketing 1
Content Testing
''Con tent testing" refers to the prac tice of tes~ing
whe ther or not your cont ent is suitable for the
audk iKe for who m the cont ents have been desig ned
and whe ther or not they are able to understand
and com preh end it. For good cont ent, testi ng it is very
impo rtan t to know your audi ence as we have
discussed above.
Usability, readability and understanding of contents is very
important from both audience and business
persp ecti,·e and is influenced by the choice of words, length
of sentences, grammar, and sentence structure,
etc. TI1erefore in cont ent testi ng more atten tion is assig ned
to the way how the cont ent developer has
desig ned and expr essed the cont ents.
Con tent testi ng can be appl ied at diffe rent stages like prio
r to official relea se of cont ent, after the release
of cont ent and duri ng the deve lopm ent stage of cont
ent. This is not a one time proc ess and therefore it
is reco mme nded that cont ent testi ng shou ld be perf
orme d regu larly to mon itor the effectiveness and
efficiency of cont ent at all time .

What to test in Content Testing?

The aspe cts like readability, navi gatio n, usability, unde
rstan dabl y, spee d etc are to be teste d. Let us discuss
these aspe cts one by one:
Che ck Readability Score: A read abili ty score is a com pute
r-cal cula ted inde x that tells you what level
of basic educ ation som eone will requ ire to read a piece
of text easily. It uses tried and teste d readability
form ulas to analy se the read abili ty of a website or cont
ent/t ext and also reco mme nd ways to improve it.
A read abili ty score of 8 or more is prefe rred that indic
ates that your cont ent is read able by 85% of the
gene ral public. The facto rs that are generally used for
read abili ty scor ing are:
• Average sente nce leng th
• Syllable coun t
• Perc entag e of mult i-syl lable word s
• Average word leng th
• Fam iliari ty of word s
• Com plex ity of sente nces
This can be a quick, easy, and chea p way to estim ate
whe ther a text will be difficult or not for the
inten ded audience.
Perform Usability Test: It refers to the meth od of testi
ng wher e it is teste d that whet her people are
able to unde rstan d your cont ent and .how do they inter
pret it? This test checks:
• Iden tify the issues that are critical to users and the busin
ess.
• Crea te tasks that test user know ledg e of these issues.
• Tell parti cipa nts that they 're not bein g tested; the cont
ent is.
 Check Navigability
. blt
Nav1ga 11 y tell s how eas y. .it . is .fo .r a use.r to nw
~ How hub and spoke apprna ch tm bui.ld mg '. il'~'·.tt 1., ti \ t , l,l)l\ 1t .nt wit• 1I l'.IM' , 111 yu
111 \\'1•!1:-. 11\'. ( \111• 111.1y
naviga tH,n rn 111l' ui' n wrh si k wh c1"t' tl
p:ge and lots of "s?oke" pages t~at ~in wrl ' is 111\1' sl nr l • "l1t1 li"
k ~o lhc hub pag1.'. O,w mu st l l111si
checking the effectiveness of nav1gat10 dn till· l~11l,1wlt1i•. 11:1~ 1\l -; 1111
n like me asu re th1.· rn1mlw r uf p;1!',L'S
find out how visitors progress fro m page tk1t 11 s,· 1s ,·i:-.i t prr :-. it,· vi~it.
to page on ynu r sill' .1 11d Ii nd 11111 wh il
exit your site from . h l'" l',t'S \' isi t111 s 11 111~.1Pl tn 1
Promote Understandably usi ng Clo
1,c Test: A cln 'lc k st rcn111w s r nl.li11
your text and asks users to ~11 in the mis wurd s l'n1111 ,1 s.111'1 11,· 111'
sin g words. Your kst partit"ip.111t s 11111
as their prior knowledge of the subjec st rd y 1111 tlic l'1111k xt .,s w,·11
t to identify the tkk tcd w11nls. It 's bas
closure-where the bra in trie s to fill in ed tlll till' ( ;l•:-. t.dt tlH·11 q 111' 1
mis sin g pie ces- and appli1.· s it to wri
tll'n to .I. I krr's l1, 1w 111 d11 it :
• Take a sample of tex t- abo ut 125
-25 0 words .
• Remove every fifth word, replacing
it with a blank spa ce.
• Ask par tici pan ts to fill in eac h spa
ce with the word thq, think w.,s n·nHi
w d.
• Score the answers by cou nti ng the
numl)('r of cor rcL"t ans wn s and di vidi
num ber of bla nks . 11g tli .1 1 11)' tht· t,it.d
A score of 60% or bet ter ind ica tes the
text is appropriall' fo r the ,1udil'll l'l'.
40-60%, will have som e difficulty und l\ 1rt i,.: ip ,rnt s wliu Sl 01 \·
ers tan din g the ori ginal ll.·x t and a scu
the text will irritate the readers and hen r1.• ol' k ss t ha11 -10 1!:, 111 l·;111 s t h.11
ce sho uld be rewritten .

Check User's Accessibility

Accessibility considers tec hni cal aspect
s of you r site as it c11surc s that vvhetlw
is accessible or not which in tur n dep end r your co11knt ;111d \,Vl' hsi k
s on SEO. Your site and conll'nl acc 1.' ssih
of factors like num ber of ind exe d pag ility dcpc11ds on 1111111h l' r
es by search engine , number of h,IL'k
links to you r sik t· ll·.

Monitor Speed
It is very imp ort ant to check the spe
ed with which your conll'nt ran be
is more, than the chances of user's lea acl'csscd . If the loadin g tin1 1.•
ving you r site without reading the ron
desirable action will increase. Therefo ll'nt s a11d pcrl',,n11i11 u ,111 y
re, it is very imp ort ant to che d, the loa
the web pages and con ten ts loa d quickl ding ti1111.• and to rn sur r th .it
y by ens uri ng the size of fik, response
t i1111.• rt e

Monitor user experience

User experience (UX) matters a lot. It
is very imp ort ant o mo nito r user's l'llW
Your brand If I ion s or all it.udt:s _ 1nw; 11 d
b .
. your we site h as a poo r us-ci· .,,xn cril 'ncc th ·tt
. r ' may be becau se you r co111l'11 t 1s dill1Ltilt tn
understand, navigation issues, poo r des .
ign, etc ., it may leave a bad user l'XJ Wl'I
DX test· L'llt T. . .
mg ama1gamate wit. h a van•.e t y o f oth er tyncs of con knt tt·sts such as pag
· r e Vtl' W S, I 11n c 011 -
Page, bounce rate, and conversion etc.
4.20 11 Digital Marketing

Perform A/B Testing

This type of content testing is very popular. This can be performed by sharing two different versions of
the same text and track engagement on each one to determine which copy is more appealing to your
target audience.
There are various tools that can be used for content testing like Yoast, Google Search Console,
hotjar, etc.

Benefits of Content Testing

1) By testing contents one can improve user engagement.
2) One can incorporate improvements in the content to make it more accessible, understandable.
3) One can also significantly reduce the bounce rates as users are going to like your contents, will
find them appealing and useful and will prefer spending time on your website and thus would
generate leads.
4) Content testing contributes in increasing satisfaction level of users and hence will contribute in
increasing sales and revenue.
 5
Integra ted Interne t Marl<e ting
Conini unicat ion

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
► understand the concept of marketing communication and the various elements of
marketing communication .
► understand the meaning of integrated marketing communication and its types.
► identify the various challenges in IMC.
► understand the idea of interactive marketing and its types.
► know the various tools to measure the integrated marketing efforts of the business.

5.1 Marketing Communication

~;rketing Communication refers to the various practices adopted by the organizations to communicate
;.tohrmation
1 the
about the products and the services they offer, either directly or indirectly to the customers
purpose to persuade them to purchase.
and In ot_her Words, the various tools adopted by the companies to share the information about the goods
Pur shervices to the customers with the sole objective of persuading them for the desired action that is
c ase refi
ers to marketing communication.
For this p urpose, the marketer uses different too I f
awar s o mark etmg· commumcat10n. . to create b rand
eness among the customers and potential customers and to influence their purchase decision.
 5.2 ll Dii~ital Mark eting

Elements of Marketing Communication

.'A<11vding <JJ1nmunication includ e_s intera ctive mar~ eting~ adver
tising : publi c rda'.io ns ~Hhl pub\icitv,
';:;!h ,,,, 1n,,tirJn, event s and expen enc~s
1 (~pon sorsh1 p), direc t mark etmg , ":on.l -ot-rnnuth marketing,
p<:r~, 1 n;,I •,dlin g. TI--1e<;e tools of comm unica tion are toget her terme
d as Marketing Comm unication Mix,

Interactive Marketing

t
Personal Selling ~

Mark eting
Com muni catio n
Mix
Direct Marketing ¥ Public Relations
and Publicity
t
Sales Promotion

Figure 5.1
f nttra<-tivc Marketing: Intera ctive mark eting refers to one to one
m arketi ng process which reads
.,_nd ,J1~rng<:<; ace<>rding to the action s of individual custo mers and
prosp ects. It refers to trigge r based
Jn;jrh:ting which i<; much more effective than the tradit ional form of
mark eting .
Advcrti<;in g: Adve rtisin g refers to the techn ique used to create aware
ness about produ cts, servic es,
,Jpini,1n<i, t() publi c for the purpo se of convi ncing the publi c to react
in a certai n way tm,va rd what is being
,j<l vc:rt i<,(;<l.
Publi c Rd ation s and Publicity: PR refers to the mana geme nt of relati
onshi ps and comm unication to
cn:o.t<: ~~<><><lwill and mutu al unde rstand ing betwe en the organ izatio
n and its publi c. A major component
,,f pu! Jlic rdati o n<, is publicit y which refers to the proce ss of
comm unica ting about a produ ct, service or
an <1rg;rni1,a.tion by placin g of news about it in the m edia witho ut
payin g anyth ing for the time and space
diru.tly.
'>ale., l'rom oOon: Sales pro motio n is a mark eting strate gy where
a busin ess uses short -term
c,1np;,iiv,n\ tc, cr<:atc inkrc ~t an d dema nd for a produ ct, servic
e or other offers . In other words, it aims to
•,1i111uL.1.tc the <lunan<l of a partic ular produ ct and increa se brand
aware ness.
Di red Marketing : Direc t m arketi ng is a kind of mark eting camp
aign with the objec tive of initi.1t '. n~
a Jj(·r•,onal n.: latio111ihip betwe en the custo mer and the mark eting
organ izatio n. Unde r such market in_~
'- an 11)aii_~11, tl1c 1narkcting organ izatio n comm unica tes direct ly with
the pre-s electe d segm ent of cu stonH'l ~
1liu,1 ii l1 one or more mark eting ch annels.
1
ll