42 Rules for a Web Presence that Wins by Philippa Gamse is a slender tome that gets right to the point on developing practical web site strategy. Targeted primarily to the SMB market, I think there’s a lot in the book that larger organizations, as well as non-profit and government web site managers could very well be reminded of when it comes to web site management best practices. Specifically, as my paraphrasing of Philippa puts it:
- 95 percent of web presences leave money on the table, and usually the owner has no idea.
- Most websites fail to make the emotional connections with visitors who are crucial to creating and sustaining meaningful…and profitable…online relationships.
Having been working in the internet space since 1991, Philippa knows what she’s talking about and has a great historical perspective that transcends “flavor of the day” points of view that tend to proliferate in the online world.
What I like about Philippa’s point of view as a web strategist is that she is really focused on the bottom line and results, so she’s a natural fan of digital analytics, dedicating an entire section of her book to “Measuring Results.” Not only is she an advocate for using analytics, she continually and consistently ties it back to deriving intelligence that can be acted on. I can think of more than a few digital analytics managers who could use some of what’s here for ammunition to use for convincing stakeholders and senior leadership that there’s more to life than high level traffic reporting.
You can find out more about 42 Rules for a Web Presence that Wins or order the book from Philippa’s site Websites that Win International. I definitely think you should check it out.
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