Digital Marketing Fundamentals

CHAPTER 7Conversion Optimization

By Kim Krause Berg

I dialed up the Internet for the first time in 1995 to see what the fuss was about and was introduced to two surprises. One was email. The other was communities of people. In one instant, the entire world was at my fingertips, and I wanted to know more about everyone with a keyboard. I dove into the web headfirst before I knew how to swim. This helped me learn that communication is vital. So is trust. And no ALL CAPS.

My first job was building and promoting websites for a magazine publisher back in 1997. This was when search engines and directories were so numerous that it became its own field, called search engine optimization (SEO).

I founded an online community in 1998 for web designers and SEOs, which is how I learned the importance of understanding website user experiences from many countries.

Communication with people around the world became a new skill. Australians will tell you like it is. The United Kingdom can be counted on for wry humor. Americans were boring but learned quickly.

Everyone saw the potential to generate revenue from their kitchen table.

The Internet provided new opportunities for businesses to expand their reach and small businesses to launch. Imagine two teams meeting on a large football field. The corporation with a staff of web designers, content writers, and graphic designers building online empires were ready with data and skills on one side of the field.

And then there was the rest of us. Same ...