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Web Credibility 101: Execs Shouldn't Hide Their Identities

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Web Credibility 101 Execs Shouldnt Hide Their Identities

...and call center employees shouldn't supervise ad campaigns. Since this company just contacted me by accident trying to reach either Google or Overture, now I get to trash their website. In the interests of self-preservation I'll keep it anonymous, though. I should begin by mentioning that the entire site, including the flat text, is in flash. Apparently, if you leave the site running and go downstairs for a muffin, when you return, you'll have traveled back in time! (Cryptic reference to the line of business this company's in.) How's this for an "About Us" page? "_____ Advisors was founded by industry experts to protect the interests of [well-heeled clients]. We have implemented a comprehensive collection of services to... " Hang on a minute! Who the @#%$! is "we"? If you're going to be helping other execs manage their multimillion dollar expense, it really would be nice to know who you are. The contact us page is, no surprise, a pop-up form that discloses nothing. And oh, the testimonials. "I saved thousands in commissions, with a simple phone call." - D.B., Palm Beach, FL. Well, if D.B. says so... So other than the fact that the site lacks usability, credibility, and search engine indexability, and that employees call third-party consultants when they're trying to reach Google, it's plain that ____ Advisors is really maximizing its web marketing resources. If I were a prospective customer, I'd probably want to look for one of their competitors. Which would be sad if ____ Advisors is really a great company. You just wouldn't know it from their website. Andrew Goodman is Principal of Page Zero Media, a marketing consultancy which focuses on maximizing clients' paid search marketing campaigns.

In 1999 Andrew co-founded Traffick.com, an acclaimed "guide to portals" which foresaw the rise of trends such as paid search and semantic analysis.

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