VISABILITY ON THE INTERNET AND VISTORS STATISTICS

The aim for the module

This module contains training material on how to make your exhibitions visible on the Internet and how to measure the outcome of that effort.

The models DigitalExtra present in this document are first and foremost intended for participants on course on basic level but can of course also be used for other purposes. The target group is small or medium sized cultural institutions.

Search engine optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site. SEO is used in Internet Marketing.

Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

IP adress

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication between its nodes. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.

Its role has been characterized as follows: "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to get there." You can find the name of a web page through their IP address and reverse. The IP address is the base for production of visitor statistics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address

Website traffic

Measuring website traffic (statistics on number of visitors) is a tool to gain insight to marketing effectiveness.

Search engines

The main search engines are Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and Ask.com.

Ranking among the largest search engines:

• Google (78.4%) • Yahoo!Search (7.16%) • Bing (3.17%)

It is recommendable to top Google and Yahoo search results lists!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_search_engine

Domain name

URL/Website address

http://www.smalltownmuseet.comand/or http://www.smalltownmuseet.se

Domain name

www.smalltownmuseet.com and/or www.smalltownmuseet.se

IP-number "nn.nnn.nnn.nnn" 

is a number that matches www.smalltownmuseet.com and/or www.smalltownmuseet.se

Domain nameURL/Website address

http://www.smalltownmuseum.comand/or http://www.smalltownmuseum.se

Domain name

www.smalltownmuseum.com and/or www.smalltownmuseum.seand/orwww.smalltownmuseum.mus

There are several domains. .com is probably the most common, but each country also has its own domain for example .co.uk, .se,. it,. de. There is also a domain especially for museums . mus

Domain name

To be visible on the Internet we recommend that you:

1. Get a simple domain name which your visitors remember!

2. Include keywords on all different web pages of your exhibition so each page gets high up on the hit lists.

3. Insert your www address on invoices, business cards, correspondence paper, etc. so it gets known.

Guidelines

Before you publish we recommend that you to study Google’s guidelines for Webmasters. Following three videos on Discoverablility/Cawling and Indexing/Ranking are very helpful.

Discoverablility tutorial:http://www.youtube.com/googlewebmasterhelp#p/a/B52807846359D2EA/0/Gl3fyqJ6whY

Cawling and Indexing tutorial:http://www.youtube.com/googlewebmasterhelp#p/a/B52807846359D2EA/1/GEbS0a2JcAo

Ranking tutorial:http://www.youtube.com/googlewebmasterhelp#p/a/B52807846359D2EA/2/H6QRv_bCzEI

Register on search engines

Now it is time for you to register on search engines (at Google and Yahoo) in order to follow up on the number of visitors to your exhibition.

You cannot afford not to be registered as a large number of all visits on a web page goes via search engines.

Google:http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl

Yahoo: http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/trafficquality/tips_tools.php#2

Register on search engines

The easiest way to measure visitors at your on-line exhibition is by using Google Analytics.

The service provides you with statistics on your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. A video about how to register and what you will gain is available on: http://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/analytics/tour.html

  When measuring visitors be aware of that some people opt out and you therefore don’t get statistics on all visitors.

Follow up- And act on the information

Measuring visitors is an effective tool for information on the outcome of your exhibition. This type of information is also important in in the management of a cultural institution. In many cases funding is linked to visitor statistics.

Measuring visitors is a way to study the achievements and outcome of the institutions work and to give feedback to funding and other regulating bodies.

Visitor statistics and Visitor Surveys

Measuring visitor statistics can be enhanced by using a digital survey program coupled to your exhibition.

Digital surveys are usually used in market research, planning and business strategy. Services include measuring and tracking performance, customer feedback, conducting market research for new products and services, online and digital surveys.

Questions

What is your institution’s policy for measuring visitors to a physical exhibition?

Does your institution have a policy for measuring visitors to a virtual exhibition?