I bought a computer this weekend from Office Depot. Not a high end one, but one I’m quite satisfied with - so much so I was going to recommend it to my readers, since the deal is on for another 2 weeks.

And of course if I’m going to link to the site, why not use a commission link? So I logged into Linkshare, went to Office Depot, and applied - only to read this:

This merchant has established certain criteria for affiliates applying to their program. Unfortunately, your site does not meet one or more of these criteria. For more specific approval information, please refer to the merchant’s application criteria.

Now, they can phrase it as politely as they wish, but the fact is this: they don’t consider me ‘good’ enough to belong to their group. And apparently, while I can work for free, my goodwill is not worth actual cash.

And I realized something else - even as impersonal and businesslike as all this is, it STILL annoys me.

And I bet it annoys other people.

And more importantly, Office Depot lost a glowing testimonial.

Because instead of my planned post, going into detail on my purchase, all the effort I went into picking it and why it was the ‘best’ for what I wanted, now I don’t feel like sending Office Depot the business.

Instead, I’m now posting about online snubs, and how filtering whether a poster is good enough is a risky proposition for any business.

Because while it won’t affect my shopping habits, at least in my case they traded a positive post for a negative one.

And they are also stating that my readership isn’t worth advertising to as well.

In the end, filtering out people is bad business. Quite frankly, I would accept everyone into an affiliate program for just this reason - because annoying people is worse than having useless affiliate members not doing much business for you.

Especially if you’re using a third party site like Linkshare or Commission Junction (where the managing is handled for you), it’s really a no-brainer to accept everybody and anybody.

After all, even if my not-quite-good-enough can get you a sale, it IS a sale, right?

It’s that time of year for me - time to renew the insurance…

And despite the popularity of online insurance brokers, there’s one small problem - I’m in Canada.

It’s odd, but most of the places that help online appear to be American - yet we need insurance as well!

So I was pleased to find a site online that did insurance (and a variety of types) - Kanetix.

It’s an online form that promises to give you quotes. And so to try it out, I went through and filled out the forms. A fair bit of detail is needed (for instance, I actually don’t know how far I am from the nearest fire hydrant, so I took a guess), but I persevered and finally got to the end. Following that you are sent to a summary page that gives you quotes, and then offers to contact them for you.

And besides home insurance, they also offer other forms (such as vehicle, life, and travel), so it’s more of a one stop shop for insurance in general. I did note that when I asked about Business insurance it told me it’s wasn’t available in my province, so you may not be able to get all things in all places, depending on availability.

And a big concern - you aren’t giving away private information. I didn’t even have to give out my home address (it did require my postal code, however). This is important, because I can’t see filling out any online form that asked personal details. Security matters - so it was good to see they didn’t require anything.

All in all, the experience was fast - and potentially profitable. I have two bigs, with possible savings of $50-$150 (!). Well worth the time spent. Unfortunately, it’s probably too late for me this year to switch over, but I will be definitely be looking into this again next year.

Now if only I had seen this a week ago…

I was checking out another site today - MagnaLight.com.

It’s a place that sells lights - lots of lights - and only lights.

For instance, I knew about flashlights and floodlights already. But the site informed me about explosion proof lights, hazard lighting, boat lights, rechargeable spotlights, and much more. The site was like looking at an old fashioned catalog, with all the pictures in it for all the kinds of products.

But notice - they are ALL related to lights!

This is the key for a business online - focus. Try to be all things, and then you’re playing hit and miss with your traffic.

Maybe they came for this - maybe they came for that. So what exactly do you sell them?

But for MagnaLight, it’s easy - just lights.

Another benefit is for search engines. Those little computer catalogers love repetition, but repetition that is not too artificial. What better way than an online catalog on one main topic? Here, the word “light” appeared on their home page over 1,400 times (including “lights”, “lighting”, etc.) - and combined with the text, they get an impressive 15.5% for that one word. Best of all, the search engines don’t penalize them since it’s quite natural for a website (and catalog) to repeat itself for the word “light”.

So take a glance at the site - even if you aren’t into gadgets, you’ll find the site interesting for the layout and the ease of use for customers.

However, I’m guessing that even if you aren’t into gadgets, you’ll still click on the “explosion proof lights” if only to know what they do!

Are Search Engines Ruining The English Language?

Yes - but they aren’t the only ones.

Simply put, unless the writing is for writing’s sake alone, someone is skewing things - and with search engines the final arbitrator of all things online, they are skewing the most.

Of course, this has gone on forever - what would Shakespeare have written if he wasn’t trying to make ends meet? And what kind of television programs and books would we have today if people could be paid equally well for “Masterpiece Theater” and “White Chicks”?

However, search engines add something the others didn’t - an impersonal nonhuman aspect - the computer program.

Now, people write not to entertain or cater to another person - but to cater to an algorithm.

Websites add words not to help with a topic, but to gain market share.

And unlike the news programs that have gone sensationalist (”why apples CAN kill you - more at eleven”), the catering doesn’t even need to be understandable, interesting, or even idiosyncratically correct - because the English is only needed to ’skew’ a computer program.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the top 10 entries in Google for any topic (and especially for competitive ones) - and ask yourself if they are prime examples of English prose, or if their ranking has to do more with how they bend the English language to fit the search engine’s needs.

Then ask yourself: if you wanted a top ranking, how much would you have to ‘tweak’ your web page to get there? How many concessions to the language?

Of course this is a tempest in a teacup - few websites need to treasure their prose, since the average site is selling, and sales text is not necessarily the prime example of English at any time.

But I was prompted in part to write this post because of a blogger who wrote that you HAD to write to get the attention of the search engines.

And while true, it’s a sad commentary that even blogging, an area that still tries to preserve the English language and interesting prose online, now needs to kowtow to a computer to be visible.

…I wonder what Shakespeare would write today if he had to please Google?

I was originally going to call this “How To Do A GREAT Affiliate Site”, since I considered it a good general overview - however, I stuck with “Real Estate” since I wanted improved search engine rankings (expect a post shortly on how Search Engines are ruining the English language!)

But the fact is, I recently came across a website that I feel has done a good job of marketing their core product - in this case, Real Estate. The site is DROdio.com, and although it focuses on real estate in Virginia and Washington, DC, it’s an example of how a local service benefits by being online - and being done well.

Here’s a few observations:

• The layout is clean and professional. First impressions are important, and the site gives a good first one. Now, the topic of web design is a “hot button” issue, but I think the answer as to whether to jazz up a site with bells and whistles (or not) is simple: design for your target audience. If you’re selling video games, then put as many visual gadgets as you want in there. But for people with better things to do than go online, don’t give them a huge learning curve - and I think Real Estate is a prime example of the latter.
• Make the “Top of the Fold” count. “Top of the fold” is an old newspaper term now applied to the Internet - it refers to the top of the webpage that you initially see in your browser when visiting. MAKE IT COUNT. In this case, the top is used for clear and simple navigation (including separating Buyers from Sellers), a description of what exactly the web site is for, and a tag line. Many sites ignore this: ultimately, you don’t really want every visitor in the world, just the ones that will make you money. Giving a clear message from the start helps filter out visitors, and it also makes sure the remaining visitors know what they are getting - the key to satisfaction.
• A call to action. Visitors drop by - so now what? Far too many sites forget the call to action, or bury it down below. You want the visitor to do SOMETHING - so explain what it is, and get them doing it! In this case, the invitation is for a Real Estate get together: a powerful way to sell is person to person, and this website builds on that. For other sites, a sign up or a purchase is the call to action - NEVER forget it, and never give up trying for it!
• MULTIPLE calls to action. Let me repeat: you want the visitor to do something. This site does - repeatedly. No consultation? Perhaps you’d like to subscribe to our blog. Or call toll free? Or have a call within 15 minutes tailored to your requirements? All nicely laid out - but ALL selling the main premise - more contact and more chances to sell.
• Useful content. I’m not in the market for Maryland Real Estate - but I still clicked on and read “How To Buy A Home For 1 Penny At Closing”. The site includes search tools by location, links to videos, and more - all conveniently located. The result is a useful site - immediately. (and kudos for putting the “Note From The Owner” at the bottom - while important, it’s only read once, so putting it at the bottom keeps it out of the way of the tools people will repeatedly visit and try out).

I’d recommend DROdio.com as a template for people designing their own local needs sites. It’s well laid out for one purpose, and doesn’t let anything interfere with that purpose. If you’re looking for Real Estate in that area, the site fills your needs - and more. And THAT is the key purpose every website should aim for, fulfilling the specific needs of your visitors as well as possible - because that will keep them coming back.