Mark Bold

AOL

When Web hosting company NTT/Verio signed a marketing deal with ISP giant AOL, they needed a co-branded microsite that would provide product information and the ability to order web hosting online. The microsite content and navigation would need to be suitable for AOL members, who tend to be internet novices, as well as capable of very high levels of traffic generated by time-limited special offers.

The first stage of development was the creation of a free-standing site with narrowed product range and simplified product descriptions for AOL users. The design was centred on a three-step approach to using the site: choose a domain name, choose a hosting package, order online.

Behind the site it was necessary to develop a robust shopping cart system to allow multiple domain name ordering, yet be forgiving of novice browser misuse and the idiosyncrasies of the AOL interface. Wording and navigation controls were minimised and made as friendly as possible. The initial WHOIS (domain name lookup) search was developed to forgive illegal search entries and instead suggest alternative, available domain names.

Trial usage in meetings with AOL channel managers further refined the design and navigation of the microsite until there remained a controlled number of through-routes. Very easy usability remained the central issue for the site’s success; several rewrites were necessary until everyone was happy. User monitoring, which paralleled AOL’s own ad tracking, ensured accurate visitor behaviour and sales statistics, and allowed for further fine-tuning of the site after launch.

The microsite received heavy traffic upon launch, and was a major channel for online orders. The shopping cart system was branded to be available across AOL’s Netscape and Compuserve channels as well.

The success of the site meant it was adopted as a design prototype for online ordering processes for sales channels across Verio’s European companies. Later into the site’s usage, the design was modified to enable the delivery of upsell content to returning customers.

UEFA

When European football organisation UEFA chose NTT/Verio as the web host for its online presence, the company wished to capitalise on the publicity this would bring. It was decided that a microsite would be created to provide information about the Web hosting arrangements being supplied to UEFA, and allow visitors to buy shared hosting online.

Designs for the splash page of the microsite were provided by the developers of the main UEFA.com site. Informational content for this linking page and microsite was then developed, and the ordering facilities created. Because of the high profile of the main website, the content and designs for the microsite were thoroughly reviewed at each stage of development.

The online shared hosting account ordering process was very similar to that created for the AOL campaign, and relied on the same database for its backend integration. This made implementation and launch of the microsite very rapid.

Verio domain renewal

At the height of the internet boom around spring 2000, many thousands of domain names were being registered through NTT/Verio. When the two-year renewal was due for this unprecedented volume of business, a strategy was developed to ensure the retention of as many customers as possible. The focus of the campaign would be a direct email reminder sent to domain name owners. This would link to a one-click renewal system, with a unique web page for each customer to easily ensure continued ownership of their domain name.

There were three main stages to the creation of the campaign: retrieval of customer data and renewal date for the mailing; design of HTML and plain text emails; development of web pages and backend processes for automatic domain name renewal.

Customer contact details and domain renewal dates were used to construct a database which would control the mailing and renewal web pages. This database would also enable close monitoring of the campaign, showing uptake of the renewal reminder and level of opting out of the campaign.

Once designs and content were produced for the emails, there was a thorough testing period to ensure trouble-free delivery and appearance in inboxes on different platforms and software. Tags were embedded in the emails to monitor delivery rates.

Construction of the online one-click renewal process was entirely database-driven, with links to Secure Trading to handle payment and checking procedures to ensure availability or expiration the domain name.

The campaign was conducted over several months, with regular mailings and take-up reporting. The statistical information drawn from the data proved the campaign made a significant difference to the rate of renewal of domain names.