Time for a quick question and answer session.
Question: How can you
improve your visitors' experiences of your website, AND at the same time
learn how to
improve your
website (or
learn how to increase sales)?
Answer: Use cookies
Cookies? Yes. Let me explain...
=> COOKIES EXPLAINED
A "cookie" is simply a small piece of text information which a web server stores temporarily with your web visitor's browser. (Note:
cookies are *not* programs.) This means your visitor's browser remembers some specific information which the web server can later retrieve.
So
cookies simply allow your site to store information on your visitor's computer for later use.
A basic example of a cookie in action can be found here -
http://www.jsworkshop.com/js3e/list24-1.htmlAnother example is the "online shopping mall" that uses
cookies to add items to a user's "shopping cart" as they browse.
==Aside==
Here are two examples of how my own sites use
cookies (I use them to make sure a pop-up window loads at a set frequency):
- Pop-up ONCE ONLY
http://www.shoptour.co.uk/webmaster.shtml - Pop-up ONCE PER DAY
http://www.anyonecansellonline.com/tips.shtmlFor those interested, the cookie code is stored here
http://anyonecansellonline.com/makemoneyfiles/cookie1.js==Aside==
=> WHY YOUR WEBSITE SHOULD USE COOKIES
Basically,
cookies allow you to
improve a site visitor's experience of your website. I've listed a few examples to show how you can achieve this:
- Cookies can store visitor preferences. This means you can present customised information to your visitor, as per their own requirements. (This is how portal sites like MSN work.)
- Cookies can pre-fill form fields for your visitor.
- Cookies can automatically login visitors to your site
- Cookies can provide visitor statistics and therefore help you understand your visitors' needs. Cookies can provide site metrics like number of unique visitors, average number of page-views, percentage of repeat visitors et cetera. And cookie-generated statistics are much more accurate than using log files.
(Do remember though, that people sometimes share computers; some browsers are set to reject cookies; and
cookies can be erased.)
So not only are
cookies an efficient way of keeping track of information, they also help personalise your site visitors' experiences of your website.
And that's the point with
cookies - how can *you* help your site visitor?
No, it doesn't mean you can now invade your visitor's privacy! The use of
cookies is often abused by site owners, but this ultimately leads to cookie-blocking software being installed and used; so do set your
cookies cautiously, and include a privacy statement on your site explaining your use of cookies! (See below.)
=> USE THIS COOKIE RESOURCE
CookieCentral is an excellent resource dedicated to all things Cookie. The site's described as providing "information of persistent cookies, HTTP cookies,
cookies with JavaScript, magic cookies, [and] maintaining state with
cookies and more."
But don't worry if that sounds too technical for you, CookieCentral really is a great place to
learn about the pros and cons of using cookies.
From the concept of
cookies through concerns about privacy to JavaScript and CGI demo code - you'll find it all at CookieCentral.
=> OR VISIT THESE SITES TO LEARN ABOUT COOKIES
If you want to know more about how
cookies work, then visit these sites:
=> OR JUST DO IT YOURSELF!
As ever, the web is filled with
free programs and scripts that allow you to use cookies. Whether you want to use JavaScript, CGI/Perl, PHP or ASP - you can find
free resources that help you implement
cookies on your site.
JavaScript
cookies -
http://webdeveloper.earthweb.com/webjs/cookies/CGI/Perl
cookies -
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Cookies/ (all 1 word)
PHP User Personalization System with Cookies -
http://www.devshed.com/Server_Side/PHP/Cookies/ASP and
cookies -
http://www.w3schools.com/asp/asp_cookies.asp=> PRIVACY WARNING!
More and more web users are becoming sensitive to their
online privacy. Rightly so. And this includes cookies, and how your site uses them. So do make sure that you understand the issues involved, and set your privacy statement accordingly.
This article explains more...
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/p3p-cookies-ie6/1=> READ MORE...
You can find out a great deal more about using
cookies on your site from the following excellent resources. Just do a search for "cookies" and off you go!
--
Cookies can
improve your visitors' experiences of your web site, through personalisation. Using cookies, your site may well run more efficiently too, and could provide you with accurate site statistics helping you deliver just what your
visitors are looking for.
Just use
cookies carefully, so that your
visitors benefit!
(And continue to
learn from the invaluable resources above, and below ;-) !)
Copyright 2004 Steve Nash
About The AuthorSTEVE NASH is the author of the ebook: "3 Super-Tips To Build, Promote And Profit More From Your Website." Download your
free copy now!
http://www.wise-buys.info/bonus.shtml WANT MORE TIPS? Sign-up to his
free monthly Build-tips course here!
http://www.wise-buys.info/newsletter.shtml#tips
