Our Blog
Read our latest UX research case studies and best practices.Jakob Nielsen on why rotating banners don’t work
Thank you Jakob Nielsen! I've been waiting for an article like this for a long time ... to share with all of the clients and designers I work with who love rotating banners and accordions. Please read this and share with everyone on your team: Auto-Forwarding...
Prototyping + user testing = awesome
Last week I spent a lot of frustrating hours wrestling with how to redo a product section of a client's site to improve their search engine visibility. Brian, our SEO guru, had a vision for the section that I had big concerns about. We went back and forth a lot, and...
SEO/SEM/conversion consultant wanted
We are actively seeking a full-time search expert to help with our growing list of SEO/SEM projects. Here's the job description: --- Marketade is seeking a senior-level SEO/SEM/conversion consultant for a full-time, 6-month engagement, with opportunity for...
Jakob Nielsen on SEO: necessary but not sufficient
Yesterday I read a great recent article from Jakob Nielsen on e-commerce usability, and his comments on SEO rang true. He describes the results from a large usability study of 200+ sites, and near the end talks about customer loyalty: One of our study participants...
UX/usability intern wanted
We're seeking a UX/usability intern for the summer or longer. Job description below: ----- Marketade, a small web usability and marketing consultancy in DC, is seeking an intern to help with usability testing and UX design for client projects. Here are some of the...
Usability testing special offer: 1 spot left
We're down to 1 spot for our special offer for first-time usability customers. Grab the last spot and you'll save $2000 on an already great deal. Here's what you get for only $1500: 3 rounds of usability tests with a total of 15 representative users 2 rounds of our...
Seeking web analytics guru
We're looking for a web analytics consultant to help on a part-time basis. Learn more here.
Usability testing special offer
Today we're excited to announce a special offer for first-time usability customers. You get: 3 rounds of usability tests with a total of 15 representative users 2 rounds of our help identifying problems on your site and how to fix them videos of all test sessions...
UX expert + visual design skills = we want you
We're seeking that rare designer that combines UX skills with great graphic design. See the job post.
Lean Startup Machine features Marketade
Lean Startup Machine recently featured an article by Karan on our LSM DC experience in its Success Stories section: "Keeping Our Wits Through Two Pivots". Thanks LSM!
SEO/SEM consultant position
We've begun recruiting for an experienced SEO/SEM consultant to help us with the new client projects. Proximity to DC is a plus but not a requirement. Here's the full description and application form. Please help us spread the word.
Last year at Marketade: 2011
As we say goodbye to 2011, here's a look at many of the 25+ clients we worked with last year, along with the types of projects we did with them: Web Services & Technology AdJuggler (Ad Server Software): SEM Aptaria (Cloud Computing): SEO/SEM, Web Design,...
New SEO/SEM packages for small businesses
We're excited to now offer standard packages for small businesses wanting help with SEO and SEM. Writing SEO/SEM proposals for startups, non-profits, and other small businesses has been my least favorite task since we started Marketade. It takes time away from more...
Trying out tree testing
Last week at we ran online tree tests for Falls Church home remodeler Winn Design to validate information architecture. We'd previously used in-person and online open card sorts to create a new information architecture -- using Optimal Workshop's OptimalSort for the...
What we learned at Lean Startup Machine DC
John and I recently attended a Lean Startup Machine weekend bootcamp in DC. This was an opportunity to learn and apply Lean Startup principles to a real-world startup idea in a highly focused setting. There were about 60 attendees and over 15 mentors and speakers –...
Lean Startup book review
We've been drinking the Lean Startup kool-aid here at Marketade ... and boy does it taste good. Here's my review of the book by Eric Ries. Its ideas and stories are among the most inspiring and mind-altering that I've read in a long time. I hope you'll read it....
The Smarter Way to Launch a Product: Practical Takeaways from The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Imagine that you wake up tomorrow with this great idea: a new web app that helps cost-conscious, time-strapped families put "food on the table." People will sign up for the service on the Web or their phone, and select their favorite types of meals and their local...
How to Measure SEO Results with Google Analytics: Companion Article
This is a companion article to the video below on measuring SEO results with web analytics. It is meant for people who have already watched the video. The first section is for people who want an easy-to-follow list of the steps I run through in the video. The second...
How to Use Negative Keywords to Cut Wasteful AdWords Spending
Let’s say you have a small math tutoring business in Arlington, Virginia and you’ve been using Google AdWords for the last few months to attract new clients. You’ve acquired a few good customers from the campaign, but not enough to justify the thousands of dollars...
Provoc’s interview with John on SEO
When we first joined Affinity Lab, we were lucky to overlap for about a year with Provoc, a top-notch web design and development group. They've since grown out of the Lab, but before they did I was able to work with them on a couple SEO and writing projects and have...