Tripping Over ReferenceThe importance of link placement

(for getting really boffo stats!)

Bill Pardue (bpardue@ahml.info)Arlington Heights Memorial Library

Placement=promotion!• Handouts, etc. > spike usage (still OK, but not enough)

• Placement = point of service

• The “Contact Us” or “Help” pages are not enough!

• Don’t make people find out where your chat is.

Source: Elaina Norlin, “Creating a Purple Cow, VRD 2005.

Not just a “QuestionPoint thing”

• Promotes:– Chat– Email– SMS– Even phone

Links everywhere! (Think Header)

Create Accounts

Catalog Searches/Results

Community site!

Impact of placement changes2010 site

Jan 2011: remodeling!

Jan 2012: Re-remodeling!

Where are the chats coming from?

• Feb 2012: 619 Sessions • Homepage: 135 • User accounts: 133• Catalog pages (items/searches): 124 • 63% of total

More sources (the long tail…)• old contact pages: 28 • Contact page: 26 • Old catalog : 21• Research section: 12• Community site: 12• borrow pages: 11

• “Can't log in” page: 8• “Attend” pages: 5• Database sessions: 5 (inside

products like ebsco, etc.)• Teen site: 4

Placement tips

Think about your vendors

Do you maintain any other sites?• E.G., Community information directories. (make it clear it’s coming from your library!)

Links on other community sites?

• Town/village site• Chamber of Commerce• Social service agencies

We’re after the “long tail!”

• Most of these won’t contribute large numbers• You’re doing this to increase referrals

incrementally.• 1 or 2 per month from multiple sources begins

to add up!

Checking your referrals:

Start at the My QuestionPoint page, click on View Service History

Checking referrals, cont’d:• Then click Reports/Form Fields. Select “View Excel file,” then

“Submit.”