Here’s this month’s most important item: 65% of 1,100 Internet users surveyed by Genex, a design firm, say they will not shop on a poorly designed web site even if they like the company or brand displayed. Even worse, almost 30% say that if their online purchasing experience with a company is poor, they’ll cease buying offline from it, too. Consumers value good looks and ease of use so highly that only 4% will shop on an ugly site – provided the prices are rock bottom. Good design means simple copy, clean layout, clear directions and anticipating visitors’ needs. An inexpensive way to check these things out is to invite an honest person who doesn’t need your money or your affection to critique your web site.

A May study of online travel consumers by Web Mystery Shoppers International reports that 40% of nearly 500 mystery shoppers encountered error messages when trying to book travel online. Additionally, 25% couldn’t find out the final price and 41% couldn’t tell if they could cancel a booking once they’d made it. Statistics like these indicate that the airlines are having a hard time replacing flesh-and-blood travel agents. High-tech systems with this high an error rate can only backfire on their operators. This doesn’t mean airlines are suddenly going to come to their senses and reinstate relationships with travel agents. But it does mean that the theory of unintended consequences is at work here big time: People will find their own way back to agents.

How many words do people enter into search engines when seeking information? eMarketer reports that 29.22% of people use two-word phrases, while 24.76% use one word and 24.33% use three words. As search engine companies begin to push the concept of paying them for preferred placement, your best bet if you’re on a budget is to aim at the three-word crowd. Even there, you want to anticipate the possible combinations people might use to get to you by varying the slogans and expressions you use in your web site copy. For example, if you sell trips to polar bear habitats, “polar bear trips,” “polar bear safaris,” “polar bear expeditions,” “polar bear treks,” “Canadian bear trips” “Canada bear trips” “arctic bear trips,” etc. will keep you from getting lost in the crowd. More experienced Internet users – about 20% -- used search strings of three or more words, so expressions like “Manitoba polar bear expeditions” or “Alaska polar bear trips” that tell what and where are likely to bring people to your web site.

A survey of 1,000 Internet users 50 and older by research from ThirdAge Inc., finds that consumers over age 50 describe themselves as extremely receptive to online products and services, and are likely to pass information on to friends. Forty-three percent of respondents say they use the Internet at least 11 hours a week, with 90% of their searches launched from home. A big majority – 83% – say they forward information to their friends, while 58% pass information along to their children. Here’s a crucial datum: 65% will look for information for their friends, and 48% for their children. With 31.3 million over-50s currently on the Net (the number will reach 51.7 million by 2007), it’s like having an army of researchers who an send potential clients your way. Meanwhile, a recent SIMM survey of consumer habits shows that 81% of business owners rely on word of mouth before making buying decisions, and that 88% will seek advice from others. When you’re dealing with clients who own businesses, keep that in mind

Here’s a peek at the themes for the next eight Cultured Traveler Newsletters: August: Mexico and Central America. September: Educational Trips. October: Holiday Adventures and Recipes. November: Trains (and Other Neat Conveyances). December: Famous Historical Places. January: Hot Places to Hide From Winter. February: Distilleries and Great (Non-Wine) Tasting Rooms. March: The Deep South. If you’d like to write an article on any of these topics, we’ll link it to your free listing or to your Web Page Ad. Since our archives receive many visits, your article will become a lasting way to generate more traffic to your web site. For information on how to submit an article, go to Submissions.

Media observer Cory Treffiletti at MediaPost says to watch out for two patterns that may affect the success of your online advertising: a change in “prime-time” viewing and a change in “seasonality.” Prime-time Internet viewing is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., indicating that most people surf the Web at work where they can access high-speed connections. This can make for more cursory and distracted searches as people worry about bosses seeing them slough off. “Seasonality” refers to the prime months when Internet surfing is highest. Traditionally, surfing has fallen off in summer as people go on vacation. No more: Except for major holidays, people are surfing at a high rate year-round. Bottom line: as more households add high-speed connections, overall Internet searching will become more focused and less tense – good news for businesses that want people to visit their web sites in a positive frame of mind.

A small trend worth noting: According to eMarketer, U.S. online advertising this year will increase 4.8% to $6.3 billion, compared to $6 billion in 2002. It’s a modest increase, but one more indicator that the U.S. economy may be awakening from his siesta.

People earning between $75,000 to $100,000 are the fastest-growing group moving over the high-speed Internet access at home. Now numbering 8.1 million broadband users, their fold increased by 55% in 2002. A prime travel market target group is positioning itself more and more to be marketed to online.