About the pricebeep network
About the pricebeep network
Pricebeep.co.uk started life in January 2008 as a home project to learn PHP and MySql. It's gone though several different design stages since then, and I doubt that I'll ever find a design that I'm 100% happy with, so don't expect the site to stay still for long!
Fairly early on, it became obvious that a network of sites would be best, as this would allow each site to be tailored to a specific niche, and provide more targeted comparisons, offers and newsletters. This decision led to the pricebeep network being formed. Currently there are two sites in the network, pricebeep.co.uk and beautybeep.co.uk, with a few more in the pipeline.
The network is now spread across two countries, serving both the UK and the USA. This means that I can provide more targetted comparisons and offers. It has a growing user base and the number of returning visitors is also increasing. The feedback I've received has been great, and really helps to push me forward. It's nice to know that people are saving money through what I've been learning.
The search results
None of the stores pay any fee to be included in the site, or to improve their ranking in the search results. The ranking of the search results is determined by the popularity of the items across the website.
The popularity of an item is determined by the users of pricebeep.co.uk, taking into account item views, ratings, and visits to the merchants store. For instance, if you searched for “xbox 360” the results would display the the most popular items related to the keywords at the top of list.
In essence, this means the users of the site determine the relevancy of the search results, which I believe leads to a fairer, consumer driven choice.
How are the sites financed?
As I mentioned before, none of the stores pay for inclusion into the site. However, I am affiliated to each of the stores, this means I am paid a varying percentage of any sale generated through the search results provided by my network.
This is good, as it puts the onus on myself to provide relative search results and a well designed network that people will want to re-use. You may also see a few adverts dotted about. These are supposed to provide targeted advertising, and I get paid for a click through to the advertisers site.
However, I am wary that these adverts may have a detrimental effect on the overall user experience, so I monitor these adverts closely, and may remove them or change the advert management company if I feel they are not working to the consumers advantage.
The revenue from the network (of which there is very little... I haven't actually broken even since the site started!) goes towards the running costs of the site, and if there is ever any profit, it will be put towards my wedding in October! (Thanks to the future Mrs H for putting up with my late nights and tantrums when things stop working!)
What's next?
At the moment, I don't have any particular business plan or path for the network to take. I probably should write one, or a mission statement or something equally business like, but I don't really have the time! I'll keep adding new stores to the database to give a broader comparison of prices, and continue to add new features and sites to the network.
Providing information to allow the consumer to make a solid choice based on price, ratings and reviews will remain my priority.
I am currently working on a new ratings and review system, which will give users a more interactive experience, and allow marks out of ten for value for money, ease of use etc. I don't have a finish date for it yet, but hopefully it will be before July 2008.
Pricebeep.co.uk started life in January 2008 as a home project to learn PHP and MySql. It's gone though several different design stages since then, and I doubt that I'll ever find a design that I'm 100% happy with, so don't expect the site to stay still for long!
Fairly early on, it became obvious that a network of sites would be best, as this would allow each site to be tailored to a specific niche, and provide more targeted comparisons, offers and newsletters. This decision led to the pricebeep network being formed. Currently there are two sites in the network, pricebeep.co.uk and beautybeep.co.uk, with a few more in the pipeline.
The network is now spread across two countries, serving both the UK and the USA. This means that I can provide more targetted comparisons and offers. It has a growing user base and the number of returning visitors is also increasing. The feedback I've received has been great, and really helps to push me forward. It's nice to know that people are saving money through what I've been learning.
The search results
None of the stores pay any fee to be included in the site, or to improve their ranking in the search results. The ranking of the search results is determined by the popularity of the items across the website.
The popularity of an item is determined by the users of pricebeep.co.uk, taking into account item views, ratings, and visits to the merchants store. For instance, if you searched for “xbox 360” the results would display the the most popular items related to the keywords at the top of list.
In essence, this means the users of the site determine the relevancy of the search results, which I believe leads to a fairer, consumer driven choice.
How are the sites financed?
As I mentioned before, none of the stores pay for inclusion into the site. However, I am affiliated to each of the stores, this means I am paid a varying percentage of any sale generated through the search results provided by my network.
This is good, as it puts the onus on myself to provide relative search results and a well designed network that people will want to re-use. You may also see a few adverts dotted about. These are supposed to provide targeted advertising, and I get paid for a click through to the advertisers site.
However, I am wary that these adverts may have a detrimental effect on the overall user experience, so I monitor these adverts closely, and may remove them or change the advert management company if I feel they are not working to the consumers advantage.
The revenue from the network (of which there is very little... I haven't actually broken even since the site started!) goes towards the running costs of the site, and if there is ever any profit, it will be put towards my wedding in October! (Thanks to the future Mrs H for putting up with my late nights and tantrums when things stop working!)
What's next?
At the moment, I don't have any particular business plan or path for the network to take. I probably should write one, or a mission statement or something equally business like, but I don't really have the time! I'll keep adding new stores to the database to give a broader comparison of prices, and continue to add new features and sites to the network.
Providing information to allow the consumer to make a solid choice based on price, ratings and reviews will remain my priority.
I am currently working on a new ratings and review system, which will give users a more interactive experience, and allow marks out of ten for value for money, ease of use etc. I don't have a finish date for it yet, but hopefully it will be before July 2008.
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