--- title: The Web's Guiding Light description: There's a lack of information on how big brands secure their position in the digital world. De... image: https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/lightbulb-mini-Jan-23-2023-12-20-29-5307-AM-1-1-1.gif --- [Log In](https://www.websitemagazine.com/_hcms/mem/login) [Subscribe](https://websitemagazine.tradepub.com/free/w_webk05/prgm.cgi) [![Website Magazine Logo](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hs-fs/hubfs/gradient-regular@3x-1.png?width=586&height=145&name=gradient-regular@3x-1.png "Website Magazine Logo")](http://Website%20Services,%20Inc.) - [About](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about) - [FAQs](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/faq) - [Advertise](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/advertise) - [Editorial Staff](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/editorial-publishing-staff) - [Resources](https://websitemagazine.tradepub.com) - [Newsletter](https://www.websitemagazine.com/newsletter-sign-up) - More - [Contact Us](https://www.websitemagazine.com/contact) [Log In](https://www.websitemagazine.com/_hcms/mem/login) [Subscribe](https://websitemagazine.tradepub.com/free/w_webk05/prgm.cgi) Search - [Latest](https://www.websitemagazine.com) - [Design](https://www.websitemagazine.com/web-design) - [Development](https://www.websitemagazine.com/web-development) - [SEO](https://www.websitemagazine.com/seo) - [Ecommerce](https://www.websitemagazine.com/ecommerce) - [Content](https://www.websitemagazine.com/content) - [Marketing](https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing) - [Advertising](https://www.websitemagazine.com/advertising) - [Email](https://www.websitemagazine.com/email) - [Infographics](https://www.websitemagazine.com/infographics) - [View All Topics](https://www.websitemagazine.com/channels) # The Web's Guiding Light ![Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Peter_Devereaux.png) [by Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/author/peter-devereaux) 01 Mar, 2013 - - - [mailto:?Body=https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/the-webs-guiding-light](mailto:?Body=https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/the-webs-guiding-light) - Link Copied! ![The Web's Guiding Light](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/lightbulb-mini-Jan-23-2023-12-20-29-5307-AM-1-1-1.gif) **There's a lack of information on how big brands secure their position in the digital world. Despite the black hole, we can confidently deduce three different areas they excel: acquisition (and retention), analysis (and optimization), and infrastructure (and reliability), or the Digital Trinity, if you will. ** The Digital Trinity is a guiding principle on what it takes to succeed on the Web and the baseline criteria for Website Magazine's inaugural Web 100 guide. Here are three examples of Web 100 companies that abide (knowingly or not) by this standard.   ## Acquisition (and Retention) ![](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/weightwatcherslogo-3-1-1-1.jpg?width=500&height=125&name=weightwatcherslogo-3-1-1-1.jpg) Weight Watchers wrote the book on advertising. Its celebrity endorsements make mainstream news and are a valuable acquisition tool. In fact, more than 97 percent of women recognize the Weight Watchers brand. Online, Weight Watcher's use of social media, banner ads and email marketing drive consumers to its website, but it's the lifestyle destination's engagement tools that keep them there. After all, it's Weight Watchers' premise that the more engaged its users are, the more successful they are. User-generated blogs, achievement tokens, cheat sheets, recipe builders, videos and online forums, maintain a high level of engagement and retention. Through these channels and others (discussed in [Web 100](https://www.websitemagazine.com/blogweb100/2013/)), Weight Watchers is listening to its users and responding to what they want.    ## Analysis (and Optimization) ![](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ugg_logo-3-1-1-1.png?width=500&height=273&name=ugg_logo-3-1-1-1.png) You name the digital channel and UGG Australia optimizes and analyzes it. For example, its email marketing campaigns uses segmentation strategies (based on interest, triggered actions and personalized communications based on browsing behavior) to increase click-through rates and email opens. Marketers also leverage consumer data, sales trends and product interactions to reach a positive return on investment (ROI). UGG's communications not only follow best practices, but also are consistently tested (for both content and time sent). The company, which is owned by Deckers Outdoor Corporation, utilizes its in-house retention team to manage communication strategy, but also relies on several third-party companies, including Demandware, for its native functionality for transactional and back-in-stock emails.   For more examples of UGG Australia's digital tactics, visit [Web 100](https://www.websitemagazine.com/blogweb100/2013/).   ## Infrastructure (and Reliability) ![](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/barnesandnoblelogo-3-1-1-1.png?width=500&height=126&name=barnesandnoblelogo-3-1-1-1.png) Downtime can significantly damage a website's rank on search engine result pages (SERPs), reputation and ROI. Unfortunately, website owners typically find out their infrastructure is unreliable the hard way. Holiday traffic spikes are a perfect challenge for IT systems. Even major retailers, such as Brass Pro Shops and Abercrombie & Fitch, suffered less than 100 percent uptime during this period (Nov. 15 - Jan.4), with basspro.com even being down for 7 hours and 53 minutes, according to the [Panopta Availability Index 2012 Holiday Edition](https://holiday.panopta.com/). In the same report, Barnes & Noble came in with 100 percent uptime to meet consumer expectations and use its infrastructure to deliver digital content to customers online. Additionally, Barnes & Noble continues to meet its own goal of "delivering the best digital reading, shopping and content experience in the market, while also being diligent about calibrating expenses to business trends in order to scale the business to profitability over time," (as stated in a press release). For more about Barnes & Noble's digital strategy, visit [Web 100](https://www.websitemagazine.com/blogweb100/2013/).   ![Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Peter_Devereaux.png) [Peter Devereaux](https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/author/peter-devereaux) As the Editor-in-Chief of Website Magazine and President of Website Services, Peter has established himself as a prominent figure in the digital marketing industry. With a wealth of experience and knowledge, Peter has been a driving force in shaping the landscape of digital marketing. His leadership in creating innovative and targeted marketing campaigns has helped numerous businesses achieve their revenue growth goals. Under his direction, Website Magazine has become a trusted source of information and insights for digital marketers worldwide. As President of Website Services, Peter oversees a team of talented professionals who specialize in SEO/SEM, email marketing, social media, and digital advertising. Through his hands-on approach, he ensures that his team delivers exceptional results to their clients. With a passion for digital marketing, Peter is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and technologies, making him a sought-after thought leader in the field. - - - - - [mailto:peter.devereaux@websitemagazine.com](mailto:peter.devereaux@websitemagazine.com) #### Popular Post ### [31 Back-to-School Keyword Targets ![31 Back-to-School Keyword Targets](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/schoolbus-1-1-1-1.jpg)](https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/31-back-to-school-keyword-targets) ### [GoDaddy Goes .XXX ![GoDaddy Goes .XXX](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gradient-regular-logo-mark-Jan-23-2023-12-15-39-1451-AM-Apr-10-2023-01-36-09-0977-PM-3-1.png)](https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/godaddy-goes-xxx) ### [23 Cool Tech Facts ![23 Cool Tech Facts](https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/fact_100x100-2-1-1-1.png)](https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/23-cool-tech-facts) #### Subscribe to Our Newsletter! 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All Rights Reserved - [Privacy Policy](https://www.websitemagazine.com/about/privacy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Peter Devereaux", "url" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/author/peter-devereaux" }, "dateModified" : "2023-05-01T21:25:59.328Z", "datePublished" : "2013-03-01T06:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "The Web's Guiding Light", "image" : [ "https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/lightbulb-mini-Jan-23-2023-12-20-29-5307-AM-1-1-1.gif" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/marketing/the-webs-guiding-light", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/hubfs/gradient-regular@3x-1.png" }, "name" : "Website Services, Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "NewsArticle", "author" : [ { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Peter Devereaux" } ], "headline" : "The Web's Guiding Light", "publisher" : { "name" : "Website Magazine", "url" : "https://www.websitemagazine.com/" } } ```