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MAKING YOUR WEBSITE WORK
Give Them What They Want!
When people examine their
own websites they will usually look at it from a unique perspective,
often they are very focused on what they want to deliver to the
user. The user, on the other hand, looks at your website and thinks;
what's in it for me?
When designing or updating
your website you should take your users perspective and address
their needs. Let them know what you can offer them to make their
lot better. Here we present eight points to guide you in giving
your customers what they want.
Speed
Give your users what they want and give it to them fast. There is
no advantage in making them wait. Ensure your site is fast. Keep
image sizes to a minimum and use reliable hosting services which
locate their machines close to your target audience. Speed should
be your number one design criteria.
Value
If a user has found your site on the Internet you need to deliver
a reward; give them something they want. If you retail anti-fouling
paint for boats you may want to provide some safety tips on how
to use your products safely. If you provide business consultancy
services you may want to provide some tips to greater business efficiency.
If your users see you as offering value they will consider you when
they want to buy.
Assurances
Some people still need a lot of assurance before they will provide
information to you, let alone buy anything, through a website. The
sceptical users are not all amateurs either. There are many experienced
users who take some convincing in regard to your commitment to deliver
the goods. There is no point arguing about this, you need to address
their issues.
- Provide privacy statements
- Make your Terms and
Conditions easy to access
- Ensure that your contact
details are accessible
- Use SSL for collecting
sensitive information
- If you have a guarantee
or warranty, explain it clearly
- Tell your users about
your business processes and how you will react to an order, email
or other contact
- Lastly, don't keep
your users in the dark, if they feel that they are driving the
relationship - which they are, they will feel more comfortable
Animation and Sound
These features are very low on a user's list of requirements. Animations
and sound impede the speed of the site. Sound effects can also be
very embarrassing to users if they have visited your site in an
office environment where other people can hear them. Users may feel
guilty about accessing your site - even if it is for business and
may just quickly hit the back button and never return to your site.
Prices
If you are selling something, let your users know how much it costs.
Not providing prices just strikes you off the user's list of potential
suppliers. Users don't always buy at the lowest price, users evaluate
the total offer against their own criteria.
Keep Your Users
In Control
Users don't like it when web developers change the way the web works
for them. Here is a list of things people hate.
- Breaking the "Back
Button" this is often done either deliberately by the developer,
or inadvertently by opening a new window without making it obvious
to the user.
- Unless security is
an issue, let your users see the URL, many users use the URL to
work out where they are in your site, so don't get in their way.
- Ensure that all pages
have good descriptive page names that will assist your users when
book-marking specific pages which interest them.
- Frames generally get
the thumbs down with users; it makes information harder to re-locate
and it makes bookmarks useless. Frames are not particularly search
engine friendly either. Keep away from them if you can.
- Hypertext links should
be self explanatory. If you use a hypertext link to launch your
user's email program make sure that this is obvious by using words
like email customer service here or customerservice@yourcompany.com.au
- Keep hypertext links
in standard colours. If you set your own colour scheme and users
can't easily identify which links they have used before, you run
the risk of confusing your user.
- Pop-up windows often
infuriate users and they may turn people away from your site very
quickly. Rightly or wrongly users identify pop-ups as advertisements
and will most likely close them quickly.
Information Delivery
Scrolling text is hard to read and looks like an advertisement.
Users are very practiced at ignoring what they perceive to be advertisements.
Give your users access
to old information. Do not try to pass it off as current, but providing
an archive of information is very useful and builds credibility.
Service
At the end of the day your website is a representation of your business,
what your users want is for you to live up to the promises of your
website. Make sure you do what you say you will do. Follow up on
all inquiries that come through your website as soon as possible
and always thank people for taking the time to contact you.
About
the Author
Linda Hamilton is a Director of Web Assets. Web Assets make websites
work! This article is an extract from the Web Assets Resource Library;
a resource created specifically for Australian small and medium
sized businesses who want to profit from their Internet presence.
For more information on turning your website into a profit centre
for your business visit www.webassets.com.au
(Website
Marketing Australia) or call 1300 656 196.
©
COPYRIGHT
All articles are copyright. These articles may be used for publication
in magazines and newsletters with prior permission from the author
and Samperi Consulting Group Pty Ltd. Please contact Samperi Consulting
Group Pty Ltd for further information at karina@samperi.com.au.
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