Does Your Website Work for You?
After you've completed a website, don't look at it. Leave
it for a couple of weeks, then come back, pretend you are a
potential customer and ask yourself these 10 questions.
Does your text sound hype-filled and salesy? People hate to
feel like they are being sold. Sure, they want to buy. But
they don't want to buy from someone who sounds like a used
car salesman. They need to trust a website, and they will
trust a website that gives them concise, honest, and
unbiased information. There is never any reason for a double
exclamation mark!! AND RARELY IS THERE A RIGHT TIME FOR ALL
CAPS. You're excited about your products (or at least you
should be), so let your natural enthusiasm show. Don't try
to dress it up with overused sales jargon.
Count the number of times you said "we" in your text rather
than "you." Did you use the word "we" more than you used the
word "you"? People don't care about we. A common mistake of
first-time website content creators is that they tend to
want to talk about themselves. We offer __________. We are
the only company that __________. We have unparalleled
________. Sound familiar? But what people really want to
know what's in it for them. Start a few sentences with "you"
and you'll be surprised how much more likely people will be
to buy.
If I had never been to this site before, would I know
where to click to buy? The action your potential customer
should take should be clear from the homepage. Never, ever
let your customer get lost looking for the "buy now" button.
If I was visiting this site for the first time, would I know
what it was selling and would I be able to find what I need?
A visitor should know what you're selling and how they can
benefit from it by the second line, preferably by the first.
Don't babble. Get to the point. Once a visitor knows what
you're selling, he should be able to find the answer to any
additional questions within just a few clicks. And remember,
just because he can get to the information in a few clicks
doesn't mean he will be able to find the information in just
a few clicks. Make sure your navigation is straightforward
and consistent throughout the site.
If I read my navigation for the first time, would it be
clear what information is behind each link? Your navigation
should be conventional and easy to understand. Don't label
your products page "goodies" or "wares" unless you have a
darn good reason.
Are my prices displayed? Do NOT expect the customer to
call you for prices. Always always always always display
prices. Always. If it has to be custom quoted, display
example quotes, display hourly rates, display ranges of
rates for example jobs, but display something.
Does it look like the website creator paid attention to
detail? Check your details. Check each link. Run the spell
check. Check your website on different screen resolutions.
Check your website in different browsers. Make sure the text
font, color and size is consistent on all web pages. Pay
attention to little things, like text wrapping around
graphics in a less-than-conventional manner, or too much
space at the bottom of a page, or your text running farther
down the page than your navigation bar. Little things can
spell the difference between a clean, professional looking
website and a sloppy looking one. If you aren't being a
perfectionist about your website, then people will assume
that you won't be a perfectionist in your business, either.
Can I glance at the headers, scan the page and get the gist?
Research had shown time and time again that readers on the
web do not read. They scan. They scan headers and first
lines of paragraphs. Only if they see something that catches
their interest, will they read deeper. Do not expect every
line of your text to be read, but write every line as if it
will be read.
Did I build my website with my user (and not myself or my
company) in mind? If you did, then your user will probably
never realize it. And that's a good thing. The website
should feel smooth to him, natural. He should navigate
through the site almost as if it were second nature, like a
favorite pair of blue jeans.
Is the order process simple, straightforward and fast? Once
the client has decided to buy, the process should take no
longer than a couple of minutes. Don't ask him for any
information that you do not directly need to complete his
order. Keep it short, sweet and super simple.
To set up a free, no-pressure
appointment with one of our representatives, call us at:
941.705.1388.
Although we are located in Bradenton, Florida, we will
personally visit customers in Sarasota, Venice, Tampa,
Lakeland, Orlando, Jacksonville, Ellenton, Palmetto, Myakka,
Siesta Key, Bird Key, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton Beach, Anna
Maria Island, Tidy Island, Cortez and other accompanying
cities. We also boast clients from Chicago, Ukraine, Los
Angeles, Myakka, Sarasota, Ellenton, Braidwood, Joliet,
Longboat Key, Little Rock and Manhattan.
