If you were to walk into a business establishment, but you
couldn't find the products that were being offered for sale
or someone that could help you, chances are pretty good
that you would leave, right? When you look at a website
that's poorly designed, the same things happened. Visitors
who can't immediately figure out a website are more than
likely going to go back to the web search page to see what
other sites are available. It's a matter of creating a user
friendly site - and here's how you can do it.
Step #1: Think Less is More
Many businesses think that adding a lot of bells and
whistles to a website is the way to increase their customer
traffic. When you have a lot of graphics, Java
applications, and other add-ons, you're not only going to
confuse your visitor, but you are also going to overwhelm
them. These are distractions that will make your website
load slowly and, for some visitors, it may not load at all.
You need to start thinking about creating a website where
less is more. You want to include the things that your
customer needs in order to learn more about your business
and to buy products or schedule services. Everything else
is taking away from the basic goals of your business -
which is also taking away your ability to make money.
Here are some things that you will want to remove from your
website, or at least from the home page. Visitors make
their decisions about your website from the first page they
see, so this is where you need to quickly establish a
professional impression.
Remove bright colors. Remove flashing words. Remove video
clips (unless that's your business). Remove animated
graphics.
Step #2: Remember the Basic Things Your Customer Needs
Like the first step, you need to realize that less is more.
There are only a few things that a customer needs when
they enter your site:
A home page that identifies who you are and what you sell.
An About Us page that talks about the company. A list of
products. A way to pay for things. A place to get help or
contact information.
Try to look at this list as a check list of the things you
absolutely have to include in order to be user friendly.
These are things that a website visitor is going to look
for, so when you don't include them, you will confuse them
and often make them look for another website that is more
accessible in terms of their needs.
Step #3: Make Sure Contact Information/Help is Available
A way to contact you can be as simple as an email address,
while other websites have 'live' support desks. In most
cases, as long as there is a way for a customer to get
help, this will help them in their experience with you.
You might want to include a FAQ or frequently asked
questions section that will help them with basic queries,
while offering an email address for more complicated
questions. A phone number is another easy way for
customers to contact you and for them to feel like you are
always available for their needs.
Extra Credit: Look to Other Successful Websites
If you still aren't sure what to include and what not to
include on your website, look at other websites that you
frequent. You will notice this formula is the same. They
offer simple ways to access different features, without
being confusing or too energetic.
You can also include a comments section for visitors to
tell you about their website experience so that you can
make adjustments as necessary too.
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Scott Oliver offers free video coaching to help you build a
profitable home business FAST. Get an hour of "Website
Traffic Secrets" and "Minisite Creation Tactics" for FREE
-- immediate access here:
http://www.InstantWebsiteBusiness.com
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