I recently visited a website referred to
me by a friend. She did not do the site design, but was interested
in my opinion.
When I arrived, I was impressed that it was
a lovely looking site. Lots of white space. Very clean
and crisp. And the absence of banners and ads was especially
refreshing.
But to my dismay, there was no text on the first page. Not even the name of the company! All that
was visible were some graphics, buttons, and a logo. There
was nothing telling me what the site was about.
Being a seasoned web surfer, I began to move
my mouse around to see if some text would eventually pop up.
And sure enough! There it was!
But if a newbie were to come upon
this site, would s/he know what to do?
From a marketing standpoint, a site like
this is immediately putting the business at a disadvantage.
It's practically a cardinal rule on the Internet that visitors
to your site must immediately know where they are and
where to go once they arrive.
Preferably, this information will be on your first page.
I have found when I first start out in a
"search mode," I'll usually take the time to investigate each
website that I've selected. However, after visiting several
sites and not finding what I'm looking for, I begin to get
frustrated. From that point on, I do nothing more than scan
the first page. If it doesn't tell me right away what I want
to know, I move on. I don't think my actions are different
from many others.
Not to disparage website designers because
there are some very talented people in the field, but there
are also some who seem to forget about the end-user.
Instead, they design for appearance -- to show off their artistic
and/or techie skills.
If you have hired someone to create your
website, never forget that you are still the owner of your business. Look carefully at what has been produced.
View it from the prospective customer's point of view.
Does it clearly say on the first page who
you are, what you do, and why the visitor should stay while?
If it doesn't, tell your designer!
Don't be intimidated by your lack of knowledge
in site design. Look at your site from a business viewpoint.
Once you've paid the designer, s/he will move on. But the
website that has been created is going to stay and become
your spokesperson.
Nan Yielding has nearly 10 years experience as an online business owner. She is the owner of Writing-Etc.com and offers internet marketing services and assistance to help website owners attract more customers and increase sales.
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