You need to buy something so where do you go to research it?  Of course - you go online to research...   

You try one site. It's very plain, but pricing, services,and contact information is listed clearly.  You aren't excited enought to continue on with this site so you hit the back button and you make a mental note to return if you can't find anything more exciting.   

This next site hits you with a Flash intro (with no skip option) and after a few seconds where nothing happens you hit the back button and try another site. Another Flash but there's a "skip intro" ...great - click, and you're in the site - but this site doesn't offer pricing, you need to fill out a form for a salesperson to respond - someday.

You keep this up until you find a site that offers you a balance of the information that you're looking for delivered in a way that engages you.

Sound familiar?  It's what we all do and it should tell you something very important about your site. If your site is not easily navigable, entertaining visually, relevant and up-to-date, you are asking potential customers to click the back button.  You are not a "friendly" site.

These are users - potential customers who are actively searching for YOUR products and have come to YOU for that product - you can't get a hotter lead than that.

Here are five things you need to do to make your Web site "friendly":

1. Help your customers find what they are looking for. How easy is it to navigate your site? Is your navigation system clear? easy to find? comprehensive? Do your users have to poke around clicking things until something happens?

On the other side of the coin - is your navigation system confusing?  Is it a bit too cool or trendy or artsy/ Is it necessary to show your user that you have a "creative eye" at the expense of usability?  Or is your navigation list so long with an endless scrolling list of all the things you offer that the user is expected to read through 20 or more items to find what they want? 

Let's review a small retail Web site- they are using pictures of items for navigation. When you mouse over the picture, the item jumps out and reveals it's subject... It's very clever but is it practical?  Does it deliver the information you are looking for quickly and easily?  If it were a aisle in a shop would the subject be hidden in this way or labeled clearly?

Never give your potential customer an assignment - never tell them - well you need to learn "my" navigation before you can get satisfaction from my site - because they just won't stick around. That back button is looming up there waiting to take them to a far far better place. A place called Google with a list of other sites serving them the information that they need in a more clear manner. It's up to you to make your site worth sticking around.

2. Serve clear,relevant and evergreen information. Viewers visit your site to get information make a purchase. Make it as easy as possible to find the information or the product I came here for - you have three seconds - go!

Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make is pricing secrecy. You'd be annoyed if you walked into a shop and had to fill out a form to get the price of a can of peas. Obviously, there are some situations where you can't or won't publish your price list.  Many clients tell me they don't want their competition to have this information.  Come on!  It's not a state secret - if they want to find out what you charge, they will find out.  But if you keep it from them you are keeping it from potential buyers as well, is this a smart move? Customers want instant information. Give it to them.

keep your information evergreen - this means update your site regularly. Many companies throw together their Web site and then forget about it, make sure to keep it fresh and give returning viewers a reward for returning with updated information and visuals. 

3. Keep it simple.  Keep pictures, large text, flashing banners, sound and gratuitous imagery to a minimum. Only use images that enhance your message and make sure they are optimized for the web - studies show that web pages that take longer to download are often abandoned before the download can complete.

For example, I have one new client (remaining nameless) who came to me with very high end products, but the Web site was a noisy, flashy, unfortunately colored, gaudy mish mosh. It dropped the percieved value of the company and it's products.  Don't look like you are peddling junk.  The redesign increased the company's percieved relevance in the industry and as a result the bottom line.
 
4. Industry specific terms and buzzwords may be your day to day language, you may talk RFP's and IPS's all day long, but your potential clients may not know this new language.  Don't confuse your customer. If you are using an acronym or a buzzword - define it right there, clearly.

This goes farther to tag lines and slogans - get to the point. What exactly does your slogan mean? Do you have a bunch of slogans?  Many tag lines, all clever but not really saying anything important?  Really, what are you saying?  What are clients looking for when they reach your site? How can you give it to them quickly and cleanly?
 
5. Test your site often. Don't just test it yourself but enlist others to test it as well.  Others who aren't privy to your business, your products or your services. Observe their progress through your site.  Do you notice they are stalled at the home page? Are they having trouble finding something?  As questions pop up don't answer them, but do take note that if this person had a problem - it's not because he's stupid, it may be because although you think you were clear - you weren't. You can't be in the room with every visitor to your site - use this as an indication of typical browsing and address it. 

The Nielsen Norman Group (www.nngroup.com) recently tested 42 redesigned Web sites. Owners of those sites spent an average of 10% of their Web budget on addressing usability issues. Average site usability increased 135%, yeilding an increase in conversion rate (sales from the site) a full 100%. 

These are impressive numbers and what they say to me is - you can't afford NOT to make sure that your site is "friendly".

Copyright April 20, 2007 by Dawn Amato - Rudolph - Sidewalk Designs, Inc 

Is there an issue that you would like Dawn to address?  If so contact Dawn at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell her what you're thinking.