Thou Shalt Not. . . You may not always obey the Ten Commandments, but you'd better follow these 3 cardinal laws of Web site design.
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In business today, image is everything. It not only sets yourcompany apart from others, but also creates trust and establishesyour brand. A Web site is no exception. Creating a poorly designedone is like using an inkjet printer to print out your companybrochure. So if your site's traffic has recently slowed to acrawl, perhaps the problem is as basic as forgetting why you have aWeb site in the first place.
"[Different goals] can result in very different Web sitedesigns," says Chuck Norris, manager of network development atINTERVU Inc., a streaming video/audio company in San Diego. Forevery great Web site, there are thousands more that bomb at thestarting gate. "Righting" the wave is easy and can makethe difference between profit or loss. If you fear your Web sitemight be missing the mark, maybe it's because you'rebreaking one of the three commandments of Web site design.
Commandment Number 1: Thou shalt not bury or eliminatetelephone numbers and a snail-mail address.
Results: Users get frustrated and click elsewhere, muchto the joy of your competitors. Despite the recent Net rumor thatposting conventional contact information is "out," makingit difficult for prospects to contact you is self-defeating. No onewould ever take out a full-page ad in the newspaper and then burycontact numbers somewhere on the bottom of the page in tiny typeor, worse yet, deliberately exclude contact numbers altogether.
Solution: Bill Cullifer, founder and president of theWorld Organization of Webmasters (WOW), a nonprofit tradeassociation, suggests, "Whether you want people to contact youvia [a toll-free] number, voice mail only, a P.O. Box or a streetaddress, make it easy for them. Be consistent and put [the contactinformation] on every Web page." One way is to post contactnumbers at the bottom of every page along with your copyrightnotice; another is to use a clickable button, such as "contactus."
Commandment Number 2: Thou shalt not add too much Java,graphic elements or content that's meaningless tousers.
Results: Overdosing on Java can cause slow downloads,making users lose interest and go elsewhere. If users do wait outthe download only to find text that doesn't provide what theyneed, they'll leave anyway. Paul Chamberlain, manager of onlinemarketing at INTERVU, points out, "Too much of anything on aWeb site weighs down the user's experience. It's contentthat sets sites apart."
Cullifer agrees: "Simple is better. If you understand youraudience, you should understand their hardware. So if you'remarketing to high-tech companies, you can bet they have high-endhardware and fast Internet connections. It all depends on yourmarket. If users can't download a billboard in a nanosecond,you need to rethink your site."
Solution: It shouldn't be hard to find a 486 computerwith a 28.8 Kbps modem or slower. Use it to test your site fordownload speed. Be objective. If just waiting for your home page toload makes you G-r-r-r-r, it's time to get professionalassistance for your site. Think about using animation to lightenthe load, though not to the exclusion of Java.
Also, have a few trusted associates critique the site'stext. Find professionals who have an interest in your success. Askyour banker, accountant, a few suppliers and customers; better yet,a reputable editor. Print the main sections and ask them tohighlight what they think is superfluous.
The results can be surprising, mostly because nearly everyonehas a tendency to "oversell" or provide too muchinformation. We think the more a potential customer knows, the morelikely he or she will buy our products. In reality, though,information overload has the opposite effect: Instead of leading toa sale, it leads to an exit. Look at it this way: Who wants to geteyestrain reading the fine print about a product?
Commandment Number 3: Thou shalt not create in-your-faceego sites that scream "Me, me, me!"
Results: Users can't find any real benefits and leavethe site. Remember, exit signs equal flat sales. Your company'smedia releases should take a back seat on the site. Lengthy screensfull of company information and bios won't sell products.
Solution: Ask yourself what attracts you to a siteor a retail store. Human nature doesn't change just because theexperience is virtual. Customers are attracted to a product becausethey like it and it fills a need. The stronger these emotionsbecome, the more a customer moves toward buying the product.It's at this point they might need or want more detailedinformation--might being the key word. The choice should beup to the consumer. Offering too much data before this point caneasily kill the sale.
Write short paragraphs that focus on customer benefits. Forexample, the fact that "Big Deal" company is yourcustomer isn't as important as the fact that you increased BigDeal's sales by 30 percent in sixmonths . . . and maybe could do the same forthis user.
When developing site content, Norris advises focusing on themessage and taking advantage of the Web's immediacy."Unlike more traditional advertising media [like TV and printads], where customers are passively exposed to your product,everyone visiting your Web site wants to be there. They camelooking for you," he says. "Make sure they haveeverything at their fingertips necessary for completing the sale.Keep the message tight and think like an advertising copywriter.Squeeze it and distill it down to the essence of themessage."
Lynn Manning Ross (http://www.lmanning-ross.com) isan executive coach and new-media consultant with a 20-yearbackground in strategic planning. She is the author ofBusinessplan.com: How To Write A Web-Woven Strategic Business Plan(The Oasis Press, $19.95, 800-228-2275).
Sites To See
As you're designing and editing your way from sinning towinning, stop by these effective sites:
- Onradio (http://www.onradio.com): Onradio wasone of the first companies to integrate radio with the Internet.Java notwithstanding, Onradio's home page is very effective.The graphics and message are clean and to the point, and visitorscan click around the site quickly. Although press releases are anoption for those who want additional information, none of the mediaheadlines are posted on the home page. Bios and backgroundinformation are kept to a minimum.
- Roland International (http://www.rolandintl.com), acompany that provides professional speakers for events,demonstrates how rapidly a home page with photographs and a minoramount of animation can download. This site, too, lets users gowhere they want and find what they need. Overall, this home pageprojects a credible image while covering basic points in a smallamount of space. Photographs on a home page, though, should be usedonly if they enhance your particular business, as they dohere.
- Spyzone (http://www.spyzone.com) sellssurveillance cameras and other security products. This is anexciting, yet simple, design concept. For instance, a brief messageappears in the middle circle as the cursor passes over the smallsquares surrounding it. Everything about this site isuser-friendly. In addition to offering seven languages, it letscustomers quickly order products, find what they need or be addedto a mailing list.
Seek Guidance
These resources can help you create a better Website:
- INTERVU Inc. (http://www.intervu.net) provides alow-cost means of bringing recorded video and audio to your Website. All major audio and video formats are available.
- Onradio (http://www.onradio.com): Onradio ishome to a variety of content providers that have developed assortedgames, sweepstakes and contests that translate well from radio tothe Web.
- WebWrite (http://libweb.uncc.edu/ref-bus/vibehome.htm):WebWrite can help you design and manage Web sites. Free resourcesinclude CGI, Java and JavaScript tutorials.
Answered Prayers
By G. David Doran
Don't despair--these days, you don't have to be aWebhead to build and maintain an e-commerce site. A number ofaffordable, easy-to-use software packages let you build attractiveonline storefronts from the ground up or add e-commerce capabilityto existing Web sites.
All you need to bring your site online is an ISP that offerssecure, real-time credit-card processing to host your site; amerchant account to hold the money you'll make; and a marketingstrategy to bring in customers. Then look out, Amazon.com!
Capable of importing any graphic-file format, ecBuilderPro will build a storefront featuring your company colors andlogos. The software also automatically submits your site to as manyas eight Internet search engines.
ecBuilder Pro / Multiactive Software Inc.
(800) 804-6299
List price: $499
Equipped with a built-in search engine to help customers findproducts more quickly, Commerce Court Lite can showcase upto 500 products and automatically notify you of new orders viae-mail.
Commerce Court Lite / INEX
(888) 487-INEX
List Price: $595
Shopping Cart Professional lets customers easily accessthe current status of their orders and supports multiple foreignlanguages.
Shopping Cart Professional
WebGenie Software LLC
+61 8 8226 7382
List price: $495
HoTMetaL Application Server is a scalable e-commercesolution for advanced Web developers. Perfect for online softwarevendors, HoTMetaL supports HTTP file uploading so visitors can viewfiles through their Web browsers.
HoTMetaL Application Server / SoftQuad Software
(800) 237-2777
List price: $495
JustAddCommerce adds a shopping cart system to sitesbuilt with Microsoft's FrontPage 98 and supports multiplecurrencies.
JustAddCommerce / Rich Media Technologies
(303) 221-3023
List price: $295
G. David Doran is a freelance writer. For reviews of othersite-building programs, see "E-Ware".
Contact Source
INTERVU Inc.,pr@intervu.net, http://www.intervu.net
World Organization of Webmasters,wbc@worldwebmasters.org
