 |
Web Site Design Tips
More Web Site Design Tips 41. Respect Your Visitors' Privacy - And Tell Them! Never share or sell e-mail addresses to anyone external to your company, and be sure your customers are fully aware of this policy. Your company's privacy policy should always be clearly written and easily accessible. Per Forrester Research, Amazon's decision to not publish its privacy policy seriously affected (negatively) their ranking. 42. Respond Promptly to Inquiries One of the reasons that Amazon.com trailed TowerRecords.com in the Forrester survey was because of their slow response to customers' e-mails. You should always acknowledge inquiries from your customers, even when you know you won't be able to help them immediately. 43. Be Completely Honest This is one of the most crucial web site design tips to follow. If you aren't going to be able to help the customer, tell them right away instead of ignoring the request. They will remember it! 44. Tease Them for Additional Information The fundamental goal of every web site is to grab the visitors' attention, and entice them to be "converted" into customers. Depending on how your web site is structured, visitor conversion can take many forms. For example, it might require filling out a form to obtain additional information, or downloading a free "trial" version of a software product, requesting a free report or other, similar actions. The one thing they all have in common is the provision of additional information about themselves. 45. Analyze, Analyze, and then Analyze Again Most web sites see conversion rates of a meager one or two percent. Therefore consider this: 98 percent of all your hard-earned web site visitors move on without a trace (excluding the use of cookies). So it goes without saying that, even a tiny improvement in the conversion ratio can have a dramatic effect on profitability. 46. Be Authoritative - Visitor Conversion Is Crucial First, start with a clear view of your specific target audience. Then look at your your own web site through your visitors' eyes. Take a close look at where you have placed your navigation elements, including the effectiveness of any calls to action, how consistent your messaging is, and your build-up to the point of conversiont, among other things. 47. Customer is King - The Amazon Experience - Amazon could probably publish its own textbook filled with web site design tips. Amazon is simply obsessed with their customers' satisfaction, focusing on personalizing shopping experience via leading edge technology. Ever since its beginning, Amazon has focused relentlessly on providing outstanding customer service which has then engendered a high level of trust, with a correspondingly and consistently high sales volumes. They've earned their customers' loyalty by always providing secure transactions, by providing reliable shipping and order fulfillment, by offering a broad selection of products, and by emphasizing competitive price discounts. Since all of Amazon's Web site design decisions are based on customer usage data rather than on just aesthetics or their designers' instincts, they have managed to align their user interface with the company's single-minded goal of turning web site visitors into loyal customers. 48. Past Customer Records Provide a Window on Behavior Another of Amazon's web site design tips you should follow: using historical purchasing information to personalize the shopping experiences of its customer, altering pages in real time and adjusting them to individual interests and preferences. in addition, they encourage their customers to post their own reviews of products as well as lists of recommended items that others may be interested in. Search applications are also provided by Amazon uses within its site to make web site navigation highly intuitive and, thus, making the entire Amazon experience more personalized and friendly. 49. They Visit But They Don't Stay What's the point of investing all your time and money to obtain top search engine rankings, creating an affiliate network, and developing a 300-page web site when no one stays very long after arriving? This isn't really one of the biggest web site design tips but, rather, a reminder about what you are trying to avoid with your vistors. 50. Control Your Content Spend a couple of minutes reflecting on how frequently you really must update your site's content. For example, if your web site sells reports on new home sale trends your visitors will probably expect to see new content on the housing market fairly regularly. However, if you sell goods such as handyman hardware, you probably won't need to update your content quite as frequently.
Yes, I know... I can hear you saying "But I'm an entrepreneur, not a copywriter!" Well, here's my answer: Why don't you just try and see what you can accomplish? You'll probably even surprise yourself. Regardless of whether your writing isn't as flowing and clear as something written by a professional, your own enthusiasm for your products will certainly shine through to your visitors. Note that there are some situations in which I would seriously think about hiring a professional writer. If you're just not comfortable writing at all, or not comfortable with your content, then this is certainly the best approach. You'll also want to consider using a professional writer if your web site site is going to need frequent changes and updates to the content. Copywriting can be quite time-consuming. As a business owner, you'll have to determine the most cost-effective use of your time. Also be aware these web site design tips: First class copywriters often charge close to $250/hour, so forget about hiring one just to proofread what you've written. Any proofreader or editor can be hired for fees ranging between $15 and $50 an hour.
|
