| If customers don't stick around on your website long | | | | meaning. |
| because they find it confusing, frustrating or boring, | | | | For example, don't use red for headers on one page, |
| ultimately, your business will struggle to make any | | | | red for hyperlinks on another, and red as standard |
| sales online. | | | | text somewhere else. |
| The great news for you is there are tons of quick | | | | To Do: Check all your web pages appear to be part |
| and easy - usually free ways - to make your website | | | | of the main site and that they are consistent with |
| more appealing to your customers. | | | | each other. Are there any "nasty surprises" |
| Here's 5 you can apply today. | | | | depending on the part of the site you're in? |
| 1. Site Search Is Easy to Access When you have | | | | 4. Emphasis (bold, etc.) Is Used Sparingly It's a fact |
| more than 20 pages, it's a good idea to add a search | | | | of human psychology: try to draw attention to |
| facility. Make sure your site search is prominent. | | | | everything and you'll effectively draw attention to |
| Usability guidelines tend to prefer the upper-right | | | | nothing. We've all seen that site, the one with a red, |
| corner of the page. Keep the button label simple and | | | | blinking, underlined "NEW!" next to everything. Don't |
| clear - "Search" still works best for most sites. Don't | | | | be that guy or gal. |
| unleash your powers of lateral thinking and swap in a | | | | Remember, if your site's graphic design is |
| word like "Retrieve". Keep it simple | | | | counter-intuitive and doesn't help visitors get |
| To Do: Just using your search, try to find 3 pages of | | | | something done quickly, it's going to make your site |
| content. Is that process "quick, easy and | | | | much slower and difficult to work with. |
| straight-forward"? Or is it "hit and miss"? | | | | Slow, awkward sites never, ever, ever, delight your |
| 2. Ensure Your Webpages Can Be Skim-read easily. | | | | customer or create a good rapport online. |
| Few people read word for word online; the vast | | | | Visitors will be back at the search engine in seconds |
| majority skim-read to get a sense of the page | | | | if they find your website "complicated" or "busy". |
| before they read any of it in detail. Make it easy for | | | | To Do: Check your website is only highlighting critical |
| visitors to skim-read your content. Always use | | | | factors you absolutely need your visitors to gaze at |
| headings and bullets to break up text. | | | | or click on order to meet your online business goals. |
| Think about it. If a heading is not relevant for your | | | | Menus, buy buttons, opt-in boxes and so on |
| visitor, they can easily skim down to the next | | | | 5. Keep Your Ads & Pop-ups Unobtrusive |
| heading, making it straightforward for them to get | | | | Ads are a fact of life, but integrate them nicely into |
| directly to the information they need. | | | | your site. Don't try to force ads and pop-ups down |
| Always keep your text in manageable chunks, not an | | | | peoples' throats; you'll end up creating frustration for |
| unbroken wall of words, like insurance small print so | | | | your visitors. Also, do people a favour and make |
| it's easier for customers to look up what they want | | | | your ads clear. If you blur the line between ads and |
| right away and with confidence - which is critical if | | | | content too much, your content may suffer, since |
| they are making a buying decision. | | | | many people have developed "banner blindness" |
| To Do: Give your website a quick review and make | | | | when it comes to surfing, and might overlook some |
| sure all your text is broken up into clear, manageable | | | | important content by mistake. |
| sections. | | | | To Do: Doublecheck if your popup window is |
| 3. Keep Your Styles & Colours Consistent Make sure | | | | significantly increasing your opt-in rate. If it isn't you |
| people know they're still on your site by being | | | | could be annoying present and future customers |
| consistent - confuse them and you'll lose them. Keep | | | | unnecessarily. |
| the look and feel of your website sections consistent | | | | Final Word |
| and avoid any radical changes. Visitors can get | | | | Always make sure you view your website through |
| confused and think they have left your site | | | | the eyes of the customer and not through your |
| accidentally. | | | | eyes, the website owner. |
| Layout, headings, and styles should be consistent | | | | Make sure there are no red-flags on your site that |
| site-wide, and colours should usually have the same | | | | are going to frustrate, confuse or bore customers. |