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A morning show, talk show, or cable show featuring one of your products can get your brand and your products in front of millions of people who likely have never heard of you. And unlike advertising, this exposure comes with an implied (and sometimes overt) endorsement.

Here are some quick tips to help make sure you squeeze everything possible out of this moment. http://www.imerex.com/prepare_your_website_for_upcoming_product_mention_on_tv_show.php

Don’t let an opportunity  pass without make sure your website is ready!

Roxanne Lott Digital Marketing, Marketing internet marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, TV appearance, website marketing

Usability and the Human Mind was the name of the seminar I attended in Atlanta on Monday the 22nd. It was an entire day spent talking about the psychological factors that should influence usability.

It was a day well spent. It reinforced many of the recommendations we give clients regarding site usability and also provided us with the studies that explain the recommendations.

Surprisingly, studies show that user behavior hasn’t changed much over the years. So even with faster internet connections, fancier computers and lots of neat new technology, we still:

• Have a strong reliance on the back button
• Get confused with multiple browser windows (which is different from tabbing)
• Close pop-ups before we look at them (and in some cases before they even fully load)
• Ignore many ads
• Scan a page and look for elements that appear click-able
• Spend little time on each individual website (less than 2 minutes!)

So how can these points help in building a site?  Below are a few quick tips to help: 

Tip #1

• Don’t create a site that forces users to open multiple windows to compare items. We don’t like it and it confuses us. 
• Do Help us compare items with proper usability (let us check off a few items and compare them on one page).

Tip #2

• Don’t put really important information in a pop-up windows. We probably won’t see it/read it. So when all the calls come into customer service asking about the very thing you used the pop-up window to explain, you’ll know why.
• Do put important information right on the page. Making it a pop-up doesn’t help it stand out, it actually keeps us from reading it.

Tip #3

• Don’t make everything on the site click-able. That won’t help us as we scan the page.
• Do differentiate the few places that are click-able through proper usability. For example, we tend to think of things in blue text as click-able.  So if you use blue text, do so sparingly and to illustrate click-ability.

Tip #4

• Don’t take too long to get to the point. Remember we’ll only be on the entire site (not the page) for less than 2 minutes because we are highly task oriented when online.
• Do, make it easy to see and read the most important information. If we want more information, we’ll take the time to read the rest.

Usability is a critical component to online success. If you find yourselves guessing at elements, where they should be placed and what may “look right” you may want to find an expert to help.

Roxanne Lott Website Usability Content, usability, Website Design, Website Usability

Learning about content usability and writing for the web is a process that builds upon a set of principles meant to work together. Without good usability, well-written content is rendered useless.

My previous post stressed the importance of creating a website that does not overwhelm, confuse or annoy the end user.  This leads to my last misconception about what users expect from a website.

Misconception #3: Showing your creative side through unexpected layouts and navigation delights users and lets them know “you’re different” than your competition.

Unfortunately, this just isn’t so when it comes to web usability. As I mentioned in my very first post, one of the best practices for good usability is to remove the ambiguity regarding the consequence of an action.

Creativity works in other mediums, but the best websites utilize consistent, expected design that users find easy to navigate and understand.

What I’ve learned: When users search for information on the web, they do not want to “work” at gathering information.

 A good rule of thumb is to simplify, simplify, simplify. Getting caught up in the aesthetics of a website can often steer the usability in the wrong direction and create a site that is confusing and ambiguous to a first-time user.

I’ve learned to treat all sites as if I’ve never heard of the product before. Working on websites from that perspective allows me to keep my primary purpose in mind and that is to make it easy for a user to get the information they want.
 
To recap, well-written web content and proper usability comes from understanding a few key principles:

• Users don’t read online the same way they read offline. Online they scan for actionable content.
• Concise, meaningful content garners the greatest results.
• Uniformity, consistency and manageable chunks of information are the hallmarks of good content usability.
• Users don’t want to work for the information they are seeking. Adhere to the standards of good web design and create a website that is easy to  use and understand.

Keia Mastrianni Website Content, Website Usability Online Content, usability, Website Usability