Are Websites Really Interactive?
We so often hear the term “interactive media,” when referring to websites. I understand the underlying sentiment that users can come in and navigate through to where they want to go, they can spend time with the pages they like the best, and leave if they aren’t happy. And on sites that allow for UGC, they can even “talk” to you or others about your services or product.
The problem I have with labeling this activity as “interactive” is that clients often confuse it with “conversation.” This so often means that clients create their sites as if they are actually having a dialogue with their customers. When in fact, the user is there to “pull” information from their site. If they don’t find the information they are looking for, quickly and easily, they leave.
There is no chance for a company representative to say “no wait, we actually do have exactly what you’re looking for,” or “in fact, we do provide that service, maybe I just wasn’t explaining it right.”
Think about the conversations your sales people have at trade shows. Potential clients/customers come to your booth and you explain what you sell, the service you provide, your point of difference, etc… Then they have a chance to ask questions, and if it seems like they aren’t quite getting the benefits of doing business with you, the sales person can try a different tack. That is “interacting.” Online, if your website isn’t providing information in a succinct manner that lines up with the user’s query, you don’t have the luxury of changing your tack and trying again.
That’s why your content needs to be written from the users’ point of view, not yours. It has to be written to make it easy for them to find what they’re looking to “pull” and not what you’re looking to “push.”
