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.

Website Usability Content, usability, Website Design, Website Usability

My last post was an introduction to website usability and the new writing rules I encountered while working at a digital marketing firm. I discovered a distinct style for web writing and learned how people read copy on websites.

For the first time, I learned about website usability, the ease of which a person can complete a desired task on a web page and how that affects the way a website presents information to the end user. Today, I share with you one of the largest misconceptions I had when it came to writing web content.

Misconception #1: Reading is reading. People read the same way, whether offline or online, which means that the same content can be used in both places.

This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, there is a world of difference between the way users approach online content and offline mediums. While working at a digital marketing firm, I learned that websites are an active medium and offline mediums are passive meaning people go online with a mission or intent while offline readers may not be actively searching for something.

Much to my surprise, this means that online users do not read web copy as they would a book. Instead, users scan websites for actionable content, useful information that will move them closer to their initial intention. I soon discovered that this changes how copy should be written for the web and set out to retool my efforts.

What I’ve learned: Writing concise actionable content is the way to create web content that will actually get read.

I learned to cut down the fluff when I write for the web. Jakob Nielsen’s website, useit.com, offers some good tips to think about when writing web content.

• Use concise scannable text that contains highlighted keywords
• Use meaningful sub-headings, not clever ones.
• Bulleted lists help users scan
• One idea per paragraph
• Begin with the conclusion or insight first, also called inverted pyramid style
• Use half the word count you would use in conventional writing

Learning these simple concepts has helped me create content that aids users in their search for information. My next hurdle was content usability. I discovered that it’s not just what you write, but how you arrange it on a webpage that also counts.

Digital Marketing, Website Content, Website Usability Content, Online Content, site layout, Website Content, Website Usability

Wikipedia defines web usability as an approach to make web sites easy to use for an end-user, without requiring her (or him) to undergo any specialized training. The user should be able to intuitively relate the actions he needs to perform on the web page, with other interactions he sees in the general domain of life e.g. press of a button leads to some action. The broad goal of usability can be:

1.  Present the information to the user in a clear and concise way.
2. To give the correct choices to the users, in a very obvious way.
3. To remove any ambiguity regarding the consequences of an action e.g. clicking on delete/remove/purchase.
4. Put the most important thing in the right place on a web page or a web application.

As you can see, website usability involves a variety of integral disciplines including layout and design, content and navigation. As a copywriter, I was surprised to learn how critical content writing was to good website usability.

I discovered several misconceptions when I first began writing for the web. Each day I will review a new misconception in hopes of helping others avoid making the same mistakes.

Website Content, Website Design, Website Usability Content, Digital Marketing, Online Content, usability, Website Usability

Small business owners are the engine of the U.S economy, and as a group, they rightly have a great deal to be proud of. When it comes to their company’s website however, their past success can be a hindrance.

As someone who often works with small business owners, below are the 3 most common mistakes we correct on their websites.

Mistake #1: Too much information on the home page

Because they have so much personally invested in their company’s accomplishments they place everything, including the kitchen sink, on their home page. Every service, every product, every press item, they want to find a way for it to all be front and center. Unfortunately, that leaves a home page where nothing stands out and users have no idea where to look.

A properly designed home page creates interest and drives users further into the site. That’s it. The rest of the website provides additional detail in the areas, products, or services that interest the user.

A home page should introduce users to the company, and tell them quickly (within 3 seconds):

• What this company does
• Why they should spend more time on this site (Point of Difference)
• Where they should click to get more details for whatever product or service they are interested in.

Mistake #2: Pride and emotion driving website decisions

Many small business owners are emotionally invested in and proud of their businesses, as they should be. They have had to trust their instincts on the road to success.

When it comes to their website, for many it is outside their area of expertise. This is not true only from a technical standpoint, but from a business standpoint as well. This is one area where industry knowledge, instincts and knowing their customers may not be enough.

Understanding how users behave online is a critical component when making decisions that affect a website.

• Gather data (through Google Analytics or other analytic tool), analyze the data, and understand how people are interacting with your site.
• Do an online competitive analysis. Know who your competitors are when potential clients search for the products or services you provide. You may be surprised to find your online competitors are different from your offline competition.
• Get to know your online competitor’s websites. Are theirs easier to use, or easier to understand?

Armed with accurate data and not emotion, you can make decisions that are right for your business and your website.

Mistake #3: Website content written using internal company language

The best use of a website is as a place where potential customers, who are looking for products or services like yours but who don’t know you exist, can find you. The website will introduce your business to potential customers. If it speaks to users who have never heard of your company, you can rest assured it is useful to those that have.

In order to write content that speaks to complete strangers make sure you do not use:

• Internal company language (every business has some forms of short hand)
• Industry acronyms (you’ll lose out on those new to the industry)
• Colorful language that is cute or funny to those who know you (outsiders may not get it or find it cute)

Read your website content and ask yourself, if I were speaking to a total stranger at a party, is this exactly how I would describe my business? And if so, would they understand it or would I need to explain further. If you would need to provide additional explanation, then the content will not be clear to a new user. Unfortunately, online you will not have the opportunity to clarify, because the user will have already clicked off your site and on to a competitor’s.

Take some time to look at your website with fresh eyes the way a new visitor would. If you find your site has any of these common mistakes, rest assured that you are not alone. Then, create a plan to fix them. Once you have tackled these problems, you will see how much more powerful a business tool your website can be.

Digital Marketing, Website Design business to business, competitive analysis, Content, Online Content, Online Marketing, Small Business, Website Content, Website Design, Website Usability

When people do business on the web, they often lose sight of the competitive environment they live in simply by existing as a website. This is an important fact for business owners and how they relate to their online consumer.

Say you have a website that sells hats. Now, imagine the website as a brick and mortar that sits in a strip mall full of stores that sell hats. To your left is a hat store and to your right is another hat store. Next to those stores are more hat stores and so forth. Online, this is exactly what your potential customers see.

If I am a customer walking in this strip mall, why would I want to choose your store? Does your store invite me to shop? Does it stand out from the other shops or does it get lost in the clutter? This is how customers view websites. Imagine they are walking down this row of shops deciding which one to enter. They may enter your shop simply because you are the store closest to their car. If your store is far away, there better be something that catches their attention and encourages them to take the trip to your store.

Once a person decides to enter your store, what will they see once they arrive? Is your store well organized so that your customer can find exactly what they are looking for? Or is the store a disheveled mess?

When designing a website, it is imperative that you think of your site in this way.  Good usability makes it easy, convenient and pleasant for someone to shop online or else they’ll simply walk out of your store and move on to the next. After all, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of stores selling the exact same thing.

Users want to be able to find things quickly and with as little distraction as possible. They do not want to have to sift through unnecessary clutter. If your site appears this way, they can move on in just a couple of clicks.

Website Design, Website Usability Content, Online Content, Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Small Business