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

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

You shouldn’t be sending leads to your website, your website should be sending leads to you.

“The thing is our website is where we send leads to get more information. It’s basically like a digital brochure.”

The next time you hear anyone in your marketing or sales department utter those words, let them know if that’s how they view the website, it would probably have been less costly to create some printed collateral to give potential customers then to invest in a website.

The Internet is the best way to let people you don’t know and who don’t know you, but who need what you have, find you.

Create a website so that it’s helpful to users who know nothing about you, and keep in mind that they will be stopping by your competitor’s sites as well. Help them understand what you do or sell and why they should consider doing business with you. For B2B sites (especially those with complex sales cycles), you don’t need to put every tiny detail about your business front and center.

Remember that for B2B sites that don’t have an e-commerce function (like selling white paper downloads, for instance) the goal of a website isn’t to close a potential sale, it’s to create interest. The website should introduce your company to the user in a way that gets you on their short list. You simply want them to say, “I should get more information from these guys.”

That’s why if you’re investing in a website, it should be more than a high-tech, high-priced, brochure. Brochure’s are generally given to people following some sort of interaction. They are given out after a sales person has provided some background on the business. Even a 30 second conversation can put the information that’s in the brochure into context.

That process is backwards. Rather than using a person to provide initial information and sending leads to your site for more information, create a website so it can be easily found and write it so it provides the necessary introductory information.

It will act as your best salesperson, working 24/7 to get your business in front any potential customer looking for what you provide. Done correctly, the website will lead them to you for more information.

Marketing, Website Content, Website Design B2B, business to business, Lead Generation, Leads, Online Content, Online Marketing, Small Business, Website Design, Website Usability

About a week ago, we had construction work done in our offices. Once the guys left, we thought maybe we should have the carpeting professionally cleaned.

Since we practice what we preach, we went online and Googled “professional carpet cleaning,” and some other similiar terms. That’s how we found the Stanley Steemer website, and clicked on commercial services.

Here’s a link to the page we were looking at: http://www.stanleysteemer.com/Home/CommercialServicesLanding/CleaningServices.aspx

The image they chose is a stock photo that has nothing to do with … anything. It’s a guy, pumping his fist because he’s so excited. Why? Because his carpets are super clean?

This led to a long conversation about just how many sites we come across that have totally irrelevant images, that do nothing to help inform, educate or otherwise add anything to a user’s experience.

Images aren’t window dressing on a website. They are as important as the words you choose. Pictures help users understand the content they’re about to read. In some cases, users can simply scan the image and not have to read the content to understand what the page is about.

Remember, there’s no such thing as “wasted” space on a website. And so often, these meangingless images take up some of the most important real estate on the site.

Website Design Content, Website Design, Website Usability

I recently tweeted about an article in Search Engine Land, written by veteran SEO Jill Whalen, titled “85 Reasons Why Website Designers/Developers Keep SEOs in Business.” I think Jill nailed the problem some web designers have with SEO, but it actually brings up a bigger issue that we talk with our clients about almost every day.

Simply put, web designers and developers are not marketing people. So, Jill is absolutely correct in her list of reasons why they keep SEOs in business. But there can be an addendum to that title, and it can include reasons why they keep SEOs, Usability and Marketing experts in business.

Web designers and programmers keep up with web design trends, the latest programming and available technology. That’s enough to keep most of them busy. And some are really very good at what they do.

But it’s unrealistic to think that they can also keep up with the latest usability standards, SEO (which is a constantly moving and changing field), and user behavior trends, all of which should be incorporated into the layout, architecture and wireframe of a website. And of course, the website content needs to incorporate messaging based on consumer insight, and that generally should not fall to the web designers either.

So the next time you’re looking to design or re-design your company’s site, keep in mind that there are different areas of expertise that all need to come together to create a successful website. It should incorporate the right technology for your needs and a design that accurately represents your business, and a marketing edge that will convert users into buyers.

I understand why, especially in this economy, designers and programmers want to market themselves as broadly as possible. But once you break it down, it’s easy to see why it would be so difficult to have true expertise spanning so many areas.

Website Design Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design, Website Usability