Website Effectiveness

Part 1

In my previous blog, Internet Marketing, I introduced steps your small business can start using to grow your business on the web.

Continuing with the series, we'll start with Website Effectiveness. I mentioned that your website is your "storefront." Remember your website's purpose is to attract customers and keep them coming back for more. Our first step to determine our website's effectiveness will be to sit down and evaluate the site. A good evaluation will take about one to three hours.

Let's begin by pulling up the website. Pretend you are a new prospect and ask yourself the following questions. Or better yet, find someone who has never seen your site before and ask them to answer the following questions.

1. Where do your eyes go first?
   A visitor to your website typically has an attention span of only a few seconds. This means your website must "suck" them in that amount of time. Make sure the first thing they see or notice is something interesting enough to buy you more time.
2. Do you know right away what this website is about?
   Again, you have limited time to get your message across. If there are too many distractions, a site visitor may never know what you are selling.
3. Is the important information "above the fold?"
   Most site visitors want to know the details without doing a lot of work. If they have to scroll down to find the main idea, they will likely leave earlier than you'd like. Make sure your that your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is clearly spelled out. Make it clear and prominent on your site.
4. Can you easily find the benefits of the product/service?
   A visitor to your site want to learn as much as possible about the benefits of your product or service. Features are important, too, but the most important thing a visitor can take away is a sense that this product or service will make an impact in their life...for the better.
5. Is there a clear call to action?
   If customers like what they see, it is important to move them along quickly. There should be a prominent, clear call to action on your website. Your call to action may be to buy now, start a free trial, learn more or something else. Make sure that you are not sending mixed messages with too many calls to action. Choose the one or two that matter most and make them easy to find.
6. Are the colors and images aesthetically pleasing?
   If your website is too busy or jarring, you will lose visitors. Take a little time to coordinate colors and to implement high quality images that add to your message.
7. Is the font easy to read?
   Make sure your font is easy to read and is not distracting. Don't get fancy, just stick with a simple, sans-serif font in a contrasting color to the background.
8. Are there bulky sections of writing anywhere on your page?
   Long, bulky paragraphs are likely to get skipped. Try breaking up your copy into smaller sections that get the point across quickly.

Part 2 of Website Effectiveness will be available the end of this week. Check back for the rest of the Website Effectiveness questions to finish your first step in your Internet Marketing success.