Hi everyone, best wishes for 2014 to you all
As well as building websites I have spent a fair amount of time surfing
them too, the two do go hand in hand and despite what you might think
there is a science to a website design and how to keep the consumer
interested, here's not the place to discuss all that fun stuff, besides
it will likely bore most of you anyway! I wanted to add to some of Ari
Kahan's accurate comments.
So again, I have jotted down a few notes (ok maybe not a few!), there's
a bit to read so maybe grab a coffee first... ;-)
So, it's one thing to get them to your site, but then you have to try to
get them to come back. Different things work for different types of
sites, but just like the old movie serials of our youth the basics of
any consumer experience should be to leave them satisfied at the end but
leave them wanting to come back for more.
Amazing customer service, speedy deliveries, first rate contact is
frankly what the consumer ALREADY expects but they also expect a surfing
experience that is not filled with annoying speed bumps along the way.
If there is one thing you should bear in mind when it comes to website
(design) specially when it comes to a webshop, there is no need for you
(or your web designer) to be cute! Being so different from almost every
other standard webshop out there just makes your site annoying to use.
No it's not fun, awesome or clever to be so different (even if you think
it is), purchasing things for money is not rocket science so please
don't make your consumer need a degree in it when they visit your website.
Now sure, you've done it on the cheap because a friend did it and it
looked great so you, your wife and your cousin's nephew Cletus have
slapped together a website with letters that blink (because you learnt
some html back in 1998), massive banners all over it (because you've got
a free program on your computer so how hard can it be), and purple on
black with green text is your favourite colour so use it everywhere.
"And new website? Pfffft! Your home-made design has worked all these
years so why change it now, besides this is not face to face to selling
like the good old days (love that phrase), and it's not like the real
world (well actually it IS the real world) and besides you have great
stuff that everyone wants so design shouldn't matter that much..."
Well maybe you shouldn't read on because to be honest the consumer today
has way different expectations for their surfing experience...
* TWO CLICK purchasing is very important, however these days there is
no real need to have to force the consumer to 'sign-up' first
either. We both know why you do it (so you can get their email to
direct market to them), but why not let them make the purchase with
the least amount of things to fill in as possible - as soon as they
have committed to pay they will happily hand over ALL their details.
* CONTACT PAGE if it has a form to fill in, try to make it with as
little information required as possible - do you really need to know
the writer's mother's maiden name or their dog's DNA just to allow
them to ask you a question? Develop the relationship during the
email exchanges not in the contact form. Also, if you are going to
take money off me then I really think it's fair that I know your
postal address and contact phone number.
* DO NOT HAVE 'Under Construction' on any part of your site, either:
your entire site is down for some brief maintenance or it is a
current website, the fact it needs some work done on it should never
be pointed out (but should be fixed immediately anyway!).
* ABOUT ME/US PAGE - have one, make it interesting and to the point -
it's not a diary of your life we want to read just what qualifies
you to sell me stuff.
* BE CURRENT - it's now 2014, how many of you have updated your
website to say (c) 2014 Joe Bloggs Posters? Actually, and this is
the scary thing....how many of you have updated your website's
copyright date, EVER?!
* SITE COUNTERS - I don't care how many people have visited your site
before I got there, none of us do - only you do - keep it to
yourself because site counters are so last century!
* GOOGLE ANALYTICS - the best site counter out there, it's free and a
MUST have, how else do you know your website is going?
* MENU - if I click on an item on your menu and it takes me to a page
that is either not there or 'Under Construction' then why-oh-why is
it ON the menu?!
* FIFTY FONTS - unless you think books and newspaper publishers got it
wrong then you should try to restrict the number of different fonts
you use on a website to maybe 2 or 3, and don't be too cute with the
font type just because it looks pretty...
* DO NOT force my browser to open new tabs every time I click on
something I want to read on YOUR website, but...
* DO force my browser to open new tabs every time I click on a link to
some OTHER website (allowing the client to leave your site by
closing the connection to it is just a NO-NO!)
* DON'T write content or articles but scan it as a picture to load on
your website to be read.
* TEXT SIZE - get it right because I've got money and if I can't read
about what I am buying you can't see my money.
* CROSS BROWSER FRIENDLY - yep, there is more than one out there and
they all don't 'render' (display) websites quite the same.
* FASHION SENSE - most of you leave it up to your wife to choose the
colours when it comes to decorating the house, picking the furniture
or even choosing the right tie for that function tonight, so why is
it you suddenly develop a sense of fashion when it comes to web
colours?! Again, there is a lot of science that goes into what
colours best combine with what...
* NEWSLETTERS - Absolutely! Keep your existing members up to date with
a newsletter (which MUST have an opt-out option - in almost all
countries this is law), but for goodness sake, make them interesting
and keep them BRIEF! Screeds of writing appeals to no-one (except
you), throw in a few images too. Think of your newsletter like that
daily online newspapers you now read, NONE of them will have the
full article on the homepage (unlike most real newspapers), all have
a title (some with an image) and then intro text with a link to
further reading. Rule of thumb: your entire monthly Newsletter
(emailed to your member) should be able to be printed on a standard
piece of printer paper (and still be readable), if it is more than
that then I will use a four letter word: EDIT. You have nothing to
say that is so important half the Amazon rain forest needs to be
culled...
o I would recommend using a professional newsletter delivery
company, these are a cheap and very professional options that
will allow you to use one of their (many) excellent templates,
deliver your newsletter to your mailing list and provide you
with feedback, such as how many were opened, what articles were
clicked on etc etc - you might think you know what your
customers like to read but stats don't lie...
* DISCOUNT CODES - (not to be confused with GIFT vouchers, also very
good, but not as popular as you think). These are great way to bring
people back, they're instant, can be time-restrictive (valid
until...) and dependent on the site design can also be restricted to
certain categories (e.g. 30% off 3 sheet posters this week-end etc),
these codes can often be included in your Newsletters too. They work
by allowing your client to type in the special code at the check-out
and it deducts the value automatically - excellent!
* OUT OF STOCK - Displaying lots of products for sale that is also
mixed in with products that are actually sold is simply poor design
and is extremely annoying for the consumer (despite all your logic,
pop along to Amazon etc and look at all their sold outs they display).
* PAYMENT OPTIONS is a hard one, ideally offer as many as you can but
reality is many can't afford all the costs that go with setting that
up - something like PayPal takes care of that, they take major
credit cards and they don't require your client to sign up - your
cost is deducted at purchase, there is no transaction fees, no
minimum monthly costs, no bank fees there is no annual SSL fees and
so on. Sure, if you have a big enough turnover then it is cheaper
the other way, but for most small dealers it is not - but you need
to work that out on a case by case basis.
* FLUFFY DICE AND NEON LIGHTS - if you run a webshop then please don't
let your web designer try to convince you to add all those extra
little bells and whistles because it's the latest most current
design trend - the basics of a retail experience hasn't changed: you
have what they want and they have what you want - so try and
exchange those things as quickly and as easily as possible. Far too
many web designer over complicate things because a basic design
website isn't as much fun or expensive as the geeky one he wants to
build you.
* EXTRAS offer more than just product, maybe have articles, info,
industry news etc etc - it brings them back, it can makes your
newsletter interesting (ergo they click to go to your website) and,
is very VERY good for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). I've gotten
to chat with people over the years who have some great information
in their head but it would be even better on their website.
* TRUST YOUR WEB DESIGNER because once you've checked them out and
committed then maybe let them do what they do best. Of course there
are some out there that will remove as much as possible from your
wallet as possible, this can be a rogue industry no doubt about it.
But there are some who care about the client as much as the design,
they will take care of you, it will be a personal experience for you
well worth paying the dollars for. Obviously check them out first
because sure, you can get a website for $399, but honestly it's a
commercial website for $399 - but really, what did you expect,
ongoing support, care and attention..?
* STOP being a cheap-ass! I understand your site is a
hobby/semi-commercial website and sure you don't have tens of
thousands of dollars to spend (nor do you have to) but you charge a
pretty penny for your product and won't spend a few dollars on a
good modern website/shop? Personally I love seeing $500 items for
sale on a $50 website, always fills me with confidence to buy...
* EVOLVE! The internet is evolving fast, as is design...you could at
least make an effort to try and keep up a little better than you
have been. Today's consumer/surfer is smarter, expects a whole lot
more and is far less patient than 5, 10 or 15 years ago, home-made
and/or bad design just doesn't cut it any more. Sure you can keep
your old design and be happy with your lot, eventually your client
will move on to better and easier places to shop (in some cases they
already have). If you are happy being that corner hardware store and
sit there with old Bill, reminisce and chew tobaccy every Saturday
along with your old wooden drawer where you keep the week's takings
then that's great...but the bell on the door doesn't ring as often
as it used to does it does it, specially since that whipper-snapper
opened his shop with clean shelves, no clutter on the floor and one
of those new new fangled lectric money thingamajigs, and yep, he is
smart enough to know he has to offer great personal service too...
I hope the above was food for thought, it's just one man's opinion in a
room where everyone including the client, has an expert one. I probably
struck too close to home about some of your sites (none were
specifically in mind when I wrote this) so I apologise if I offended,
but you probably would cry if you knew how many people gave up on your
site as the result of the design or difficulty it was surfing/buying
something from it.
Good luck in 2014
David Rew
Alan Adler did previously state on 1/01/2014 3:46 AM:
Dear Mopos WHO BUY FROM websites!
We've shared a great thread on the pros and cons of building and running a
website.
Now, would any mopos and mo-pros who spend time surfing - or even better,
actually buying - from existing websites, be willing to share their thoughts
and experiences.
What makes your favorite sites, your favorites?
What are a site's must-haves or things you dislike about sites you've visited?
What would your dream site be like?
Thanks in advance for your time.
Alan Adler
Museum of Mom and Pop Culture
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site atwww.filmfan.com
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