Planning Your Website—What Visitors Look for on Your Site
Will your visitors find what they're looking for on your site?
Before you start your site, give some thought to what visitors will expect from it. There's more to it than just slapping up a few products.
Use the following list as a guide.
Solutions to their problems—make life easier for someone and you've won their trust. What can you provide of the following?
- Onsite tools that meet their immediate needs
- Helpful software
- Valuable tips
Answers to their questions—the only visitors who come to a website intent on making a purchase—no questions asked—are regular customers with a long and comfortable relationship with you and your product.
Otherwise they're filled with questions. Make sure you answer the following questions questions for them at some point along their path through your site.
- Is this really the best solution for my need?
- Will it work for me?
- Will this website give me a good deal?
- What if the product doesn't work for me?
And don't neglect those customers who have already purchased from you. Provide them with a solid support section or an opt-in newsletter that provides ongoing tips to answer their needs in your area of expertise.
Convenience—the Web is built on convenience. Visitors have no closing hours to worry about, no lines to wait in. Make sure you offer:
- Convenient and intuitive navigation through your site
- Links that work and go where they say they do
- A shopping cart that works
- Quick response to their phone calls and e-mails
Credibility—give them the reasons they can trust you. Have you been in business for many years? Are you an expert in your field? Let them know the credentials you have.
If your product is your expertise let them sample it to boost your credibility and win their trust. You can offer:
- Tips
- Advice
- A special report or white paper
- A limited amount of free consultation
Respect—the Web provides perfect cover for the anonymous scam artist. If you go out of your way to show your respect for their privacy and safety and you break down their skepticism. Make sure you have the following:
- Secure transactions for their online purchases
- A solid privacy policy
- Policies for shipping, returns, guarantees and anything else that may reassure them that you respect their privacy and their rights
Contact info—no website should be without it. On the Internet where people can too easily hide behind the anonymity of the medium, being upfront about how to reach you leaves a huge message of “I'm here for you and have nothing to hide.” Make sure that each page gives them the information they need to reach you the following:
- E-mail, phone
- Mailing address
- Fax number
- A live help function if such a service makes financial sense for you
Human contact—the Internet, to many visitors, is very impersonal. Yet it offers the ability to connect you to nearly anyone in the world no matter where they are. You can make use of the power of the medium by fostering contact with them through as many of the following as makes sense for your site:
- Newsletters
- Online forums or chat
- E-cards
- Polls and surveys
- Phone service
- Live support
Response—if they contact you, contact them back—right away. Never let the contact they initiate with you go more than one business day without a response. And make sure you are set up with an autoresponder to immediately provide the following:
- E-mail confirmation of orders
- Feedback to any forms or other interactive elements
- Shipping confirmations to let them know when their purchase will arrive
Reassurance—again, no one comes to your site fully convinced to buy. Even when they're close to buying, they need to be reassured that they've found a solution that has proven itself with people just like them. Consider the following ways of reassuring them.
- Testimonials
- Independent product reviews
- Customer reviews
Product descriptions—the site is essentially about what you have to offer to your visitors. Make sure what you tell them meets the following criteria:
- Focused on the way your visitors look at it rather than on how you look at it
- Answers their questions
- Keeps them interested
Photos of products—use photos for two reasons:
- Communicate info about your products that words cannot
- Draw their attention to your sales copy about your products
Free stuff—the word “free” gets your visitors' attention like few others. The word “free” knocks down visitor skepticism and gains you credibility. The word “free” says, “I've got something worthwhile to offer you and I'm confident enough in it that I don't mind giving something away to prove it.” What do you have that you can give away for free?
- Newsletter
- Tip sheet
- E-book
- Sample
Ways that they can make money from you—not all of your visitors are customers. Some are searching the Web for ways to make their website more profitable through your product or service. Consider setting up any of the following that make sense for your site:
- Affiliate programs
- Link exchanges
- Wholesaling
- Drop-shipping
Helping you become the successful business owner you want to be.
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