Oct 13 2011

A Big Secret Many People Fail To Understand Posted 220 days ago ago by John Clark     0 Comments

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Here’s a big secret many people fail to understand: Don't wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day

Every time you and I interact with a prospective client or current customer judgements are being made. If you leave them disappointed then a final judgement will be made that is usually not reversible.

Think about that last time you received poor services or lousy food at a restaurant. Did you make a final judgement? Did you ever go back? Emotionally, the thought of going back probably puts you off eating out.

This is one of the things I try to keep in mind when doing work for our clients. When we build their website, design the graphics and tell the story, we understand that principle. When your visitors come to your site they are going to make judgements about you as a result of what they see there. We don’t want it to be their last judgement, we want it to be the start of a positive road of judgements about you and your business.

Here are 3 simple things to consider when making an effective website:

First: It Feels Comfortable - When your visitors come to the site you want them to feel emotionally comfortable. What that means can depend on your target market. If you are targeting early 20 somethings, it may be a grunge look. If you offer home decorating to women, then soothing and comforting colors can be the key. Comfort can also be in the familiar.

• Is the navigation menu easy to understand?
• It is hard to figure out where to go in the site to get the information desired?
• Is the content overly wordy or quick and to the point?
• Does it look up to date or from a previous decade?

That initial feel will predicate whether or not they continue to look at your site and consider your business… or make their last judgement and move on.

Secondly, Drawing Them Inside - Clicks are sales. The more you can encourage people to click on your links the more they will consider doing business with you. You don’t want to tell your whole story on page one. The home page should be designed specifically to lead your visitors inside your site for more information. There should be teasers that encourage those clicks.

Thirdly, Easy Contact Information - Don’t make them have to search for your contact forms or information. Make it abundantly easy for them. Prominent contact buttons, menu links and easy forms to fill out. When a visitor is ready to buy or send you a contact, make it so easy they have a hard time resisting. A 10 field form where every line is required is like a rubber mallet hammering on a table of ants. You’ll get a few but most will flee away.

There you have it. Every last judgement you allow is lost business. Every positive judgement moves you closer to doing business. Take a candid look at your website if you haven’t really looked at it lately. Does it meet the three tests above. Maybe it’s time for a facelift.





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