Is your website communicating what you want?

published 2002

The recent, sudden growth in websites is staggering.  They’ve gone from being a fairly rare add-on to a commodity item. 

In the rush to get a website up, many organisations leave out the most critical element - designing for usability.  Managers who enthusiastically ‘champion’ building a website, sometimes move onto other projects.  In some cases, they would be appalled if they saw how their site had turned out.

A website is part of your brand image. It markets your product or service to your customers and clients and sells your company’s strengths, such as your customer service focus.

However, a poor website can also discourage a potential customer from purchasing from you.  Too many websites look unprofessional, contain out-of-date information or are simply too hard to navigate, and end up alienating customers.

To avoid this, here are a few points to consider:

What makes a website good?

• A good website delivers what users want with easily accessible information.

• Think about your target market. Who will use your site? What do they want? 

• Plan what your website will offer.  Present information clearly and logically, making it easy for users to find what they want.  Label pages and buttons accurately. 

• Briefly explain your site’s security and privacy policies - on the same page. Not all users know the difference.

• A good website is responsive. Think about who will be responsible for responding to users’ suggestions and queries.  Test your website - do you get a response if you send an email to the address provided?  Also, consider customers who would rather contact you by phone or in person.  Are these details easily accessible?

Tip: Use the ‘email us’ feedback to improve the site. Add content to it. And always make sure that the information on it is current.

How do people use websites?

• Users approach sites expecting access to categories of information or pages. Common pages and buttons include About Us, Our Services, Contact Us.

• A good FAQ (frequently asked questions) page is useful.  You can also cover technical support topics here.

• Provide complete phone, fax, street address and postal address details. Many sites omit even the phone number! 

• Users expect to navigate around your site easily. Don’t disappoint them. Be clear.  Remember the golden rule of websites - allow people to access information with as few mouse clicks as possible.

• Since users may not enter your site from the home page, particularly if they have used a search engine to find you, display buttons to the most useful pages on every page. A button to a clear site map is also helpful.  

• Users expect responsiveness in a site.  If you request feedback and receive it, respond! No response gives the user who sent the email a negative perception of your company.

Tip: Thank the sender. Answer the question. And ‘sell’ another aspect of your site.

You can use any feedback to add questions to your FAQ page.

How do people read online?

• They scan text, skipping around the page.

• Headings make it easy for the reader to find what they want. Break text up with sidebars, summaries and tips.  Use pop-up menus sparingly.

• Put only one idea in each paragraph.

• Use clear, concise, inspiring language. Direct, active expression is easier to understand than convoluted, abstract and passive language.

Tip: Consult a Style Manual, such as that available at Government Info Shops: www.ausinfo.gov.au

What to avoid

• Graphics, animation and music that take time to download. A 3 KB page takes one second to download using a 28.8 kbps modem.  If you do have animation or music, give people the option to skip them.

• Rollovers that are difficult to manipulate. 

• Frames that hinder reading or printing.

• The mistakes your competition makes. Check out their sites.

What to think about

• Who’s controlling your website?  Is it in the hands of professional communicators or are bureaucratic administrators shaping its development?

• Who approves additional material that’s added to the website? Does a professional writer edit your material for clarity and consistency?

• Do you need an independent audit and review of how your website is performing - from a communications rather than a technical perspective?

Being listed and ranked on search engines is becoming just as important to many companies as prominence in other more traditional media is to them.

Note: The author of this article is a Sydney based senior independent corporate PR consultant who works exclusively with PR Managers helping them with management of the PR Department or their relationship with their PR agency. In addition he provides specialist corporate PR and communications advice where issues or change are impacting on an organisation. He also blogs regularly on PR and communications topics similar to those in this article.

Update: Further comment and discussion around this topic in 2010