Studies done by Jakob Nielson the man touted as the, "King of usability" by Internet Magazine showed that people do not read on the web like they would normally read offline.
So what does this mean to you and why should you care?
Visitors to your web sites are in a rush, they want the information you promised and they want it NOW.
If they don't get the information they want they will leave and this means you lose the sale, the opt-in or whatever action you want the visitor to take while at your site.
The following 3 tips will help you give your visitors what they want and in a way that will increase your web sites usability.
By keeping your paragraphs down to one single idea you can help speed up how your visitor absorbs your information.
For example, instead of:
"In today's market place many people tend to become overwhelmed with the over hyped and highly charged writing that most web sites employ to gain visitors business. This causes people to be turned off by the sites language and ultimately they will click the back button on their browser and leave."
Why not say,
"Today more than ever people are turned off by over hyped marketing language of websites they visit and because of this frustration they will end up leaving your site."
See how that short, to the point paragraph says the same thing but quicker?
Go through your home page first and take out long, multiple thought paragraphs and edit them down to be precise. One idea per paragraph once you finish your thought (in 3-4 lines) start another paragraph.
Web site users do not read online text. They scan it.
Use short bold text, for example in the form of a hyperlink, to make important information stick out from the page.
Bullet lists are an invaluable tool as well. Put your important sets of words in bullets. For example instead of,
"You will learn how to create your own web site, design pages that load faster, pick the right color scheme, and improve your sites navigation."
Use this,
"You will learn:
How to create your own web site
Design pages that load faster
Pick the right color scheme
And improve your sites navigation."
Use Subheadings through out the page.
As you go through your pages pick out the important points and put them in heading tags. Heading 2 and 3 work the best but the heading 1 tag will also work.
This will break the page up for the reader and they will be able to get the information they want simply by scanning your pages.
Far to many web sites are "me" oriented. In other words your site is about making money for you and you want your visitor to stay at your site and buy from you.
So what do you do?
You force them to stay at your site even if they are not interested in your product or service any longer.
Doing this only serves to damage your reputation and cause visitors to leave with a bad taste in their mouth.
Being objective means putting links to other related sites through out your web pages and allowing the visitor the free will to either stay at your site or leave and find the information they are looking for somewhere else.
In the end this is not a bad thing because you, as the site owner, can direct them to the sites you want them to go to.
However, seeding your pages with a bunch of recommendations to other sales sites is not the smartest way to do this.
Offer them free information along with sites that you receive compensation from as well.
This way you are being objective and offering your visitor valuable information they can use at the same time.
Take a few days and walk through your web site and find the long paragraphs and make them more concise.
Bold important text, create subheadings for extremely important points and create more bullet lists where needed.
Finally, add more out bound links to your information and show them you are objective and care about their needs.
Internet users are getting tired of the hype and they are speaking out with their browser's back button.
By taking the time to make these changes you will improve your sites usability and your visitors will thank you for it by doing business with you.
About the author: Jason Mann is a profitability consultant for online businesses who specializes in finding untapped profit areas and showing business owners how to increase their revenues by tapping these unseen resources. For more web business articles visit: http://www.majorprofitmargins.info
affordable house cleaning Wilmette ..Most people will agree there is nothing more annoying than... Read More
A well designed web site is great to have, but... Read More
(Making Your Graphics Work For You)It's no secret that a... Read More
1. Web site File Structure / File NamingMost search engines... Read More
Designing your website can be a difficult task especially if... Read More
Most websites use similar fonts and as a result have... Read More
A long, long time ago? In a galaxy far, far... Read More
When you design a website how do you start ?Do... Read More
To create your own great banner, you only need five... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
I have written before about long sales copy on the... Read More
You just created a new web site but want to... Read More
The Internet has seen an explosion in so called 'lance'... Read More
Your web site is the key to your success on... Read More
One visit does not make a sale. Be sure to... Read More
Graphics are fun, but if you put in too many... Read More
Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task.... Read More
Your business website tells a lot about your company. A... Read More
When designing elements for your webpage, you will often be... Read More
If you are trying to sell a product or service... Read More
There's no doubt about it - the first page your... Read More
What pages need to be included on your website? The... Read More
Chris, a new consulting client, asked me to help him... Read More
Creating an appealing, functional, and effective Web site is much... Read More
We've all seen and read product testimonials. They're a very... Read More
quick home cleaning Northbrook ..Then it was a choice among crayons, paints and palettes... Read More
In my last article entitled, Maximizing The True Value Of... Read More
With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista... Read More
There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online... Read More
What colors do you have at your website?Can they make... Read More
Are you looking to create the perfect website? A complete... Read More
Are you building a direct sales or mlm business online?... Read More
In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a... Read More
Some wise human once said "Learn from the mistakes of... Read More
QUESTION: We promote our web site in all our... Read More
Colors convey emotions and emotions heavily influence the decision-making process.... Read More
In this article we will be looking at why you... Read More
In cascading style sheets you can specify how your web... Read More
Contrary to the beliefs of some, advertising for web and... Read More
The following list of websites is the best compilation of... Read More
Using CGI scripts to add automation to your web site... Read More
Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More
Web sites that feature products ? especially furniture or other... Read More
Before doing anything on the technical side, you need some... Read More
Since you'll spend lots of time and money to create... Read More
My mother used to take me along when she visited... Read More
Whether a business has just got off the ground or... Read More
I often wonder how serious people are when it comes... Read More
The most popular method to build webpages today is to... Read More
We've all seen them. Poorly designed web sites that make... Read More
Web Design |