User Experience for Websites Part 3
Excellent video is at the center of the best websites, the ones that are pleasing to visit and effective at converting visitors into customers. But the first concern is having a great website. Even if you have fantastic video marketing campaigns, if your potential customers can't quickly understand what you do or how you can help them, your efforts to market to them may’ve been fruitless from the start. There are, however, some key tips you can keep in mind when designing your website that can help you clearly communicate your mission—showing visitors the value you bring.
We’ve teamed with user experience designer Gustavo Hernando to make 3 videos to teach you some of those critical, yet simple tips that can make your website’s user experience wonderful, including what to show online, how you should describe your business, and how to help give customers what they need.
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Hi, I’m Gustavo Hernando and I help small businesses have more effective websites.
The goal today is to help people quickly identify whether you're the type of company they're looking for.
Most people skim your pages looking to compare you to your competitor, or decide whether to contact you.
The best thing you can do is give them a list of your services or product offering that they can glance through with links to learn more. An example of this can be seen on a website I did for Orlando-based Sirianni Events.
As you can see here, there are lists of services grouped by category. You want to have 3 to 5 categories, if possible.
Let’s say we want to learn more about Weddings.
“Are You a Soon-to-Be Bride?”. This is a great headline.
Remember your website isn’t about your company, it’s about your customer, so write like you're talking directly to them.
“We will cater to exactly what you desire, right down to the smallest detail.”
There's no vague marketing here, but the solution to the problem that a soon-to-be bride could be experiencing.
“Budgets, Checklists, Guest Lists, Venue & Vendor Coordination, Photographers, Decorations, Cake, Entertainment. Don’t let wedding planning and coordination make your head spin...we can handle it.”
Visitors will make the decision to work with Sirianni Events because their tension of having too much to handle will be relieved.
Let’s read some more.
“If you already have a demanding schedule, a full-time career or if you’re an out-of-towner, you may not have 20 hours a week to dedicate to wedding planning...”
They get it. They know that not having the time to plan a wedding is also one of their customers frustrations, and so they put them at ease here.
Notice how they have large, clear images that showing the outcome of using their services. You can take it a step further and show before-and-after pictures, if it applies to the services you do.
Let’s talk about navigation.
Your navigation menu should be as simple as possible and consistent everywhere, with a structure that works like your customers think.
Have you thought about Pricing? It's not your customer’s only deciding factor, but, it's a big one. If you can't list actual prices, at least give a range and provide good info to justify your costs by demonstrating the extra value you add.
By now you've probably realized the majority of your site is all about your customers, what information they need to see and what reassurance they need to feel before they'll buy.
As long as you have a great offering, customer service and a clear marketing message, fixing your website for a better user experience will surely help grow your business.
I wish you much success in making your website more effective.
