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
shuttle from Midway Glen Ellyn ..1. Don't load your web site with a lot of... Read More
Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini... Read More
Whether you're giving a critical sales presentation to a client,... Read More
Usability isn't only for Web design. It's also applicable in... Read More
Never put form over function. Why? Because it's crucial that... Read More
I often wonder how serious people are when it comes... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
There are two important reasons to build your website from... Read More
The HTML editor is usually a webpage design software that... Read More
Web design is a very competitive area and there is... Read More
If your Web site doesn't project a professional and polished... Read More
Regardless whether you manage a small business, charitable organization, or... Read More
The concept of web designing based on the nature and... Read More
There can be zillions of reasons why your visitors return... Read More
1. Assemble a web site development plan that is integrated... Read More
Creating a web site takes thought, planning and execution. Unfortunately,... Read More
When JV Media Design was formed, the year was 1995... Read More
Web site design has certainly, in the past decade, evolved... Read More
Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward... Read More
Have you ever been to site with so much ad... Read More
There are many companies who build websites, all of which... Read More
Physical therapists have unique web presence needs. An effective site... Read More
The following list of websites is the best compilation of... Read More
The first immutable law of effective navigation: It's gotta be... Read More
This is my second article on maximising web site viewability.... Read More
shuttle from O'Hare North Chicago ..You may not bother with html validation or writing simple... Read More
Here are 10 dynamic website advertising tactics to super-charge your... Read More
When you're self-employed, choosing a website designer is a crucial... Read More
So your web site's online and you've got high rankings... Read More
The .htaccess file is a control file located in your... Read More
One of the biggest problems with Web sites is that... Read More
There can be zillions of reasons why your visitors return... Read More
Public domain gives you a head start creating ebooks, ecourses,... Read More
CSS or Cascading Style Sheets has opened up tremendous possibilities... Read More
A Double Ad Tracker is an Ad-Tracker that points to... Read More
You know... Before purchasing your product a person comes to... Read More
A "template" is simply a design format which you can... Read More
When a prospect lands on your website will he or... Read More
My site is working fine. The links work. Content is... Read More
Typos, misspellings, hideous grammar, exclamation overkill and run-on sentences all... Read More
If you have a website, you want your visitors to... Read More
Designing your own successful web page can seem difficult and... Read More
Making your site accessible means making it available to be... Read More
There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
There are several graphic software packages available to help you... Read More
Most of us at times need advice on different aspects... Read More
With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista... Read More
In my web surfing adventures, I've found a few site... Read More
Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More
Web Design |