Question Then Convert
By: Pedro Sostre
If you answer three simple questions before
designing your website, the results should yield
a successful conversion design.
I talk to website owners all the
time who are looking to design
or redesign their websites. Most
tell me what colors they like and
what other websites appeal to them.
Next they discuss features like animation
or video. Some will go so far
as to send long, prepared documents
that include detailed color choices,
font selections and so on. The concept
of Web design is still largely
looked at as a visual beautification of
their website.
What I rarely find are website owners
who have looked at their design in
the context of Internet business. Once
you've decided to redesign, there is a
certain process you must go through to
ensure your new website offers more
than just a pretty face. You need the
right information to provide a context
for the redesign process.
This is why most of the website templates
that are available for purchase do
not help online businesses. They often
look very nice, but force you to tailor
your information to the design. Successful
conversion design depends on
a design that is specifically created for
your information.
Please don't confuse information
with content. You don't need to have
every article and tagline written before
starting the design process. However,
you do need to have a very clear understanding
of the message you want
to convey to users and what goals you
want to reach.
I encourage all website owners to
answer the following questions before
starting a redesign.
What type of website
do you need?
Almost all websites can be grouped into
a handful of categories: informational,
lead generation, e-commerce and support.
The type of website required for
each is very different. To determine
what type of website you need, you first
just need to answer the question, how
does your site make money?
If your business makes money by
selling advertising or sponsorships it
probably falls into the category of informational
websites. Informational
sites want to attract lots of visitors and
get those users to come back regularly.
The more pages users visit, the better
it is for business. Examples of information
websites include news portals,
most blogs and many community-based
sites.
If your site drives revenue by generating
leads which are later converted
to sales or sold to another organization
– you need a lead generation
site. Lead generation sites need to
convert users to leads as effectively
as possible. Lead generation sites can
take many forms but some examples
include service companies, mortgage
comparison companies, etc.
E-commerce sites make their money
by selling products. They need to
establish trust because customers usually need to
enter a credit card to complete the
transaction.
Support sites help their owners by
helping users find answers themselves,
thereby reducing the need for support
staff. These sites succeed when they
make it very easy for users to find specific information.
Because the goals of these websites
are very different, the design needs to
be different. A one-size-fits-all approach
will limit the success of the site.
What do you want to say
to your users?
Every company has a voice. Is your
business fun and quirky or staid and
serious? Established off-line businesses
often have a brand manager
who helps to define this voice. The
idea is to convey a consistent message
to people exposed to the brand.
Many website owners neglect this vital
part of business. At the very least,
your site needs to communicate the
following points:
- What makes your company different
from the competition?
- Why should users trust you?
Think of your website as an extended
sales team. Great salespeople have to
say the right words at the right time to
help customers realize how great your
products and services are. Your website
needs to do the same thing.
Who are your users?
Defining a target market is business
101. One of your first steps should
be to settle on the basics of who your
customers are with metrics like age
range, gender and income. Once the
basics are defined, your next step is
to identify any niche markets that
would fit well with your service or
product. Being able to cater parts of
your website to specific niche markets
can present huge opportunities
for growth.
Another important step in understanding
your audience is to determine
how they are finding your site.
Is your traffic coming from natural
search engine listings, pay-per-click
listings or word of mouth? Hopefully
you're attracting users from all three,
in which case you need to think about
what each type of user is looking to
get from your site. Different traffic
sources often indicate that users are
at different stages in the buying cycle;
for example, word-of-mouth traffic
may only be interested in checking
out the site, whereas pay-per-click
visitors may already have their wallet
out ready to make a purchase.
Having a thorough understanding of
who visits your site and where they are
coming from is the only way to create
experiences that are appropriate for
your audience.
So before you start shopping around
for Web designers and writing content for
your site, make sure you've given thought
to the three major questions in this article.
Design is more than just making
your site look good – it's about creating a
website that accomplishes solid business
goals that add to the bottom line.
Would you like your website to be the
topic of a future edition of By Design
Makeover? Send your name, company
name, contact information (phone,
email, etc.), a brief description of your
business and its goals, and, of course,
your URL to bydesign@sostreassoc.com. Please put "Revenue's By Design
Makeover" in the subject line.
PEDRO SOSTRE is pioneering Conversion
Design and its ability to turn online
shoppers into online buyers. He
is the co-author of Web Analytics for
Dummies and serves as CEO of Sostre
& Associates, an Internet consulting, design
and development firm, which also
promotes affiliate programs on its network
of websites. Visit www.sostreassoc.com to learn more.
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