THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE UPDATING YOUR WEBPAGE

Looking to update your webpage in the New Year? Make sure not to waste time or money. Ask yourself these 3 important questions before you take any action.

INC suggests…

1. Who visits your website?

First, you need to know the profile of the people who visit your site. If your intended target market isn’t currently on the site, you’ll need to revisit your online marketing efforts. Knowing who is on the site will help reveal the mindsets of those visitors, and how your design can support their goals. Tailoring your website to their objectives might result in different paths from the home page, each serving content differentiated for user needs. For example, the Wells Fargo retirement website has three paths for exploring information based on your age range, and stage of saving toward retirement. Demographic information about your site visitors can also influence design decisions. If you serve an older demographic, for instance, the website should have options for increasing font size for easy reading.

2. What do your website visitors look for?

Many companies incorrectly optimize their websites for the content they have, rather than aligning their web content around what customers need. A classic case of this is automotive manufacturer websites. Consumers consistently want more information on future technologies, future vehicles not yet on the market, and car comparisons to older model years. But many automotive companies continue to plug only current model year content, leaving a large portion of site visitors dissatisfied. When setting your web strategy, find out what information online visitors are seeking—and then shape the content strategy around what users need.

3. Are they able to find it? If not, why?

Your site may offer the information users need but–if it’s poorly organized–they will never find it. In studies we’ve conducted at my digital research consultancy, AnswerLab, we found on average 30 percent to 40 percent of site visitors are unable to find all the information they’re seeking on a website. Common causes: poor navigation, unclear link names, site errors, and technical issues. Consumers don’t like to have to play around to uncover the information they need. Eliminating basic usability issues can increase online acquisition and retention efforts dramatically.

Get more information at INC!