After learning the past few years that Internet users’ top priority is to have easy, immediate access to information, many companies are redesigning their Web sites by going back to the basics and focusing on function instead of flash.
Studies have shown that most people click away from a Web site if they’re not engaged in 30 seconds or less. They’ll abandon a home page almost immediately if it takes too long to download.
Unlike a few years ago when companies focused on developing impressive designs and animation, today’s goal is to provide online visitors with the information they need as quickly as possible. “Companies have found that too much splash can be confusing to a Web user, and a company can end up losing that site visitor almost immediately,” said Anthony Dawson-Ellis, director of urbanmartini.com, a New York-based Web-design firm. “You can have an elegant, effective design without being overwhelming. Our experience shows that a consumer will leave a Web site if it takes too long to download, if more than two or three links are required to find information, or if the content is too heavy or difficult to understand.”
In addition, companies are focusing on serving up dynamic database-driven content, Dawson-Ellis said. They’re striving to develop accurate profiles of site visitors to provide custom-tailored information that makes Web-site visits akin to personal interactions with company executives. Amazon uses this technology to provide its Web-site visitors with suggestions for additional books based on the titles and topics on which their visitors have clicked. Less sophisticated versions of this technology are becoming more accessible today to smaller companies.
Dawson-Ellis offers the following advice about corporate Web-site design:
§ No matter how basic or conservative your site, avoid taking a cookie-cutter approach to design. Focus on developing a site that addresses your customer’s unique needs and effectively differentiates your company from its competitors.
§ Conduct the necessary research so that your creative team has enough information to develop a site that best addresses your company’s needs.
§ Keep an open mind. Interactive and offline communications are differentiated by unique dynamics. Many executives who know their businesses very well in the bricks-and-mortar environment are often surprised about what sells their companies online.
§ Develop a site that can sense the visitors’ Internet capabilities and allow them to skip the introduction and transfer directly to a more streamlined homepage.
§ Offer more than one link to the site’s key offerings. This enables your company to package its offerings differently and determine the best way to pitch your services and/or products.
§ Conduct user testing with individuals who are in the same categories as your target audiences before your site goes live. Their detailed feedback and comments can help you to develop more effective interactive communications.
§ Track your site visitors. Take advantage of new technology that enables companies to develop profiles of the visitors to their Web sites and customize the sites according to visitors’ needs.
§ Continue to reevaluate your Web site. A Web-site’s launch should not be considered the end of the process. Instead, it is the beginning of an interactive communications program that requires regular monitoring and updating to keep the content fresh. No matter how conservative your corporate image may be, it’s important to evaluate your Web site at least once a year to help ensure that it doesn’t look outdated.
