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FORGET
THE BELLS AND
WHISTLES
Simply
Listen to Your
Readers and
Invest in Good
Writers
The perception
that a Web site
is a tech function
not a communication
function and marketing
or PR-trained
people should
leave it alone,
is a huge trap.
I found this out
the hard way:
by falling into
it.
Many Web sites
have been put
up without too
much thought about
what the company
would like to
achieve with the
site. Their strategy
seems to be "We
must have a web
site," and
a static electronic
brochure goes
up, designed entirely
by a Web company.
All the money
is spent on tech
functions and
none on the content.
Content is simply
supplied by the
company, usually
taken from their
marketing material
that was written
for print purposes.
When I was asked
to promote the
launch of the
political site
http://www.talktogov.com/, I had this
perception. Trained
in devising communication
campaigns, I was
an avid Internet
user, but had
never been involved
in Web content.
I created a campaign
for the launch
of the site, but
the design and
content of the
site was left
entirely to the
Web designers.
When the site launched
on the July 4th
2000, we were
listed as "site
of the day"
on Yahoo and the
CEO was interviewed
on CNET on July
5th. We were mentioned,
with links, on
many other sites,
and thousands
of visitors came
to the site...
and then left
in droves! Less
than 20% clicked
further into the
site.
With those traffic
stats during that
first week, there
could only be
one explanation:
something on the
splash page was
turning the visitors
off. They were
coming, and they
were our target
audience, but
whatever was on
that first page
did not keep their
attention and
pull them into
the site.
So, taking the
Internet as a
communications
medium, we approached
it as a communications
professional would:
identify the target
audience, survey
them to know what
they, design the
message to "speak"
to those needs
and keep testing
and tweaking to
improve it.
We took ten people
in our target
audience, sat
them down in front
of the site, and
just observed
what they did.
One by one they
peered at the
screen and looked
confused, moved
the cursor around
the screen, and
not one of them
clicked on anything.
A high percentage
asked, "what
am I supposed
to do?" We
certainly had
a problem.
We also undertook
an "emotional
response"
survey of 100
qualified people
to find out exactly
what would interest
someone about
Congress. The
results of the
survey were fascinating,
and we changed
the text to incorporate
these "hot
buttons."
One of the items
of desired information
was the presidential
candidates' stand
on "Hot Issues."
A separate Candidates'
page was created,
and issues were
researched and
posted each week.
E-mail was sent
out to members
to let them know
what the Hot Issue
of the Week was
with a link to
the Candidates'
page. This drew
lots of traffic
to the site each
week as members
sent it on to
like-minded friends.
The design of the
page was simplified
by using basic
principles of
design. Using
Jakob Nielsen's
usability method
http://www.useit.com/ we tweaked the design
until we had all
the non-optimum
reactions handled.
Impression testing
the graphics gave
us the exact look
that would instantly
convey what the
site was about
and what it did.
Visitors coming
to the site could
immediately get
what it offered-it
pushed their "buttons"-and
they clicked right
in.
When we re-launched
the site, over
80% of the visitors
clicked into the
site. Currently,
registration of
members is increasing,
and they use the
site regularly.
effectivevideos.com
used this same
strategy to create
a home page that
really communicated
to their exact
target audience.
"The first
surprise was finding
out that the people
I thought I should
target were not
actually my public-they
were not interested
in the services,"
said Anne Brady,
CEO of ebusinessexpansion.com.
"Once I found
the right public
I started doing
the impression
and usability
testing. There
was interest,
but some aspects
of the design
or the text did
not communicate.
Just changing
the content so
that it really
communicated my
message made all
the difference.
We knew we had
it right when
one by one they
got it right away
and wanted the
service."
Not having a content
strategy for your
site is a costly
elephant trap.
Forrester Research's study of 8600 Internet
users late last
year showed that
the number one
reason people
use a site and
return to it is
content. Rather
than technology,
companies should
invest in good
writers to create
compelling and
targeted content,
said Jakob Nielsen
at the Chicago
leg of his User
Experience Tour.
"Users want
relevant content,
not bells and
whistles,"
he said.
The January 2001
Web
Content Report
showed that Nielsen
is not alone in
his sentiments.
WCR editors checked
industry experts
and content experts,
and they suggest
that the number
one action to
take with your
site this year
is to build up
your site with
original content
and interactive
tools. If this
is done with a
well-thought-out
content strategy
based on surveyed
data, success
should follow.
Sally Falkow
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