Blog
Are you losing customers?
I have been organising to move over the past couple of days and one of my bigger considerations has been how to physically relocate everything. Since I and my new housemates need to move some large things we have decided that renting a van is the best, least invasive option. With that in mind, we set about trying to work out the best deal we could get on a commercial van. Of course - like with most things - we thought: "where better to look than the internet?" There are several rental companies that we were aware of, so we googled their names and began the adventure of navigating their sites in a vein attempt to discover their pricing. After one accidental reservation and two complete failures to even locate pricing, we eventually phoned the only company we could find a price for, rather than risk being unable to book the van. Is this the state of the web today?
While going through this torturous process, I had to wonder: are these companies aware that they are losing business? The end result of our search was that we selected the only company who had a website we could use, not necessarily the one with the best prices. The process of establishing a web presence may seem rather simple on the surface, but its not as simple as putting your product database online. When it comes to the web - particularly as newer generations are raised on it - you can't afford for people to get bored and leave your site, no matter how good you think your product or service is.
If my own process for using the internet has taught me anything, its that powerful and accurate search engines like Google combined with high speed internet access and general improvements in user interface design over the years have made users impatient and demanding. I for one will rarely read past the third page of a Google search for anything, which has become a policy I apply to many other aspects of web browsing. I will also rarely spend over thirty seconds trying to find a product or page on a site unless I have no alternative. The facts are clear: most people will not buy the product with the best price, they will buy the product they know about and have access to. You can throw piles of money into all the SEO you like but it doesn't count for anything if people have to even stop for a moment to ask "how the hell do I find product xyz". If your site doesn't pass the "short attention span" test you are losing business and will continue to do so at an increasing rate.
The offender here is designers and developers who take an oversimplified approach to website design. Often it is too easy to come up with a visually appealing site and completely forget about the physical structure of the pages or even considering a heirarchy; the pages just lie where they fall. Usability takes a back seat to functionality or is substituted for visual appeal. However, visual appeal is not a substitute for pure usability. While a professional design is important, the positive impact it once had will immediately be forgotten the second the user becomes frustrated by any impedement to their access to information.
So those running a business or corporate website should seriously question: "Is our website driving customers away?". I can certainly say this is true in at least once instance for Hertz, Europcar and Kennards Hire!
Link to this article |
Make a Comment
Tags:
Website Design
