Is Your Website Ready for the Average Internet Customer?

It's hard to sometimes pinpoint who the "average surfer" might be. In this case we are referring to one who is basically a beginner, which accounts for over 85% of the user base in this country.  The term "beginner' does not mean "just started using the computer a week ago"; The Beginner is someone who uses the computer much like a house appliance. It's a means to an end. Whether shopping or researching, most beginners do not understand the inner workings of computers. Most of us fit into this category.

So what's my point? You will need to understand what happens when the average user visits your site and how it's affecting your overall online success.

Your Website and Search Engine

Let's take our web address for example. If I tell you that our web address is www.windnetinc.com how would you find our site? Our guess would be that you would type our URL into the address bar at the top of your browser and immediately the browser would search for and pull up our website, right? WRONG. This is the assumption that most website owners make, but unfortunately this is not how the average surfer finds your site.

From extensive research we have found that most average users go through a search engine such as Google to route to your site, even if they have your web address. We know, doesn't make sense does it?

So, my point here is that it definitely pays to have your site available on the search engines.

TITLE Tags

We have noticed a trend among our research participants. Most of them actually pay close attention to the TITLE tag of the web pages the search engine pulls up. (The TITLE tag is the hyperlinked first line before the underlying definition.)

If someone searches "running shoes for golfers" Google will return the most relevant information by page searching TITLE tags first. Most of our shoppers only clicked on the title that was most relevant to them (such as GOLFPRO "shoes for golfers" etc) no matter what the underlying definition read.

So, my point here is to make sure that your TITLE tag has the specific keywords for the audience you are trying to target. TITLE tags need to make sense though, so making a TITLE tag with a line of keywords that doesn't make sense to the user is unproductive.

Overall Site Design and Layout

In our last article, I went over the importance of having a polished professional image. So, I won't repeat myself on that one. But I do want to go into a little detail on how your site design and layout affects the average user.

I have had many site owners come to me wondering why they had a high volume of visitors but just couldn't keep them on their site or get them to buy a product or service. "We have so much more information than our competition" I've heard over and over again. I can understand the frustration. Placing detailed, relevant, educational information on your website can be a tedious undertaking that is supposed to pay off, right? Well, it can pay off IF the information you are offering is user friendly.

A comparison we like to reference in this instance is that of your website being like a kitchen. You don't walk into your kitchen and every single tool you own is out on the counter so you can choose which ones to use, right? You can have the most fantastic tools in your kitchen to create some amazing gourmet meals but if your kitchen isn't organized and your tools correctly stored, it can easily become confusing and agitating, leaving you to just rather go get take-out.

So my point here is that the kitchen as a whole is like your home page. You only need certain tools (information) on the counter (home page) to get started. The rest of the tools can be easily located in your organized cupboards (information categories).  If you keep this example in mind along with a fantastic looking site design and layout, you will most likely be able to keep visitors on your website and even returning if you are offering useful information. Which by the way as an added bonus, the search engines love as well. The more detailed, relevant information you have on your website, the more likely you are to have a better page ranking.

Need Help?

We have a ton of experience with optimal site design and layout. We have put in the time to research what the average user does and doesn't like to see on a website. And believe it or not the number one reason users leave a website is information layout and overall site design. You can have the best service, product, and information on your website, but if it looks sloppy and unprofessional you can bet that you are losing more business than you realize.

Remember, online success is paramount to you realizing that your business online needs to totally be viewed separately from a brick and mortar operation. If you don't make a great first impression the competition is just a click away.

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