Avoiding Website Assumptions that Mask Your Blind Spots Todd Follansbee New Haven, CT - Dec 7, 2006

Every day I work with people who manage their own or others' small to medium business websites. Most make fundamental mistakes that leave money on the table. While owners and webmasters often pay lip service to modern web marketing practices, too often their sites tell a different story. If you really want to know how your organization's site stacks up, take an hour to observing someone new to your site. (For how to do this read "Usability Testing on a Zero Budget," Web Marketing Today, October 31, 2006).

If you are an average small to medium business owner or webmaster, it's easy to make these assumptions about people who come to your website, that they:

1. Know something about what your business is.
2. Are willing to "work" and dig a little to find out about your business.
3. Realize that your business is special or unique.
4. Want to do business with you.
5. Are interested in your business.
6. Came as a result of a recommendation or sought you out specifically.
7. Know what you want visitors to do or "get" from your site.
8. Understand the unique terminology and nature of your business.

While a few of these might be true -- sometimes -- a small to medium business site will convert far more visitors into customers if the site is built with the following assumptions. Your business needs your site to:

1. Explain why your business is special right from the start.
2. State simply what business you are in -- at first glance, from five feet away!
3. Provide all the information a user would need to do business with you and, in case need more, offer an extremely simple way to get in touch with someone at your business identified with a name and a picture.
4. Provide an easy way users can refer the site to a friend, not by just a URL but by directing visitors to a special page (or home page) that explains your business and unique value proposition, that is, what makes your business special. You don't want to unintentionally direct someone to a page within the site which fails to present your business at its best (such as a sign-up page).
5. Give users a reason to act now.
6. Eliminate all anxieties by clearly reassuring users that you won't misuse any personal information, that you offer secure transactions, and are trustworthy.
7. Make sure, by testing new users, that your site works properly, is laid out sensibly, and delivers information in an intelligent way that leads to a lead or a sale.

Todd Follansbee is founder of WebMarketingResources.net. He is a usability and persuasion consultant who has been testing user behaviors on web sites for over 10 years. His methodology for improving conversions recently won a top ten award in Entrepreneur Magazine. For a limited time, Todd is offering a special small business one hour site review and consult for only $125. Improve your user experience and your bottom line. For more details visit here. http://www.webmarketingresources.net/reviewoffer.html