What's the Number One Complaint About Retail Sites?
09/18/2007 Post By:
According to a Harris Interactive Survey conducted in August, poor navigation tops the list. See Internet Retailer "Poor Navigation Tops Consumer Complaints about Retail Web Sites"
It's interesting that as we've become more web savvy we've come to develop certain expectations regarding web design and usability and have become increasingly impatient with sites that deviate too far from the norm.
I think there are a few tried and true methods for grabbing attention and pleasantly guiding your visitors to their intended goal.
The Home Page
- The home page should be simple and instantly convey your message.
- Do you offer a value proposition? (What's in it for me?)
- Do customers clearly understand where to go next? Are your links and buttons both meaningful and consistent?
Your Navigational Structure
- Navigational choices should be kept to a minimum in order to avoid information overload.
- Make it as easy as possible for people to find what they need using clear and descriptive page titles.
- Use a call-to-action wherever possible.
- Always provide a clear path back to the home page (customers should never need to use the back button). This is especially true for people who land on an interior page of your site as a result an internet search or an AdWords campaign. They need a clear picture of what your site is about as well as information on where to go next.
- Breadcrumbs are a great way to help customers understand what path they are on.
- The fewer clicks it takes to get to your shopping cart (or other action page), the better.
Comments
Mike Duffy - 09/19/2007
http://blog.winerywebsitereport.com/
Great post, Sheri. Nothing new, but a good summary. A site visitor arrives with a goal in mind, and your site/page needs to move them quickly toward that goal.
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