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Websites are
commonplace these days, so commonplace that many of us
who build websites forget that not everyone is as
experienced as we are. We forget what it was like to
first go onto the internet and to see a website. Very
often, people are getting online without any way to know
how to interact with a site in a productive manner. This
is a bad thing for websites who don't think about this
or do anything to help the beginning web surfer. But if
you want to help these newer customers navigate your
site, you might want to keep these five things in mind.
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Make Your
Layout Simple
So often, websites want to 'wow' the customer with all
the bells and whistles of the latest HTML design. But
while this might look good to you and to your
programmer, the fact is that these are details that will
go unappreciated by a beginning WWW user. They won't be
able to find what they're looking for – and that means
fewer sales for you. Instead, try to stick with a simple
layout that is easy to follow. Menus that are on the top
of a page or listed on the site tend to be the easiest
to follow, while also allowing advanced web users the
chance to see what you have to offer.
Use Simple Language
When you do set up this easy to use menu, you will want
to write it in as simple of language as you can. Instead
of making it difficult to determine where to shop, why
not just title a tab 'Shop' to show users exactly where
they need to go? Try to find the simplest way of
explaining things on your site, catering to the
beginning user, rather than the advanced programmer.
While you might be afraid that you're talking down to
some of your customers, it's always better to lay things
out clearly than to confuse someone.
Create a FAQ Section
Every good business website contains a Frequently Asked
Questions section – and for a good reason. So often,
users become confused by certain parts of the buying
process and need additional guidance. And while you'd
like to talk to everyone that comes onto your site, it's
just not possible. To handle some of the simpler and
more common questions, create this FAQ section. It can
handle things like how shipping works or whether you
have a money back guarantee. Stick with simple questions
and answers – no more than two sentences of explanation
each.
Have a Contact Number or Email Address
Of course, there are some questions that just won't be
able to be answered by your FAQ. For these complicated
arrangements, you will want to post contact information
where a customer can contact you directly to find out
what they need to know. This information should be
clearly posted on every page, or each page should at
least have a direct link to this information. When you
post this information, it will require that you have an
arrangement to help handle the questions that come in
within a short timeframe.
Let the Customer Take Their Time to Decide
Very often, websites will try to rush a customer through
the process in order to get them to buy more than they
necessarily need or want. Instead, try to slow the
process down by giving the customer plenty of chances to
abort their buying process. Make sure you have
confirmation pages that help a customer see exactly what
they are doing and the opportunity to change their minds
if they desire.
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