Creating Web Sites for Web Surfers – what people most value in a Web site.

If you build it, will they come? This is one of the
fundamental questions anybody creating a Web site has
to confront, whether you’re a businessperson, a Web
professional or a home user.

by Reid Goldsborough

Home

One of the fundamental ways to ensure people do come,
and return, is to make the content of your site as
appealing and as accessible as possible. A new study by
Forrester Research (http://www.forrester.com), an
information technology market research firm in
Cambridge, Mass., examines just what people most value
in a Web site.

The bottom line: People seek substance over style,
usefulness over flash. They want to get what they want
quickly.

Those surveyed valued, above all else, "direct paths to
the content I am looking for." Next was "proper
labeling of menu items." After this, people most valued
"great search." What people valued least were
"personalization of content" and "personalization of
interface."

Previous research by Forrester showed that 57 percent
of business-to-consumer sites examined don’t clearly
indicate and describe links to inside pages and 60
percent don’t offer a comprehensive and precise search
tool.

These findings gibe with what Web usability guru Jakob
Nielsen has been preaching for years. Nielsen,
cofounder of the Nielsen Norman Group
(http://www.useit.com) in Fremont, Calif., and author
of ten books on user interfaces, believes that most Web
sites are poorly designed.

Web surfers are impatient, says Nielsen, basing his
opinion on the usability testing that he has done.
Surfers typically have short attention spans. If they
don’t find what they’re looking for quickly, another
site is only a few clicks away.

Forrester’s findings are also in line with the advice
offered by Andrew King, president of the consulting
firm Web Site Optimization
(http://www.websiteoptimization.com) of Ann Arbor,
Mich., in his book Speed Up Your Site: Web Site
Optimization.

Here’s a rundown of the most frequently offered advice
about making your Web site appealing to others, from
Nielsen, King and others.

When designing a site, you should think about how you
access Web sites yourself, and how you browse and read
newspapers and magazines.

Surfers should know almost immediately upon accessing
your site why they should stick around, what’s in it
for them. Instead of relying strictly on fancy graphics
and animations, which often just slow surfers down, you
should use meaningful headlines, subheads and menus and
other links. Headlines, links and similar labeling text
are better when clear than merely clever.

If your site consists of more than a few pages, provide
a site map or index that displays all the interior
links for those who want to get their bearings from the
outset. Providing navigational buttons to the site’s
major sections at the bottom or edge of internal pages
helps surfers stay oriented. An internal search engine
lets surfers hone in on just what they’re after from
the get-go.

It’s usually better to keep text brief, depending on
its nature, breaking up long passages into multiple
pages. Many surfers won’t scroll down, focusing instead
on the first screen of text. If your text is longer
than one screen, use the inverted pyramid style of
newspaper writing, putting your most important
information first and later elaborating.

But don’t hesitate to tell the whole story. The Web
makes in-depth elaboration possible by having fewer
space restrictions than any other medium. Surfers will
feel cheated if you leave out important information.

Because some surfers use dial-up modems, it often makes
sense to provide small versions of photos, which will
load quickly, with links to larger, slower-loading
photos for surfers who want more detail. The JPEG file
format typically works best with photos.

With buttons, logos, drawings, diagrams and cartoons,
either the GIF or newer PNG format is typically faster
loading than JPEG. PNG uses a more efficient
compression algorithm than GIF, making PNG files
typically faster loading than GIFs.

Creating high-quality content for a Web site can be no
less challenging than creating a professionally done
brochure, user manual, annual report or television
commercial.

If you don’t have the time or talent in-house to create
content, you can farm the job out to a freelance
writer, independent site developer, Web design shop,
technology consulting firm, interactive agency or
conventional advertising or public relations agency.

Jupitermedia’s List of Web Designers
(http://webdesign.thelist.com) lets you search for Web
designers according to the types of the services they
provide or their geographic location. You can probably
also find qualified local designers by talking to other
small-business owners whose Web sites you find usable
and well-designed. Chances are, there are several good
Web designers in your hometown.

Finally, periodically reevaluate the quality of your
content. Make sure the information is still current,
accurate and complete. Test links, both internal and
external, to ensure they’re still working.

To read this and other related articles online, visit:

http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_16186.html