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Published by: Judy Cobb 10-16-2012  |  POSTED IN: Traffic Tuesdays

Words: A Blog Series

 
A visitor on your website will take about 10 seconds to decide whether to stay or to click away to another website. In that first few seconds, your visitors must quickly find the words or ideas that they are looking for or their web search will continue to other sites.
 
One key to winning this go/stay decision is assuring that your site uses words and terminology that your visitors recognize and are looking for. Sounds simple, but does your website do that?
 
Business owners setting up their sites know far more about their "story," business and industry than anyone else. It is natural for them to use terminology that they are comfortable with and that reflect how they think of their business. Customers and visitors to the site often do not think about the business in those same terms.
 
The result? Visitors don't find what they are looking for and quickly leave.
 
The words you choose for menu selections as well as the content on your website should include enough terms so that visitors find what they are looking for in those critical first seconds. This principle is particularly true when you make main menu selections, because visitors use those to navigate further into your website.
 
Here's an example. A popular nature organization is known for its many outings and events. Visitors to the site are looking for information about those events as well as for information about political or environmental action the organization is taking.
 
A survey showed that the website worked fairly well for their members but lost most new visitors. The reason: the main menu headings for their activities were labeled “sections” and “regions.” Only seasoned members knew that those menu selections led to information about outings and events. People new to the organization didn’t have a clue, and most moved on to other websites.
 
When this group redesigned their website, those menu labels became “get outdoors,” “political action,” and “environmental issues.” Now visitors find what they are looking for, and the site retains a larger number of new visitors.
 
How can you find out if your website "speaks" to your visitors? Here are some steps you can take.
 
  • 1. Look critically at your home page. Are you using buzzwords or industry jargon that might not be familiar to your website visitors? You may also want to ask your employees, family and friends to do the same.
  • 2. Ask your customers how they search for products and services similar to yours. If your customers have visited your website, ask their opinion and take their advice seriously.
  • 3. Ask your sales people and other employees what terms they use when talking with customers and potential customers.
  • 4. Use Google Analytics to learn key words for your business and to see what results your competitors are getting.
  • 5. Create a brief survey for visitors to your website. Ask what they were looking for and if they found it.
  • 6. Hire a consultant or other professional to look objectively at your website and recommend ways to increase your traffic and results.
 
Producing powerful results with your website is often a matter of taking a few well-directed steps. Looking critically at the language used on the website, particularly in the menu selections, is one simple step that can quickly increase the number of visitors that stay to become customers or clients.
 
This is the first blog in a new series that will discuss ways to improve the effectiveness of the words, text, and formatting of websites. We want every blog post to provide you with tangible suggestions and ideas for building or improving your website. We want to assure that every blog post in this series provides you with tangible suggestions and ideas for building or improving your website. Please share your ideas, comments, questions and suggestions with us through the comments down below or email Judy directly at [email protected].
 
Judy Cobb is an independent writer and business writing coach whose clients have included Parsons Engineering, Mattel Toys, The Los Angeles Times and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has specialized in developing training materials for instructor-led courses as well as interactive online courses and websites. She holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and Stanford as well as an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Thanks for reading. Jason.
P.S. Don't forget to subscribe below to this blog.
 
About Jason Ciment
Formerly an attorney and CPA, Jason has been working online since 1997. His columns on affiliate marketing can still be found on www.Clickz.com and his book on search engine optimization can be found at www.seotimetable.com.

This blog is published 4x per week and covers website design and SEO tips as well as a wide range of tips and advice for working and living online more efficiently and enjoyably.
 

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