These days, there is nodenying your website is your ‘shop window to the world’ so how do you maximise revenue from your virtual retail outlet? Tessa Dension, creative director of Denison Design outlines her top ten tips to boost sales by encouraging buying behaviour from your online customers. The fact is from landing on the home page you have around three seconds to capture your audience before they lose interest and click off to another site. Therefore, it is critical that the website looks attractive and compels potential customers to stay and place an order.
1) Products
The first tip is that products, rather like in the retail environment, should be merchandised on the home page properly. Customers are unlikely to enter a shop where the quality of goods can’t be viewed through the window. Similarly, customers are more likely to move through a website site where the merchandise is on show at the start. Therefore, include a selection of products or a product offer on the home page that will grab attention immediately.
For example: international wine site of the year for three years running, Berry Brothers & Rudd includes a selection of the latest releases on its home page in addition to ‘straight to buy’ button allowing customers to purchase quickly as well as encouraging impulse decisions.
2) Updating
The products and offers on display on the home page should also be updated regularly. This keeps the site looking interesting, moves it up the search engine listings and again encourages impulse purchases. Berry Brothers & Rudd updates its latest releases daily.
3) Layout & Imagery
In retail visual impact is key to attracting customers and encouraging buying behaviour and the same it true for online retailing. The layout of pages, particularly of the home page must be clear and appealing. Much of this can be achieved with straightforward navigation and quality imagery.www.plants4presents.co.uk is a great example of an e-commerce site that achieves just this. Striking photography combined with easy navigation encourages purchasing and makes it an easy, painless experience.
4) Appeal to a lifestyle choice
In addition to the layout and quality of imagery it is essential to ensure the site appeals to the life-style choice of the potential buyer. Show the products being used, show where they come from, build a picture that indicates that by buying the product the customer is purchasing an aspirational lifestyle choice.
5) Endorsement
Quotes from other satisfied customers are a powerful sales tool and people often read these to help them make a buying decision. Similarly, awards and trade association memberships endorse the quality of the company’s offering so should be displayed prominently. Logo’s for awards should appear on the home page.
6) Pricing
Be as transparent as possible when it comes to pricing. Particularly with delivery costs as customers can be put-off at the last minute if they think they are being ‘ripped-off’ by postage.
7) Purchasing
The act of payment should be as easy as possible. Achieve this by removing any barriers to sale. For example include clear navigation for delivery times, ensure the checkout process is clear with a prominent ‘next’ button on display and in addition, include the functionality to ‘save details’ to make it easy for returning customers.
8) Security
When it comes to payment safety and security are also key. Use and advertise a well-known payment gateway such as WorldPay. Or if you choose to handle payments in-house use a secure SSL server which encrypts data transferred from the site. Consumers are now wise to the padlock icon that denotes the use of a secure server and are put off if it is not in evidence or a well-known payment gateway is not used.
9) Optimisation
Armed with the information above the chances of purchasing behaviour are increased, however if people can’t find your online shop they won’t buy. Most will need to be driven to the site and for this it will need to appear near the top search engine listings. To achieve this websites should be constructed according to “web standards” guidelines, using valid HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). CSS enables the web developer to separate the appearance or style of a web page from its structure and content. Using CSS also makes it much easier and more cost effective to update websites.
10) Monitoring
Once your site has been created it is important to monitor how it is being used. For a small additional fee your web hosting company will be able to provide statistics illustrating how long visitors stay on each page for example. As web design is not an exact science this allows invaluable improvements to be made the site in the future so further encouraging buying behaviour. If things aren’t working don’t be afraid to change them. You would in a shop so the same principle applies online.
These days, every organisation worth its salt has a website. To take advantage of the opportunity to streamline overheads, many companies have opted to sell products online too. However, some websites work better than others. So when it comes to successful web design there are three main areas that need to be addressed: design, construction and content.
Design
The starting point with for any good design will be the home page. This creates the first impression of the site. When visitors land on the home page there is around three seconds to capture the audience before they lose interest and click off to another site. Therefore, work with your designer to ensure it looks attractive and compels potential customers to stick around.
Slow uploading, illegible fonts and failing to specify precisely what the company does for example, can contribute negatively to retaining site visitors. The home page should also provide one click links to the most important information on the site. More clicks and visitors may dismiss it as ‘too much hassle’, so navigation also has to be clear and straightforward.
Simple navigation is also achieved throughconsistency in appearance and placement of links and buttons on every page. In addition, each page should have a link to take visitors back to the home page.
For main menu buttons, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) should be used instead of images. HTML is the authoring software language used for creating web pages and means text renders faster, is searchable and therefore more accessible for users.
Visual impact is also key to attracting customers and encouraging buying behaviour. The layout of pages, particularly of the home page must be clear and appealing. Much of this can be achieved with quality imagery. Striking photography combined with easy navigation encourages purchasing and makes it an easy, painless experience.
In addition to the layout and quality of imagery it is essential to ensure the site appeals to the life-style choice of the potential buyer. Show the products being used, show where they come from, build a picture that indicates that by buying the product the customer is purchasing an aspirational lifestyle choice.
Construction
The way the website is constructed is also important for updating information and dynamic content which is a key element for web optimisation (pushing the site up the search engine rankings).
The ability to update a website initially comes from constructing it according to “web standards” guidelines and using valid HTML and cascading style sheets (CSS). CSS enables the web developer to separate the appearance or style of a web page from its structure and content. In addition to making the site easier and more cost effective to update and CSS also significantly improves the download time.
For online buyers payment safety and security are also key and a suitable payment method needs to be incorporated usually when the site is constructed. Use and advertise a well-known payment gateway such as WorldPay. Or if you choose to handle payments in-house use a secure SSL server which encrypts data transferred from the site. Consumers are now wise to the padlock icon that denotes the use of a secure server and are put off if it is not in evidence or a well-known payment gateway is not used.
In addition, ensure the checkout process is clear with a prominent ‘next’ button on display and in addition, include the functionality to ‘save details’ to make it easy for returning customers.
Content
At a basic level most websites should include about us, contact us, services and products sections. However, if you are selling online the way the products are displayed is the most critical area and they should be merchandised properly.
Customers are more likely to move through a website site where the merchandise is on show at the start. Therefore, include a selection of products or a product offer on the home page that will grab attention immediately. A ‘straight to buy’ button will allow customers to purchase quickly as well as encouraging impulse decisions.
The products and offers on display on the home page should also be updated regularly. This keeps the site looking interesting, moves it up the search engine listings and again encourages impulse purchases.
Endorsement is also a useful element of content to include. Quotes from other satisfied customers are a powerful sales tool and people often read these to help them make a buying decision. Similarly, awards and trade association memberships endorse the quality of the company’s offering so should be displayed prominently. Logo’s for awards should appear on the home page.
On the whole, website design should focus the requirements of potential and existing customers as this is where the revenue will come from. Companies that have put careful consideration into the design, construction and content of their website will find that it attracts customers and, most importantly, generates the sales and enquiries they are looking for
These days, there is no denying your website is your ‘shop window to the world’. So if you are just starting up in business, or an established company looking to re-vamp an existing site what are the steps you need to take to ensure the design and build of your new site is as smooth as possible and ultimately, the website really works for you? Tessa Denison, creative director and recent winner of highly commended at the Wessex Business Woman of the Year Awards, explains.
1) The Web Spec
Before you talk to any web designers it is critical that you have a clearidea about the purpose and objectives of your new website and come up with a web spec. And this doesn’t need to be complicated. Start by asking yourself some basic questions – for example: how do you want visitors to use the site? Is it designed to be an information portal? Do you want to sell online or do you simply need a web advert or your product or services?
2) Functionality
Consider what functionality your target audience would expect from a site. Do you need a search option for example? Will you need to upload your own content? Having a clear idea of what the website will be used for and why will help you develop the right content.
3) Layout
Consideration of good layout and ease of navigation is also essential. From landing on the home page you have an average of just two seconds to impress and encourage your audience to look at the rest of your site. Look at different websites for inspiration and to establish what you like and don’t like and what you believe will work for your organisation.
4) Content
Developing content for your site is divided into two main areas – firstly web copy and secondly images. If you are not a great copywriter consider outsourcing this to a specialist might be one of the smartest moves you make as it will be one of the most important things ever said about your company. Copy should be crisp. To the point and at the same time include common search phrases to help drive traffic to the site.
Websites often act as an on-line brochure so visual impact is also key. Imagery of the same quality and professional standard that would be used in hard copy marketing collateral should be used as these will not only have a visual impact but reflect the image of the organisation itself. In short, use a professional photographer or use stock imagery which can be bought on line for as little as £50 per image.
5) Optimisation & Monitoring
Only some of your target audience will come directly to your website (through the url address on a business card for example). Others will need to be driven to the site and for this your site will need to appear near the top search engine listings. This can be achieved in a number of ways including key word/key phrase optimisation, inbound linking strategies or dynamic content for example, so ensure this discussion is held with your web designer early on.
Once your site is built it is important to monitor how it is being used. For a small additional fee your web hosting company will be able to provide you with web-statistics illustrating how long visitors stay on each page for example. This allows improvements to be made the site in the future so it is well worth the investment.
A quick scan of the internet reveals thousands of well designed, attractive websites. What it doesn’t reveal is what these sites have in common; that they have all had a makeover. Any website will require updating and refreshing from time to time and web design should be looked at as an ongoing process rather than a one-off investment. The sites that continually look uplifted, fresh and appealing will attract the most customers.
Website makeovers don’t always have to be absolute. More often than not only a ‘freshen-up’ is required. A simple layout change or new colour scheme can inject vitality. Similarly, removing unnecessary content can make it more usable. However small the change seems, it will have a positive impact.
However, occasionally there is a need for a complete revamp or to add extra features. For example major car dealership www.perrys.co.uk, which provides a facility to search for new and used cars online, was originally designed approximately seven years ago. Originally a successful site, over time it reached the limits of its original design. Structural changes, improved functionalities anda new design produced a website that is clear, attractive and easy to navigate.
The problem for most companies is assessing when the time is right for a makeover. Unnecessary upgrades cost money. However, ignoring required upgrades costs customers. Take a step back and look at a site from a user’s point of view. Does it upload quickly? Is it clear who it belongs to? Is it bright and fresh? Is it easy to use? Are contact details easy to locate? Is it built to optimise search engine optimisation? All of these aspects are important to customers and if the site is not any of the above it will not retain visitors. On the other hand, websites that can be found on search engines, look vivid and interesting and are easy to navigate will not require a makeover for some time yet.
Once a decision has been made to re-vamp a website the first important point is to prioritise. For example, if a website has a slow upload time, give precedence to this rather than adapting the colour scheme for example. Similarly, if a website cannot be found on a search engine, don’t spend hours on a new layout. Always deal with major issues primarily, resolving lesser issues subsequently.
Fortunately, attempting to achieve SEO, for the majority of websites, will not require a full make over. Copy will simply need to be revived and fresh content such as images or case studies included. However, the way the core design of the site has been put together will influence how much additional work is needed. The most cost-effective method for doing this is to build the site according to “web standards” using valid HTML and cascading style sheets (CSS), which enables the web developer to separate the appearance or style of the web page from its structure and content. This also allows easy updating and in turn better SEO.
Top wine merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd’s website www.bbr.com is a great example of a site which has achieved good SEO. Having won international wine site of the year three years running, it has been described as ‘the Rolls-Royce of websites’. One of the highlights is the inclusion of a selection of the latest releases on the home page. The regular updating of these products is simple but necessary to keep the website coming up on search engines and looking fresh and attractive.
For companies who first invested in a website five-seven years ago SEO will be an issue. However, the other main problem will be that the original site, which may have become an increasingly important form of communication over the years, may no-longer be relevant for its target audience which has changed as the company has grown.
A website should always be designed and made over with the relevant demographic in mind. For example, designing a website for the over 50s using bright, clashing colours and small font will not be the most effective-user-friendly layout.
When redesigning a website assess what your audience likes and what they look for; what will they respond best to? With this in the forefront of the mind, the finished product should be one which attracts and retains potential and existing customers.
The main objective of a website is to attract customers and generate sales and enquiries. Anything not meeting this objective requires a makeover. When considering websites for makeovers, web designers will often use the terms ‘dipping a toe in the water’, a ‘facelift’ or ‘plastic surgery’. What designers mean is that a makeover does not always have to be a complete overhaul. It can simply include the introduction of a new colour, fresh images or improved content.
Organisations will often write a makeover off as ‘too much hassle’ or a ‘waste of money’. However, a good website will provide a healthy return on investment and the majority of the time, altering only a few aspects will make a very valuable difference.
