Your web page really is your shop window.
If you want customers to venture in, it needs to be eye-catching, offer what the customer is looking for and it must be welcoming and approachable. Which shopper wants to enter a shop that makes them feel uncomfortable?
Obviously the downside of online shopping is that there is no physical product to see and hold. Therefore you have to be as persuasive as you can to make up for this. Here are my tips for, especially for newbies on how to create a customer-friendly site: –
- First impressions count . Welcome your guests to your site. Use language to convey that you're friendly, knowledgeable and can give them what they're looking for.
- Keep your content fresh . Regularly update your site. One good way is to have a 'Latest news' or 'Latest offers' section so you can keep it up-to-date without having to change everything. Do this at least every two weeks. Both first time and returning customers need to see that your 'shop' is still trading.
- Keep it clean and clutter-free . A busy webpage can cause confusion, making visitors irritable and they will press the back button and look elsewhere. Customer confusion leads to lost sales.
- Be clear about what you are selling. A site can have beautiful graphics and look attractive but can still be obscure as to what you're all about. Get straight to the point .. Customers have not just landed on your site by accident; they are looking for something specific. If your 'window' does not immediately show them what you can offer them, they will not delve any further – they will simply move on.
- Choose a color that will represent your business AND that will incorporate the core values of your company. For instance a law firm may choose blue for trust or brown for tradition however if the legal service image you want to portray is dynamic, confident and passionate you may want to choose other colors to represent these characteristics. Think about your target audience first and then link it to your key core values.
- Images play an important part in getting your message across. Customers do not have the luxury of touching and feeling your products so you have to find other ways of encouraging them to buy. So build the dream. Consider the ways your product will benefit your customers and then use images of it in action to demonstrate that you understand their needs and your product is the answer to their prayers. Great images can be purchased very cheaply on online micro stock libraries.