By Ed Nichols, EDAN Designs
Improve your information hierarchy
Information hierarchy refers to the way information is displayed on the page . On the web there are html tags that help to more clearly define the importance of information. These tags are called heading tags and range for H1 to H6, H1 being the most important information on the page. Clarity in your information hierarchy is not only good for your visitors, but also important to search engines like Google.
Be aware of your visitor's goals
This may seem like an obvious idea, but I have seen time and time again my clients putting their wants and needs in front of the needs of their visitors. On the web, chances are that your visitor is going to be shopping around and comparing your company to others. There is typically specific information they are looking for. Do you know what information this might be for your business?
Information overload
Is there such a thing as too much information?
Well... yes, yes there is. This idea goes hand in hand with the last two improvements. It is more difficult for people to read large blocks of content on the web. Keeping information clear, concise and scanable will increase the likelihood that your visitors will read that content you worked oh so hard on.
"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts." W. Strunk & E. B. White, The elements of style, Rule 17
Let the picture speak
We respond to imagery. A friendly face smiling will sub consciously give us positive feelings. Finding imagery that supports your message is a critical part of communicating with your audience on the web. It helps to build credibility in the eyes of your visitors. It achieves this by showing us a glimpse of the real world on the screen.
Information feedback
You may not be the tech savvy individual who can program a microwave clock, but you can and should learn about your websites statistics. If you pay attention to where people are going on your site and for how long, you will begin to gain deeper understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of your website. If a visitor is only spending a few seconds on your information pages, then they are not doing their job.
Become one with your website.
Improve your information hierarchy
Information hierarchy refers to the way information is displayed on the page . On the web there are html tags that help to more clearly define the importance of information. These tags are called heading tags and range for H1 to H6, H1 being the most important information on the page. Clarity in your information hierarchy is not only good for your visitors, but also important to search engines like Google.
Be aware of your visitor's goals
This may seem like an obvious idea, but I have seen time and time again my clients putting their wants and needs in front of the needs of their visitors. On the web, chances are that your visitor is going to be shopping around and comparing your company to others. There is typically specific information they are looking for. Do you know what information this might be for your business?
Information overload
Is there such a thing as too much information?
Well... yes, yes there is. This idea goes hand in hand with the last two improvements. It is more difficult for people to read large blocks of content on the web. Keeping information clear, concise and scanable will increase the likelihood that your visitors will read that content you worked oh so hard on.
"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts." W. Strunk & E. B. White, The elements of style, Rule 17
Let the picture speak
We respond to imagery. A friendly face smiling will sub consciously give us positive feelings. Finding imagery that supports your message is a critical part of communicating with your audience on the web. It helps to build credibility in the eyes of your visitors. It achieves this by showing us a glimpse of the real world on the screen.
Information feedback
You may not be the tech savvy individual who can program a microwave clock, but you can and should learn about your websites statistics. If you pay attention to where people are going on your site and for how long, you will begin to gain deeper understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of your website. If a visitor is only spending a few seconds on your information pages, then they are not doing their job.
Become one with your website.
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