Group
one has a good idea where they're heading. Group
two will most likely just perform a swift about-turn.
It's
the middle three groups you want to pay attention
to. They may be strangers now, but, as marketing guru
Seth Godin espouses in Permission Marketing, effective
marketing turns strangers into friends and friends
into customers.
Turn
"strangers" into "friends".
The
first step in this process is to tell people where
they are when they arrive at your site -- and give
them clear guidance as to where else on your site
they can and should visit.
Sounds
simple. And it is. So why do so many sites make it
hard?
Why
do they confuse us so?
I
mean, you know what to do when you go into a store
to buy your morning paper. You pick it up, get your
loose change out (hoping to get rid of those pesky
pennies with their jingly presence and lack of buying
power), approach the counter, exchange pleasantries
with the proprietor, and leave happy in the knowledge
that you will shortly know what's been going
on in the world since the previous day.
While
websites are different from stores, people are the
same. They still need to find their way around.
That's
why stores have signs above the aisles. And that's
why every page that people might end up at on your
site should have clear navigation links so they can
find their way around.
It's
also why your home page is the most important page
of your site.
What
makes an effective home page?
A
good home page should tell people where they are and
contain clear navigation devices that point them to
other places where they can find out more.
There
should be a logo with a tagline that actually means
something and/or a brief explanation of your site,
clear top level navigation links, copy that's more
than a bland "Welcome" message -- or, worse,
a corporate "Mission Statement" -- and helpful
links that clearly signpost where they lead to.
It
should also be easy for visitors to find their way
back to your home page.
Because
a home page is also a place of refuge.
It's
the contents page of a magazine. It's the listings
channel on a TV.
It's
a place people go to get their bearings.
Every
word, every picture, every piece of space should mean
something and speak to your visitors.
It's
the most valuable online real estate you have.
Don't
waste it.
