What Message is Your Website Trying to Tell Your Visitors

Read this sign closely. At first glance, it’s a bright yellow sign about a sign.  Take another look, it’s warning you about sharp edges.   Now read the fine print at the bottom, it says “ALSO, THE BRIDGE IS OUT AHEAD”.

The bridge being out is pretty important, not so much to the guy who made the sign, but you as a driver would obviously think so.  Seems pretty stupid that I would call out a sign I suppose, so what’s this got to do with a website?

Believe it or not there are websites that unfortunately follow this approach to conveying information.  Now, just for the record, I am not critiquing anyones creative expression.  This is merely a lesson in the conveyance of information in an efficient manner.

Visitors to your website, or any website for that matter, are looking for information. Period.  Whether it be information in the sense of written copy or a directive as to where or how to obtain a product or service, it is information that they seek in one form or another.  Can the visitors that you attract, through SEO or hard earned money spent on PPC ads, find the information that they are seeking?  Can they see past the bright colors, ads, and other distractions that one typically finds on websites?  If the answer is yes, then props, you’ve done an outstanding job.  If the answer is no, keep reading.

Sure, you can find the information, you put it there.  And while most internet users are trained to look past the context and product ads and other distractions, there is a significant number, that when faced with an assault of confusion will turn tail and run.  Only to go on to the next site offering the same information that your website attempted to present.

How do you know if your message is being seen? Analytics can tell a pretty good story.  How long are your visitors hanging around on your pages?  If the majority of your visitors stay less than 30 seconds, chances are your presentation could use a little, OK, a lot of improvement.

If you suspect that the layout of your site is turning away visitors, step back from the monitor and take a good hard look at how you are presenting the information to your viewers.  Readability and simplicity will turn good content into a great site.  And on the flip side - no matter how great the content is - if your visitors can’t see it, they will go where they can.