Revenue-Producing Principles for the Web

By consistently employing the right principles, a business owner or
business decision maker can leverage the web to increase profits.
There are basic principles affecting a web presence that are not
industry or business specific, and by understanding and applying
them, a business can greatly increase the amount of money saved or
generated.

Sometimes business owners or executives don't view the Internet
in the most appropriate way, and therefore miss vast opportunities
for success. The people who make the decisions for their sites
sometimes act like the Wizard of Oz, pulling and pushing levers
behind a curtain that provide an illusion, but not necessarily
reality. They forget to apply, or choose to ignore, fundamental
principles.

Often, while looking for information on the Net, I'll happen upon
a web site that misses the boat completely. I'll leave that site
in a flash, never to go there again, and never to spend my money
there. Don't let that be your site. I am not only referring to
retail sites. The principles I am referring to apply to any kind of
web site, regardless of whether a user can buy directly from the site
or not.

Let me provide some examples of these cross-industry, fundamental
principles that will help any business. The user's experience,
wants, needs, and preferences all need to be paramount when creating
or maintaining a web site, a part of a site or a web service. This is
a concept missed by myriad companies, but is a principle that will
offer great benefits if practiced consistently. Always look at your
site from the point of view of your visitors.

The web is often a place where a company puts its best foot forward
and neglects to be forthcoming. Many corporate sites are just
sophisticated advertisements. Another term for this is `brochure-
ware'. A user who is engaged in the site and views it as an
experience will be more receptive to the company and what it has to
sell. Receptivity is directly related to their experience.

Notice how I use the word `experience'? Offering an
experience to a visitor is a basic principle of the web. There is a
difference between providing a user with an experience when visiting
a site and simply offering brochure-ware. The latter is non-engaging,
static, one dimensional and boring, causing visitors to leave more
quickly and often not return. The web is a medium that is supposed to
be interactive. This means that the more chances a site gives the
user to interact with it, the better. This makes a site
`sticky', meaning it results in visitors staying on the site
longer and returning later. What are examples of interactivity?
Clicking, pushing buttons, answering surveys, joining a community,
expressing themselves in an open forum, and anything else that can be
devised that will allow a user to take some kind of action.

Many businesses also make the mistake of assuming they know what
their users want to experience. Why assume when one can ask? It's
very easy to survey existing and prospective customers now. In fact,
a company's web site is a perfect place and can facilitate an
ongoing dialogue between a user and company. This is a great example
of interactivity.

Setting up a survey on a web site is simple. Let's say a business
is trying to determine what they could offer on their next web site
version that would truly satisfy their customers. This company could
create an html form that links off their homepage. There could be
only a few key questions; it doesn't necessarily need to be a
long questionnaire. In fact, the briefer, the better chance a user
will fill it out.

A very important, arguably the most important, key to the success of
an online survey, would be to offer an incentive for filling it out.
You will get a far better response rate if there is something in it
for the person filling it out. This demonstrates the principle of
reciprocity. It's hard to get something for nothing. If you want
to get a visitor to fill out a form on your site (thus giving you
their information), you have to offer them something in return. It
doesn't have to be much, but something. It could be a discount on
a purchase, a coupon, or a free downloadable tutorial pertaining to
the business you're in.

Another neglected principle is accessibility. I regularly see
organizations consciously erect web sites that act as gigantic
barriers between them and their customers. They use these digital
ramparts to hide behind. It is very frustrating to go to a
company's site and not be able to find a phone number. It is
equally annoying to send an email to a company, using an address they
provided on their site, and not get a reply for a many days, weeks,
or not at all. If a visitor takes the time to write an email, it is
best to treat that message exactly like a phone call, and with the
same urgency.

The principles of looking through the eyes of your visitor, open
communication and representation, reciprocity, and accessibility are
important to follow to streamline your web presence. We all want to
make more profit and get a better return on our investment of a web
site, so thinking in terms of what the user wants and needs is an
excellent first step.

Article by Jason O'Connor
© 2003

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