Move your Users to Action
Before we design a website for a new client we ask them this question.
“What are 5 actions you want users to perform on your website?”
For some it is as simple as leaving a comment on their Blog. Others may wish to have potential clients download a PDF report, sign up for a newsletter, or ultimately buy a product.
It is important to have goals for your website, but it is equally important to understand the level of trust or commitment it takes to get users to perform an action.
The next step we take our clients through is asking them to rank those levels.
For example the level of trust or commitment it takes to leave a comment on a Blog (perhaps a 3) is far less than buying a product (8) or filling out a lengthy lead generation form (10).
The reason for understanding this is so that your website can properly drive users to those actions. A good way to do this is to backtrack the actions. Think about the questions you have when using the web. What are the questions that arise when you are prompted to “Buy Now”? Common questions would be price, and important product details. On the contrary, enjoying your article may be enough to prompt someone to leave a comment. The level of trust is far less.
This exercise is a good way to begin developing the pages and content that your site will need. Consider your goals and then backtrack the information that you will need to provide to get your users to a point where they will perform that action.
TAKE ACTION: Have a friend use your website. Watch them click and see if there are any questions that go unanswered.