Website Usability News

Web stress 'can be online PR disaster'

2010-02-24 00:00:00

Neurological studies have shown that badly performing websites increase stress levels in users.

Analysis of volunteers' brainwaves carried out by consumer experience consultancy Foviance and software firm CA found that users have to concentrate up to 50 per cent more when using a site that is not functioning properly.

In addition, examination of facial muscles and behaviour showed the subjects displayed greater agitation and stress.

The results suggest that having a badly performing website unravels the work of online marketing services, generates bad online PR and could ultimately result in the permanent loss of custom.

Behavioural psychologist and Foviance founder Catriona Campbell said: "Consumers have high expectations of web applications and websites to be always available and instantly responsive."

When these expectations are not met, people quickly become confused and agitated, she added.

According to figures from PayPal, online spending among British consumers is set to top £39 billion this year.

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Pingbacks useful for search engine optimisation?

2010-01-15 00:00:00

An expert has said that using pingbacks could add value to a blog without resorting to spam tactics.

A pingback is when content contains a link to another post as a way to connect interrelated subjects and encourage surfers to travel through different sites, something online marketing services have been advised to take advantage of by SmartCompany writer Chris Thomas.

He said that Blogger and Wordpress both support pingbacks and companies using these platforms will be able to receive extra traffic from other sites as well as search engine optimisation (SEO) benefits.

"Once you've written a blog post, search for other blogs which are relevant and accept pingbacks. This way you can find blogs which are talking about your topic and copy and paste their links into your own blog post," Mr Thomas suggested.

Drop Ship Access's Madison Claire recently made the observation that SEO is "vitally important" for brands if they are to be successful, adding that managers need to do their research to make sure the practice is working.

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Web page usability a concern for website marketing services, survey says

2009-12-21 00:00:00

Digital brands may like to concentrate on improving their website's usability and performance, as research has revealed that almost half of people abandon their shopping as a result of slow-running pages.

Conducted by Fasthosts Internet, the study found that this is a bigger problem over Christmas, with 80 per cent stating they encounter sluggish sites at this time.

"Usability can take a real knock at the most crucial time of the year," Steve Holford of the company said, adding that "shoppers today are more impatient and unforgiving than ever before".

It was also found that 34 per cent are increasingly likely to move to a competitor over the festive season, if sites are not running well.

And women appear to be more changeable than men, with 44 per cent more inclined to look elsewhere, compared to 39 per cent of the latter.

Fasthosts Internet's statistics come in support of those from OpTier, which indicated that one in six people are put off from completing transactions by sites that do not work very well, suggesting that online marketing services professionals may benefit from focusing on optimising their web presence.

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Internet marketing services 'must concentrate on website usability'

2009-12-11 00:00:00

Brands have been advised to concentrate on the performance of their websites over the Christmas period so as to take advantage of the high number of people intending to make purchases at this time.

Figures from OpTier's latest survey have indicated that 70 per cent of shoppers in the UK intend to spend an average sum of £220 of their holiday budget on the web, but that one in six are deterred from completing transactions by under-performing sites.

Senior vice-president of operations at the company Colin Rowland noted that, "in the last 18 months, customer expectations of their online experience have evolved significantly".

And those involved in website marketing services may benefit from optimising their company pages as 41 per cent of respondents stated they consider 'simple and reliable processes' to be the most important part of buying online.

Firms may also profit from targeting people over lunchtimes, as statistics from IMRG Member Retail Decisions recently revealed that - on December 7th - £1.4 million was spent in one minute, at 13:43 GMT.

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Website marketing services 'have eight seconds to wow'

2009-11-30 00:00:00

Internet-based businesses have been advised to apportion a significant part of their budgets to website design and usability as statistics say that eight seconds is all the time available for impressing new customers.

Michelle Strassburg, head of sales and marketing at Wood and Beyond, writing for Fresh Business Thinking, observed that many of those involved in the internet marketing services industry often overlook how online conversion rates can be improved by creating credibility and enhancing trust with clients.

This can be furthered by good web design which, she remarked, is important as it can "inspire confidence" and allow users to engage better with the site.

Ms Strassburg suggested brands consider implementing "more advanced functionality later down the way".

Earlier this month, it was suggested to firms by Zippycart that straightforward processes will help convert visitors into customers, with a great conversion funnel essential for web-based success.

Products such as Google Website Optimiser were also recommended, as they can help ascertain cost-effective areas on web pages.

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Usability tips offered to website marketing services

2009-11-18 00:00:00

Website marketing efforts can be improved through better user experiences, it has been suggested.

The ZippyCart website has advised ecommerce businesses to make it as straightforward as possible for visitors to convert to customers.

It said a great conversion funnel is "critical" to the success of dealing online and offered some tips for website owners to improve site usability.

Using free online services such as Google Website Optimiser, which is tied to the search engine's Analytics tool, can help identify areas of cost-effectiveness on the site.

Through using the this product, those in the online marketing services industry can see which ads convert the best and try out different variations of design.

Meanwhile, UserTesting.com offers video feedback on usability for a price of $29 (£17), which ZippyCart says is "well worth the money".

Meanwhile, NetMechanic senior analyst Larisa Thomason has said that website owners should ensure their navigation system and content is clear and simple.

"You may attract visitors with an eye-catching design, but content is what keeps them at the site and encourages them to return," she commented.

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Travel sector's internet marketing services 'need to improve client support'

2009-11-17 00:00:00

The online travel sector has been advised to consider investing more heavily in customer engagement over the web in order to inspire consumer loyalty.

This assertion comes as a result of the latest eTravel Benchmark Study by eDigitalResearch, which revealed that 94 per cent of people spend time researching their holidays on the internet.

Customer service in the industry was found to be the section performing the least well, with Derek Eccleston of the company advising firms to spend time creating sites that "compete with 'best of breed'" for engagement and client support.

He added that consumers want a web page that is easy to purchase from, while simultaneously displaying "the inspirational 'wow' factor" - suggesting that website marketing services in the travel sector may benefit from concentrating on these two factors.

Earlier this month, Shane Quigley of Econsultancy observed that conversion rates can be improved through the use of various tools, including the Attention Wizard which is a cost-effective way of providing insights into user interaction.

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Internet marketing services need more than web analytics, expert says

2009-11-13 00:00:00

The use of web analytics to evaluate a website's performance has been highlighted as inadequate if it is not used in conjunction with other techniques.

Co-founder of Highland Business Research Vicky Brock noted that, although web analytics is effective at collecting clickstream data, it "cannot accurately judge satisfaction", m-Travel.com reports.

She recommended that website marketing services consider using a wider toolset in order to gain a greater understanding of consumer feelings, although she went on to add that investing in someone to "generate analysis" would also be beneficial.

Ms Brock suggested that, for every £1 spent on analytics devices, £9 should be directed towards the people using them.

"You can get more actionable insight from a basic tool used by a great analyst," she said.

The Google Analytics product was recently applauded by Ran Nir of Econsultancy, who stated that short-term improvements in the monitoring search engine optimisation practices can be seen easier and more efficiently.

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Internet marketing services 'need to concentrate on website usability'

2009-11-13 00:00:00

Marketers looking to boost their traffic and increase revenue need to focus on the usability of the site, according to Darpan Munjal of Practical Ecommerce.

"Are visitors able to effectively navigate to find what they are looking for and then finally buy the product, once they are on your site?" he asked of website marketing services and others.

In the online world, he added, many retailers do not pay enough attention to having user-friendly web pages.

He said there was the misconception, particularly among small and medium size businesses, that usability research is just for big companies.

But he added that there are some effective methods available to improve usability, such as paying a small fee to a group of reviewers to get honest feedback.

His views matched those of Graham Charlton, writing on the Econsultancy blog, who observed that digital companies may profit from concentrating on the fold on a webpage, as the area above it is "the first thing visitors to your website will see".

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Conversion tips offered to internet marketing services

2009-11-06 00:00:00

Several tips have been offered to those in the digital advertising industry, including enhancing the customer experience and optimising ease of use.

Posting on the Econsultancy blog, Chris Lake observed that it is natural for those in the industry, such as online PR professionals, to "obsess" over conversion rates as even "a tiny increase" in these "can generate millions in additional sales for large retailers".

He suggested that marketers focus on unique selling points when vending products and services, while explaining to people why they should make purchases from their companies.

And it was also recommended that brands consider optimising their forms as it is effective in "driving sales and reducing cart abandonment".

"Clarity is essential, if you want to avoid frustration," Mr Lake said.

Meanwhile, firms were offered further advice by Ran of Photo Paper Direct who noted in an article for Freelance UK that page titles and descriptions should be limited to 70 and 140 characters respectively on Google to improve search engine optimisation.

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