If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

“How would I be doing this differently if I were willing to let it be easy?”–Alan Cohen

This is a great reminder because too often I make things much more difficult than they need to be. I don’t think I’m alone. In fact I think many businesses could benefit by getting back to basics,

If you are operating an online business always keep your customer in mind. The best way to keep your customer in mind is to go through the motions. Begin by searching for your product using the key words that come to mind. Did your site come up on the first page of Google, Yahoo or MSN? If not, how do your customers find you? Do they type in your company name? Unless you’re “AMAZON”, that’s highly unlikely. Most online shoppers will search using phrases rather than just key words, such as:

“Women’s Clothing”

“Ideas for decorating kid’s room”

“Crafts for Christmas”

It takes a lot of work to ensure your site is relevant and search engines will direct traffic your way.

When visitors arrive are they greeted with a pleasant, profession site? Shoppers will appreciate a clear and simple design, with easy navigation and access to help.

What is your first impression of your site? Is it cluttered? Too much clutter on the front the page will appear to be spam. Is it easy to read? Black letters on a white background is still the best option for legibility.

Some shoppers still have dial up access and if your site is budging with images it’ll take a considerable amount of time to load.

Can you quickly find what you came for? If not, is there an option to search your site, or a site map to assist visitors?

Once you find the product on your site BUY IT! Does your shopping cart operate correctly? Is all of the required information requested? Collect only the information you need to speed up the process. I have encountered sites where I wanted to buy something and couldn’t. Statistics indicate ~50% of customers abandon their shopping cart before making a purchase. A major factor in this is a poorly designed checkout.

There are also annoying forms that don’t save the information so if one required field is overlooked, you’re back to square one. When the purchase is complete, do you receive feedback that it was successful, such as a receipt or email confirmation? If you are using PayPal, you want to verify the funds were correctly deposited, confirm the transaction numbers, customer information and amount are all correct.

When the shopping experience is complete, what follow up do you offer your customers: a thank you message or a coupon for future purchases? If a customer is unhappy can they reach you and what remedies can you offer?

Walk in your customer’s footsteps through the entire buying process and eliminate any unnecessary delays. It’s just good business to get your site back to basics.