When putting together a well-formed, carefully planned business Web site, it’s important to understand that what visitors to our sites are looking for is information.

Yes, I can hear you now: "Well, I understand that, Smalley.  What are you talking about?"

Here’s the thing.  When planning the content and document flow of our site, we need to understand the kind of information our site visitors are looking for.

For example, if you sell books, the first thing visitors want to know is what genres you specialize in and which titles you sell.

We probably have all kinds of information about our business that we want to tell people, but the bottom line is that a site visitor’s primary interest is in finding out whether they want what you’ve got.

In keeping with out example of an online bookstore, secondary interests, although important once someone has decided to part with their cash, are things like:

• What is the ISBN?
• Information about the author
• Is this copy in hardback, paperback, new, or used?
• Where you ship to
• What’s your return policy?
• How do you keep my credit card and other information safe?

These are all very critical components of a well-formed, carefully planned site, but it is of no value to your site’s visitor until the decision has been made to make the purpose

Coincidentally, the information which is of primary interest to our site’s visitors is also what drives our return on investment.

Knowing When to Reveal

Any good magician will probably tell you that it is not as important to show your audience that the rabbit has disappeared, as it is to know when to show the audience.  If the magician is any good, you know the rabbit has disappeared.  The entertainment value for us comes in the way we are shown and the timing of the reveal.

Similarly, with a well-formed, carefully planned Web site, we need to consider when, in relation to the information which is is of primary interest to a site’s visitor, to reveal the important information which is needed in order to do business with us.

This is what we mean when we talk about document flow or flow of information.

The goal of supplying the potential buyer with the information he or she wants, must also be done in a logical way which can be followed by anyone. As part of the process, we need to determine all the components which make up the vital information which results in the financial transaction taking place. For the sake of simplicity, we will just refer to this as decision driven information.

Let’s return to the example of our book seller. When we plan the flow of information, the theoretical representation of the site might look like this:

Decision Driven Information

Sample Site Structure for Book Sellers

Primary Information	Secondary Information	Tertiary Information	Ancillary Information
Books
	Genres
		Titles
			Descriptions
			Reviews
Specials
	Titles which are on special
	Top 10 Sellers
			Book Descriptions
			Reviews
Membership Rewards
	What is given in return for membership, loyalty to your store, or value of purchases made

Because this is all information which drives the decision process for our customers, these details will be the most prominent on our site. Furthermore, drilling down to the Secondary, Tertiary, and Ancillary levels of information will be logical, straight forward, and easy. Of course, whether the customer is on a primary level or ancillary level, we will gladly provide he or she with an opportunity to easily and securely purchase the product.

Utility Information

Sample Site Structure for Book Sellers - Utility Information

Utility Level One	Utility Level Two
View Cart
	Itemization of total order
Shipping Information
	Where you ship
	Shipping rates
	Other information about shipping policies
Returns Policy
	Conditions under which a customer may return product
	Information as to whether store credit, refund, or exchange applies to returns
	Other information about returning product
Privacy
	Your attitude towards the privacy of your customers
	Ways you use your customers’ information
	Other information about customer privacy
Credit Card Information
	Methods of storing credit card information
	How credit card information is transported to your server or payment gateway
	Other information about credit information and how it is handled
Contact
	Sales Inquiries
	Customer Support
	Order Tracking
	Telephone, mail, and fax details
	Other information about ways to contact you

We refer to this as "utility" information, because although it is important, it really is not as big a piece of the puzzle as getting the message across to a visitor that you have what he or she wants.

Managing All This Content

Your content needs to be easy to read. I am not talking about professional copy writing, although I always make a point of recommending that service to my clients. I am talking about the careful placement of text and meaningful use of images. Some common mistakes include placing text over background images or background colors which make the text difficult or impossible to see. Keep an eye on the size of your text, and the use "swirling script" as well. These can play havoc on a visitor’s eyes and concentration.

Next we need to be concerned about navigation.  I think I might have hinted at this when I was talking about document flow, but it bears speaking about in the context of content management.

It is very important to make sure your site’s navigation is consistant throughout your site.  For example, if you’re going to place your menu at the top of your home page, be sure to place it at the top of every page throughout the site.

One thing which will have a negative impact on your site’s navigation will be the use of frames.  These are an antiquated method of presenting a Web site’s content, and most Web and Internet professionals will not be implementing frames on your site.  This is because frames make it difficult ot bookmark particular information on your site, they are counter-intuitive for people with visual impairments who are using screen readers, and they are generally ignored, or at best misinterpreted, by the search engines.

In case you are not convinced to hire a professional Web and Internet consultant by now, I recommend that you find a way to avoid using frames in your site.

Other ways to manage your content is to maintain a consistent look and feel throughout your site.  This will help to build brand/corporate recognition for your business.  It also helps visitors to the site remain focused about what they should be looking: OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

Our sites should be easy to download (read: fast).  A good way to achieve this is to avoid using large graphics, unneccessary Flash animation, and music.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of things to be aware of when considering the accumulation, and presentation of content for a business Web presence.  No doubt you could think of more, but I believe these will help you to work your Internet and Web professional in preparing a dynamic site which is not only relevant to those who visit it, but will provide you with a measurable return on investment.

Tags: business websites, Copy Writing, Web Design, web strategies, Website development

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 5:34 pm and is filed under Content Syndication, Copy Writing, Web Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.