“What’s the best way to evaluate a website’s content?” was at the core of questions I fielded at a recent SCORE marketing workshop. We identified several important steps.
     From the moment your website appears on the user’s screen you have 3 seconds to win attention – no more, but frequently less! So, look carefully at your headline!
     What’s your objective? Match those most likely words used in a search with decisive information about your site and services. That “stick around” decision comes from a close match of your headline with the words used in creating a search.
     Who is your target buyer? The first words a new visitor comes across should confirm your target’s selection. If your headline is: “Our global collection of espresso coffee blends is crafted by experts from carefully selected coffee beans.” Those sixteen words should be a “stick around” for a person seeking a new espresso coffee blend.
     What is your website’s value proposition? What’s unique or different about what you offer? Many websites are loaded with puffery: “Our company has been in business for more than a century, giving us the knowledge and experience to provide you with the best.” But Whole Foods is specific: “Selling the highest quality natural and organic products available.” And Wal-Mart even more so: Save Money. Live Better.
     How effectively is your story presented? Take a minute to visit: truenorthsnacks.com. You’ll gather their entire story in exactly 22 seconds. They started with a nut, asked interesting questions and ended up with an amazing new snack. See the collection. Download a coupon, save a dollar! Click “where to find us” – great connections, buy on line or in your neighborhood! Maybe you’ll stay for more than a minute, I did.
     How well your web site is planned has wide-ranging effects upon how the website turns out. Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, said: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” A well thought out plan determines how your website looks and fits together, how well it functions, how it meets your expectations, and how much it costs. If you don’t have a detailed website plan, now’s a good time to prepare it.
     So examine how visitors flow inside your website. Track each step that leads your prospects to information stimulating a purchase decision. How do they access the shopping cart? Checkout? Pay for their purchase? Come back for more? How much information is captured from each visitor and customer? How effectively is it being used?
     Content is king! What’s the customer’s problem or aspiration your website resolves? Avoid thinking, “This is what I do!” Rather, think how to best say, “Your problem is one I can resolve for you.” Brevity and clarity of expression is what counts.
     Research tells us people rarely read webpages word by word. Instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences. Does your content help the reader scan? Check for use of bulleted lists, meaningful sub-headings and highlighted keywords. Limit each paragraph to one idea. Limit each sentence to 15 to 18 words; if more, cut in two parts and rework.
     What is it web users don’t like? Scrolling pages! Anything that appears to be marketing “fluff” replace with factual information. Your goal is to uncover a fast track, one that leads visitors to the information needed to make a purchase decision.
     By now you should have a checklist, website improvements needed. Install your new and improved fast track. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

     Find new ideas and marketing guidelines in Jack G Hardy's IDEA Vault.