threeboxes

We all have different ideas of what makes a website not only look good but also work well. In the end though, what we’re all trying to achieve is pretty much the same in that we’re striving to engage users so they interact with your business and at the same time do a bit of drum-banging by telling others about how good it is.

Our opinion is that you don’t need to create the best website in the world in order for it to work. But what you do need to is to make sure that whatever it is your website is about, that it captures the users imagination and makes them want to find out more.

Visual appeal goes some way to achieving that and the level you take it to depends on what your website is about – but Coca Cola, as an example, have used some neat tricks so that when you take a look at each product in their range (http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/default.html) the screen zooms around to give a little flashy presentation.

You might not want to go to that level, but using techniques like Coca Cola have done means you can get a  lot more info on your website without overloading it. With only so much space on websites and impatient users that want things and they want them now you need to think very carefully about what your most important user-engaging features are and hit them with it straight away.

Carousels on websites have been around for some time now but the transition effects are become slicker all of the time. Users love to see slick graphical touches and when they get the ‘ooooh’ feeling they remember it, they’ll probably stay on your website for longer and they may even tell others - http://www.neteffekt.co.uk/email-marketing-screens.php

Sites like Amazon have the right idea when it comes to content placement by the way that after they’ve learned a bit about you they push more relevant content onto the screen by swapping out the generic place holder type offerings. It’s pretty basic but it makes me feel good because I feel like my web pages on Amazons aren’t like anyone elses. (Maybe that’s a little sad!)

This is definitely the way to go. Showing all users all of the same content each time they visit your site won’t give the user a feeling of satisfaction and it will become stale and boring for them over time.

When I use websites I want to know that the sites I’m using are learning about what I’m interested in and what I’m not interested in. It also helps refresh my memory when I revisit sites I’ve not been to for a while and draws my focus back to what I was last doing.

We’re already written a few articles on copy writing & content, email design, ecommerce features and usability that are also worth reading and they should help you consider how you can fine tune your users experience when interacting online with your business.

Don’t stop with your website and make sure that any other type of communication using email, social media, RSS or whatever else are just as engaging and are reinforcing your brand in the way you want them to.