Web Site Visitors Want It NOW

It’s not your imagination. The world is moving faster and people are less patient.

I switched from dial-up Internet access to a broadband connection only four years ago, and I’ve already forgotten what it was like to wait for Web pages to load. Now, when pages don’t load instantly, I’m irritated and tempted to move on to something else. And when Web sites lack obvious links to whatever I’m seeking (product details, prices, media contacts, phone number, company mission, etc.) my patience evaporates instantly.

Jakob Nielsen—a hero to many in the Web community for advocating sensible, economical, and results-oriented practices—recently noted that Web users are “getting more ruthless” in their browsing habits. He describes people being brutally goal oriented, wanting to reach sites quickly, accomplish goals, and move on.

He adds that success rates for people achieving what they set out to do online are now about 75%, compared to the 1999 figure of 60%. There’s more. In 2004, about 40% of people visited a homepage and then drilled down to where they wanted to go. In 2008, only 25% of people travel via a homepage. The rest search and get straight there.

This makes it much harder to create sticky Web sites with gadgets and blinkies (and even content!) encouraging visitors to remain on site after they’ve done what they came to do.

It’s pointless to ignore or deny this real-world insight, and accommodating it will please your readers and help you accomplish your goals. (You do have explicit goals for your site, right?)

• Ensure that visitor actions match your site’s goals. These can include reading articles and viewing ads, buying something, registering, subscribing, requesting information, commenting, participating in a community, etc. You didn’t create your Web site for your own entertainment, so make sure—on an ongoing basis—that you’re getting your money’s worth in presenting it to the world.
• Watch for the “abandoned shopping cart” syndrome—that is, visitors vanishing after partially completing transactions. More than a few of these indicates problems with your Web site and obstacles to doing business with you. A common irritant, shipping charges hidden until late in a purchase, often results in a shrug and no completion. If your goal is having people read your content, notice and remedy site occupancy too short for meaningful communication.
• Solicit, encourage, read, and process visitor feedback. Readers and visitors justify your site’s existence, so it’s perilous to ignore their feelings and comments. Don’t hide your “Contact us” link; don’t drop comments into a black hole; and don’t send a form response. Responding quickly, personally, and positively will gratify your fans and can often turn a critic into an ally.

People evaluate Web sites in the blink of an eye—make sure they like what they see in that instant.

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