Website Content - It's a Strategy!

People make snap judgments: “It takes 0.05 seconds for website users to form an

opinion about your website that determines whether

 they like your site or not, whether they’ll stay or leave” (Laja, 2012).

So, what makes a good website in your eyes? Easy layout? Photographs? Design?

For most people these things are what they judge the site by, but the content is what keeps them there. 

In order for users to access the information that they desire, require and need, content needs to be appropriate and available to them. Building or updating a website to cater for the user's needs will increase the chance that they'll stay on your site once they arrive.

Content strategy is the mind-set, culture and approach to delivering your customers information needs in all the places they are searching for it. And the goal is to use words and data to create unambiguous content that supports meaningful; interactive experiences online (Lovinger, 2007). It plans for the creation, publication and governance of useful, usable and available information to meet website user’s needs (Halvorson, 2008) and has been described as a repeatable system that defines the entire editorial content development process for a website development project (Sheffield, 2009).

When done well, content strategy helps companies understand and produce the kind of content that their audiences really need.  Kissane (2011) believes that there’s only one central principle of good content: it should be appropriate for your business as well as for your users.

Good content is appropriate and necessary; appropriate in its method of delivery, in its style and structure, and above all in its substance, ‘content strategy is the practice of determining what each of those things means for your project – and how to get there from where you are now’ (Kissane, 2011).

Having a content strategy will ensure consistency in your communications, allowing users to become familiar with the site. This links directly into Brenner’s (2012) view that the success to content strategy is to focus on your organisation helping its clients and on building a strong community. Content strategy should not be used to promote products but to assist website users in gaining the information and communication techniques that they require. 

However, Halvorson (2010) believes that for web content to be successful it should be appropriate for users but also support key business objectives. Corporate websites should portray and support the corporate objectives and strengths; this should be considered when using content strategy to enhance online presence.

Halvorson (2010) states that context should always be considered before its form. The organisation need to focus primarily on what it is they want to portray before deciding how to deliver it. Templates, layouts and buckets should be the final thought that helps transpire the information that is needed to be relayed. 

Further Reading:

The Three C's of Content
Complete Beginners Guide to Content Strategy
10 Elements of Content Strategy

References:

Brenner, M. (2012) What is a content strategy and why do you need it? [Online} Forbes. Available at < http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2012/09/18/what-is-a-content-strategy-and-why-do-you-need-it/ >

Halvorson, K. (2008) The Discipline of Content Strategy. 1^st Ed, USA: A Book Apart

Halvorson, K. (2010) Content Strategy for the Web. 1^st Ed, USA: New Riders

Kissane, E. (2011) The Elements of Content Strategy. 1^st Ed, New York: A Book Apart

Laja, P. (2012) First Impressions Matter: The Importance of Great Visual Design [Online] Available at <http://conversionxl.com/first-impressions-matter-the-importance-of-great-visual-design/#.>

Lovinger,R. (2007) Content Strategy: The Philosophy of Data. 1^st Ed London:Boxes & Arrows

Sheffield, R. (2009) The Web Content Strategists Bible. 1^st Ed, Atlanta:Cluefox Publishing

B2B Websites - Are They Any Different?

As a consumer, we have expectations of websites, but for businesses, are the expectations different? And how should they alter their sites? 

Businesses that operate amidst the supply chain are often referred to as business to business (B2B) companies as they deal solely with the next business in the chain and not directly to the end user. These companies have different needs and uses for online communication and marketing, as the users of their sites are likely to be looking for more than merely a product list. 

Business-to-business (B2B) e-Business has grown up both in diversity and transacted money value in recent years and this trend is expected to remain to continue in future (Jashidi, 2008). For the vast majority of B2B companies, a website is not just an important component of their digital marketing mix; it’s the hub for all your online activities, marketing and otherwise (Miller, 2012).

Due to the current drop in the economy, most business to business (B2B) marketers aren’t throwing out their old sites and starting from scratch; they’re looking at their current sites and improving them where possible. Sometimes this is content, sometimes design and sometimes structure (Brannan, 2010) but a lot of adjustments, editing and amendments are being made to save on new site creation costs.

This site explains the differences between B2C and B2B websites. They  include aspects such as more complex payment transactions and handling negotiations, personalised accounts rather than quick transactions and the requirement for more technical, formal content. 

B2B websites also provide a lot more information as compared to B2C websites. They require presentation of information in a concise and detailed format. The client may need concise information to know about the products and then further detail before purchasing, and about setting up a business account. 

In addition to your company’s online home base, your website also serves as a vehicle for attracting new customers, via search engines (Miller, 2012). You can’t buy your way to the top of the search results, you have to obtain your ranking via hard work, smarts, and skill (Miller, 2012). Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is recommended by all web designers as a second stage to gaining new clients once a purpose-built website has been created. An updated, content rich website could be the difference between success and failure of gaining new clientele through a company’s online medium, and B2B websites need to be especially cautious to have this perfect before utilising SEO tactics and theories.

 Stay tuned for an upcoming post on SEO tips and advice!

Award Winning B2B Websites: 
ASA Organics
Accenture
Cycdor

References:

Brannan, K,J. (2010) 10 Great B2B Websites [Online] Available at: <(Brannan, 2010). <http://www.btobonline.com/article/20100913/FREE/309139988/10-great-b-to-b-sites >

Jashidi, B. (2008). Web Usability in B2B Websites, User’s Perspectives [Online] Available at <https://pure.ltu.se/ws/files/31069054/LTU-PB-EX-08011-SE.pdf>

Miller, M. (2012) B2B Digital Marketing: Using the web to market directly to Businesses. Pearson Education:London

Using Psychology to Engage Website Users

Have you failed? Have you lost their attention?

If you have, you won't get them back, they'll be on someone else's site in no time. 

And that is why building an effective website for your business is vital to your digital marketing success. 

Both the content and design of your site should work together toward establishing or supporting the products and services you offer to your customers, as well as the corporate aims and objectives. Engaging users is the key to success for any website and should be top of the list of necessary site aspects when creating or updating a corporate website. 

There is a lot of psychology in creating a great website (Creech, 2011) and there are 6 factors believed important to consider when creating a more engaging website (Weinschenk, 2009):

1. If people have too many choices, they won’t choose at all. Having too many choices makes it incredibly difficult to make a decision. Too many options will give the user the feeling that they are giving something up by having one rather than the other. Just like when you type 'camera' into Amazon, the overwhelming choices can be a bit much to handle!
2. People need social validation. When users are uncertain, they'll look for others opinions and thoughts. What people say about a product, site or service has more stand than anything else so be sure to include ratings or opinions.
3. Scarcity makes people want to buy. A deal, or a 'low stock' warning will have people buying quicker than ever. The feeling of missing out isn't one that many people will choose to opt for! 
4. Use sex, food or danger to attract people’s interest. Dependant on your audience, take this with a pinch of salt. Images that attract people's attention most happen to be those that are slightly controversial for businesses, but if it works, it works!
5. Use the power of faces. People like seeing pictures of other people. We react to their faces and expressions so happy people on your site will put a smile on your user's faces too, leaving them with a happy experience of your site. 
6. Build commitment over time. Start with encouraging a facebook 'like' or a twitter follow and carry on from there, engaging with site users will create a 'community' aspect. 

Weinschenk's views have been criticised and evaluated by other professionals but still withstands as one of the best theories in creating engaging websites. Almost all literature mentions Weinschenk's theories with a positive favour to her, and her 6 factors have been proved time and time again, they are used by web professionals all over the world on a daily basis.

Engaging websites need focus on their users (customers, users, clients, etc.), they should be of top priority and that engagement is all about maximising the value of your audience – increasing the frequency that they return to the site, the tendency to tell their friends and the likelihood of them using the site for its proper purpose (Follett, 2010).

Other simple aspects to consider to ensure your corporate site is keeping readers glued to the screen:
- Write in plain English; 
- Use bold fonts and bullet point lists;
- Use headings and sub-headings to break up large amounts of text; and
- Ensure that the font style and size makes for easy reading!

Engaging websites are often based on psychological techniques, whilst content has been described as ‘king’ in the website world and is believed to be the sole aspect that keeps your users coming back for more. Stay tuned for a post about content strategies! 

Further Reading: 
7 Principles that make your website more engaging.

15 websites with engaging user experiences.

5 tips for a more sharable, engaging website. 

Theories and models for creating engaging websites. 

References:

Creech, J. (2011) 7 Tips for a More Engaging Website [Online] Available at: < http://www.intuitionhq.com/blog/2011/08/how-to-make-your-website-more-engaging/ >

Follett, A. (2010) Simple Strategies for Engaging your Visitors. [Online] Available at http://sixrevisions.com/content-strategy/strategies-engage-visitors/

Weinschenk, S. (2011) ‘7 Principles that Make Your Website More Engaging’ [Video] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3J85SUZFXNM#!>

Online Consumer Hierachy of Needs - Is River Island Doing Enough?

River Island is UK high street clothing brand, which operates in a number of worldwide markets, with a global portfolio of over 300 stores. Alongside its numerous stores, River Island  provides a successful transactional website for customers to view the latest trends, purchase stocked items and occasionally benefit from exclusive items and offers; the site ships to over 100 countries worldwide (River Island, 2014). In order to appear on trend and offer a pleasant shopping experience, the website is designed to cater to the customer needs and wants. The website is the continuum between utilitarian and hedonic. Being a successful and well used website among its customers, the infrastructure of the website is certainly above the level of zone of intolerance.

River Island - Home Page

The OCHN (Online Consumer Hierachy of Needs) framework presents the relative value of various interface characteristics in a theoretical manner (Valacich et al, 2007). The framework starts with a strict order of importance: Structural Firmness, Functional Convenience and Representational Delight that together structure the zone of intolerance. These three categories have an implied sequence, which is consistent with their conceptual origin (Kim et al, 2002). This order of importance has been linked to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, once the lower levels are met, the higher aspects become of higher importance.

The structural firmness relates primarily to the characteristics that influence the web site’s security and performance (Valacich et al, 2007). With fast load speed, despite the large amount of high quality imaging and animation effects, the site is pleasing from the start. The site immediately appears stable and safe, with features for saving passwords (for existing site members) and secure transaction features. 

River Island - Payment Security

Functional convenience refers to the availability of convenient characteristics that help the consumer’s interaction with the interface (Valacich et al , 2007). River Island’s easy lay out and clearly labelled links also make navigating the site extremely easy (see figure 1). Hover-over drop down menus save time in locating items if you are using the site with something in mind, and the trend information or ‘new in’ sections give inspiration to users. 

River Island - Women's Trends

Representational delight refers to the web site characteristics that stimulate a consumer’s senses (primarily what they see and hear). River Island’s website is clean cut and on trend with geometric lines and a monochrome finish. No sounds are linked to the site, however on all pages there are visual aids and animation effects. The site is very graphically influenced and incorporates many high quality images.

Beyond the zone of intolerance, however, many factors can have an influence on the user’s experience (Valacich et al, 2007). Successful websites will need to make the most of different features in order to meet consumer needs; therefore not all interface characteristics will be equally valued in all situations. The higher section of the framework have been discussed with regard to the ERG theory of motivation which posits that more than one need may be operating at the same time.

This second section of the framework relies on the same three categories, this time without an order of importance and with the capacity for one to have a higher importance than the other. Although initially, the graphically pleasing imagery and animations seem of higher importance to the site, with design a very clearly important aspect to the designers; once the site has been explored and used for firstly finding new fashion trend information and secondly for purchasing products, it becomes apparent that structural firmness and functional convenience are also highly important. The site is safe in all aspects, with no dead links and with secure payment and log-in security. The functional convenience has been well thought out with clear labels, a menu bar that is visible at all times and quick load times.

River Island’s website allows online users to browse the different areas offering images, trend information and product information (a hedonic task), but also allows for the purchasing of items once decisions have been made (a utilitarian task). According to the framework, this would put River Island as a Hybrid website, offering an almost equal importance to structural firmness, functional convenience and representational delight.

To Improve:  River Island should consider a ‘Quick Buy’ option when hovering over an item, allowing site users to quickly purchase items. If users have come to the site knowing precisely what they wish to purchase, this could save time and be of benefit to such users.

References

Kim J, Lee J, Han K, & Lee, M (2002) Businesses as buildings: Metrics for the architectural quality of internet businesses. Informational Systems Research, Vol 13, No 3 p239-254

River Island (2014) “International Shipping” River Island [Online] <http://www.riverisland.com/international> Accessed 13/02/14

Valacich JS, Parboteeah DV and Wells JD (2007) “The online consumer’s hierarchy of needs”, Communications of the ACM, Vol 50, No 9, p84-90