People come to your website looking for answers. You have a less than a second to convince them they’re in the right place before they click away. But how can you pinpoint their pain points, and make it as easy as possible for them to find what they need?

In this snapshot of our recent small business webinar on website wins, we explain how a change of perspective is the fastest route to making your website dramatically more effective.

Your website is not a filing cabinet

To start off, we’re not even going to talk about your website. We’re going to talk about your audience. Who are these people? And what do they want?

There’s this common mistake that everyone makes – whether you’re new to it or have been managing website content for years – and that’s being unable to see it from any perspective other than your own.

The website quickly becomes this dumping ground where you overexplain your services, you paste in longwinded documents in full, or you throw in all sorts of redundant information purely because you have it to hand.

I’ve been in numerous conversations over the years where business owners and comms people roll their eyes when they hear that people can’t find what they need on the website. They’ve put the information there, what’s the problem! Who are these idiots?!

But it’s this condescending approach that results in visitors clicking away from your site in less than a second, heading for somewhere that gives them clearly laid out, helpful information that helps them do what they want to do.

It reminds me of a phrase I used to hear when I was running workshops on writing for the web with Government Digital Services: Your website is not a filing cabinet.

Correct! It’s not a filing cabinet, it’s a mechanism for telling people what they need to know and helping them buy your products. You can dress it up as much more than this. But at the core that’s what it is.

It’s so easy to become emotionally attached to your website, overwhelmed by it, even intimidated and scared to touch anything in case it breaks. But so often they can be the very first glimpse a customer gets of your business, and can make the difference between making a sale or the customer moving on.

So it’s always hugely important to think about it from their perspective, not your own.

What do users want from your website?

Think about pain points.

What challenges are your customers facing at the moment?

What problems are they trying to solve which led them to go on Google and end up on your website looking for answers?

A useful exercise to try is pinpoint your users’ needs. Try this framework:

As a…
I want to…
So that I can…

Thinking about public sector services, this could be:
As a UK resident, I want to get on the electoral register so I can vote

If you’re a university:
As a student hoping to study politics, I want to see if you offer this subject so I can apply

Or me, in the first lockdown in 2020, stuck at home at springtime:
As a homeowner, I want to know if the local garden centre is open so I can buy some plants

And I’ll tell you something interesting. It was really hard to find out this information. Really hard!

I had the same experience again coming out of lockdown number three.

As a woman who likes to look well groomed!...I want to find a local beauty therapist…so I can get a pedicure.

And that was impossible to find out too. The interesting thing was that with some further rummaging around, the information was there on people’s Facebook pages, but not on their websites.

Facebook pages are great for people who have already used your services, but for attracting new customers, you need that essential information on your website.

Action: Define your user’s needs

1. Think of one type of customer, and one thing they might be looking for when they come to your website. This could be a question they want answered. It could be a product they want to buy. Just remember, it’s all about them, not you!

2. Then look at your website. How easy is it for them to find that information? Be honest with yourself!

3. Then repeat steps one and two until you’ve got a list of all the core things people want to find when they visit your website, from opening hours to particular services or anything in between.

For tips on doing this well, try the GDS service manual writing user stories

Put the answers front and centre!

Now you’re looking at things from your customers’ perspective, think about how you can get the information to them as easily as possible so they don’t have to hunt around for it.

We call this front loading.

Like I say, your website is not a filing cabinet. It is also not a novel!

People don’t want to have to read all the way to the final page to discover some exciting plot twist.

Most of the time they haven’t got past the header image and intro.

We want answers, and we want them without having to scroll.

In fact, think about your own behaviour and how quickly you click away if the website doesn’t give you what you need.

So what does front-loading mean in practice?

Relevant keywords in page titles, introductions and subheadings to help people see at a glance that they’re in the right place

Essential info in a prominent position so they don’t have to hunt around

Links at the start of a sentence rather than dangling at the end

Keywords at the start of email subject lines so they’re not cut off on mobile

Keywords at the start of blog post titles because our eyes read from left to right (if you’re reading English anyway)

Which website content gets priority?

Think: common questions

As well as your user stories, think about the most common questions you get asked.

If people are always getting lost on the way to your shop or office, phoning you up, interrupting you, why not give clear directions on the contact us page? Save time for them – for you!

Just think, for every phone call you get about this, you have a hundred people asking the same question who couldn’t be bothered to call up and simply went elsewhere.

This is where receptionists are like gold. Ask them about common queries too, and place these front and centre on your website.

Think: seasonal

The questions your customers have will change at different times of the year.

Think about how the homepage for M&S (above), Tesco, John Lewis will change in the summer, starting off with pretty dresses and sandals…then moving to school uniform as autumn approaches.

I mean there’s no point talking about your lawnmower sale in December!

But as soon as spring is in the air – perfect.

Think: topical

Throughout the Covid pandemic, we’ve become used to a lot of regulations. Problem is they keep changing and no one can quite remember what they’re doing. So, try to answer those questions before users have to phone and ask.

For example, when I did get to the beauty salon the other day I felt really unprepared.

Did I need to wear a mask inside? Did I need to allow extra time for…anything? You tell me, don’t make feel awkward and embarrassed when I get there for getting it wrong!

Activity: Get front-loading that content

1. What are the common questions you get asked all year round?

2. What are the seasonal things you might need to temporarily give more prominence to?

3. What’s topical? What’s front of mind with your customers, what specific challenges do they have?

In short, what questions can you answer before customers even have to ask?

Want more website wins?

Talk to Sookio for more plain-talking advice to help drive traffic to your website and give your users what they want.