Get Out of The Way

Get out of the way and make it easy for your visitors to find what they want.

Recently I completed a report for a site that was the most 'peaceful' and among the most 'useful' I had seen in a long time. That is to say, the visual and promotional 'noise' on the pages was at a minimum.

Take a look for yourself here: www.businessobjects.com/devzone

As you can see, the headings are all the same size and weight, there are very few images and the background color remains consistent.

I'm not suggesting that every site should be without color, images and big headings. But what this site showed me is that when you take out all those heavy visual and promotional elements, you make the content much easier to scan.

Your eyes are not being dragged from one place to another. The design isn't attempting to say, "Look at this area first! Look at me first!" There is no visual shouting, as it were.

The result? It's a calm place. Your eyes are free to roam without undue influence from the design. You can quickly scan the headings to find the content that is most relevant to your task.

In addition, the text of the headings themselves is not shouting. There is no 'copywriting' here. The headings simply describe the content.

So now neither design nor text is trying to make you go to one place first. You are left free to decide for yourself, without having to fight your way through promotional clutter and noise.

And that's the key here: the absence of promotion. The company, Business Objects, is not using this site to push, promote or emphasize any one of more of its products or services in particular. They are simply providing information and allowing visitors to find what they want, as quickly and as simply as possible.

This is the benefit of 'getting out of the way'.

On most sites, our promotional interests get in the way too much. We shout and scream in an attempt to get visitors to spend their time looking at what WE want them to focus on.

The problem here is that we may not always be very good at anticipating what THEY want to find. And our breathless attempts to get them to look in one direction makes it harder for them to find what THEY are looking for.

This is where this site really shines. The company, designers and writers have moved out of the way. They have created an interface and written copy that is essentially 'sales-neutral'. It's a bold move.

But as a result, their visitors are spared the noise of so many other sites, and are given a layout, headings and links that make it simple to find what is most important to THEM.

Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.

---

Coupons & Rebates

Yes, it's true, coupons are not just for newspapers anymore.... Read More

Online Consumers ? What Are They Complaining About?

For many businesses, e-commerce represents a tremendous method for generating... Read More

eCommerce, How Much Does It cost?

Making profits with your existing website design or creating a... Read More

Six Components Of A Good E-Commerce Site

Businesses, which are still sitting on sidelines and not doing... Read More

How To Stay Cutting Edge In Online Business

Let's face it, there's just way too much information out... Read More

The Plain Man?s Guide to Making Money Online

I'm a plain man who uses plain thinking in devising... Read More

Two Pillars of a Successful Web Site

For a web site to get close to fulfilling its... Read More

How To Turn Any Product You Sell In To Residual Income

The concept of this is for you to offer a... Read More

Accept Credit Cards Online Without A Merchant Account

It is often assumed if you want to accept credit... Read More

Selecting The Right Shopping Cart For Your Website

Shopping Cart Installation And SetupShopping cart technology has evolved to... Read More

Implications Of E-Commerce For Tax Legislation

As e-commerce develops ambiguities in the current tax code in... Read More

PayPal Powered

Three years ago I was doing some work for a... Read More

Credit Card Merchant Account Basics

Knowing which credit card merchant account to get can be... Read More

Start doing online business using B2B Portals in Six Steps

I registered with a B2B site but what's next?This is... Read More

Intranet Project ? RAD or Waterfall?

Building BridgesI have often used the analogy of building a... Read More

The Five Most Commonly Encountered, Off-putting E-commerce Errors

While getting less public handwringing than during holiday season, the... Read More

Why Suppliers Should Use B2B Exchanges

Business to business e-commerce is on the rise! Worldwide B2B... Read More

E-Gold

E-gold is a digital currency, used extensively on the Internet... Read More

Free Competition Analysis for E-Commerce Startup

For anyone who has completed research regarding e-commerce, there are... Read More

How To Find the Best Merchant Account For Your Business

What a great idea! Start accepting credit cards and watch... Read More

The Essential Christmas Web-store Makeover

Ten great tips to turn online holiday shoppers into eager... Read More

How E-commerce Web Site Design Differs From Normal Web Design

When it comes to e-commerce everything is a little bit... Read More

Intranet Project Names - Some Ideas

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose... Read More

Cheap Cigarettes, Discount Tobacco and Cigars Online - Is It Legal?

Many people online today still believe that buying tobacco products... Read More

How to Start a Business on the Internet

So you want to start a business? Good for you.... Read More

Writing Web Pages: Get To The Meat Faster

Much of my consulting work comprises writing 'Outside Opinion' reports... Read More

The Secret Science Of Online Shopping

In theory you could create a retail web site with... Read More

Gooooooooooogle It!

....there's much more to Google than you thought:With the wealth... Read More

Grow your Business with Emarketplace - Part III

Increase Company ProductivityAfter years of hard work, finally your business... Read More

Online Shopping: Legal Challenges for Taxing Authorities

E-commerce offers customers the chance to eliminate many stages in... Read More

Maximize Your Froogling for Increased Website Profits

Are you familiar with Froogle? If you are an online... Read More

10 Reasons To Survey Your Visitors, Subscribers And Customers

1. To find out what type of content visitors want... Read More

The Origins of E-Commerce

What is the Internet?In order to provide a discussion on... Read More