Do You Know Who Sees Your Site?
October 28th, 2009 | by Conrad Walton |I ran into an old friend the other day at the supermarket. We caught up on each other’s lives, children, jobs, wives, churches, etc.
He proudly told me that they finally “got on the Internet”. Their son, in his early teens, has always told them that it’s too hard and they wouldn’t understand it, so the dad had stayed away from it for years. Someone had given them an old computer a long time ago and that’s all they’ve had for years. They just recently got a new computer.
Do You Know Who Sees Your Site?
He was so proud when he told me that he knew how to click on “Internet”, type in where he wanted to go into Google, then click the mouse twice.
I had to work really hard to not laugh out loud. I’ve been BUILDING web sites since 1994 and he just now learned how to “click twice” to get there.
I told him that I build web sites and he looked at me with the look in his eye that said “I hear the words coming out of your mouth but I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Websites! You know, the places you go on the Internet.” I told him. More blank stares. He didn’t know what a web site was. I tried to explain, but after a few more sentences, he said “Well, it was good to see you again!” and walked off.
I forget sometimes that not every one knows what I know. If you are reading this right now, most people probably don’t know what you know.
On one hand, that makes me feel smart, but on the other, it reminds me that we need to make our web sites, these places that you go on the Internet, as simple as possible, as obvious as possible.
I don’t want to insult anyone, but simple and direct will always work better. Think of how to use a TV or how you order at MacDonalds.
State what your site is about in big, bold letters. Tell user what you want them to do. I almost want to put a big red button at the top of the screen that says “Order Here Now!”.
What would your site say to the least knowledgeable among us?
Tags: Blank Stares, Bold Letters, Building Web Sites, Churches, Dad, Early Teens, Google, Guess, Internet Type, Jobs, Long Time, Macdonalds, New Computer, Old Computer, Old Friend, Sentences, Soccer Coach, Supermarket
