Things to keep in mind when going on-line

Short attention span – KISS (Keep it simple stupid) principle becomes more important as customers usually don’t spend more than 40 seconds on one website.

Details matter – Given the short attention span and the high propensity to go elsewhere (one mouse click away), everything little detail matters, even page load times for example. If your page takes long to load (more than 2 seconds), chances of your prospect bouncing goes up exponentially.

Customer experience adds value – You need to deliver a “great” customer experience to every customer. Over and above the product experience, you need to deliver an awesome experience at every touch point – whether it is customer care, online content, surveys, newsletters – you need to aspire to beat your customer’s ever rising expectations.

Social proof is mandatory - Consumers look for social proof. Who else is using it? What do others think about it? Is this site real and trustworthy? Allow users to share and review your service on the web, using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Web analytics is the main guide to success– unique visitors, bounce rates, traffic sources, conversion rates, conversion lifts, and funnels become part of your everyday terminology. It is all about getting more customer traffic to your website and getting them to buy or do whatever that helps you make money.

Testing never ends – Getting ready for continuous A/B testing and multi-variant testing is essential. Consumers are erratic; they change their mind all the time. Hence, no matter how many usability tests you have done before you release changes to your site, it can never guarantee success. Be prepared for surprises, because what you think will win could turn out to be a sore loser.

There is never enough SEO – Every page you create on your website needs to be SEO (search engine optimization) friendly. Your highly qualified prospective customers will find you primarily via two mechanisms – 1) search engines when they are about to buy what you are trying to sell or 2) by word of mouth.

Respect customers’ privacy – Ask only for personal information that is absolutely needed. If sensitive personal information is asked, explain how you would use it. If a consumer opts out of receiving marketing material from you, respect that. Do not require them to “register” with your site to use your product/service unless required. Allow for “guest checkout”.

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