Getting Your Website Right

Blog Log

The Night Nannies site uses a blog to communicate with customers. “The blog is a great way to show that there’s a person behind the website. Also it’s a way of being able to keep the information up-to-date,” says Sansom. “But again it all comes back to another way for search engines to pick you up, because blogs are great for search engines. There’s no point in being on page 20 on a Google search; you need to be on page one or two.”

The Night Nannies website also provides free information to assist converting visitors into customers. “We want to be able to help people, and the reality is we’re not giving anything away,” she says. “We’re saying we’ll come to your home and help you implement those strategies. So having that information onsite is a bonus because information brings the customer to you.”

Night Nannies visitors will also find links to other sites, but Sansom explains that this is part of optimisation and she isn’t worried about driving away customers. “Links going out is just sharing that particular resource, and with the links coming in you’re seen as the authority on that particular topic,” she says. “I’m not afraid to be able to share that resource and show that we are part of the bigger picture.”

While an informative site that conveys your expertise is great, it’s not the easiest thing to manage. “You can have all the information in the world, but if customers get lost it’s pointless,” says Sansom. “Knowing what people want is really hard, so we had to nut it out with someone from IT. Obviously you don’t want to put everything in there—you don’t want to give away all your secrets—but you want to give away little bits.”

Design Codes

Turning to design, your site’s layout should reflect your target audience. “If you’re looking for a very cheap, value-seeking kind of customer, you probably don’t want a very flashy site—just a simple, clean, basic site,” says Schebesta. “But if you’re selling a much higher-end product—one that requires more service and has a higher ticket value—you might want to consider a more design-intensive site.”

The simple and modern design of the Night Nannies website is the reason behind its appeal, says Sansom. “It hasn’t got lots of different colours and the colours are carefully chosen so they’re appealing and easily accepted by the eyes,” she explains. “Obviously we choose pictures that are recognisable as our brand but also relevant to our key market.” The website’s design also follows current trends, including a lack of scrolling—especially on the home page.

Keeping your website organised is essential, particularly the home page. “What’s important is structure,” says Schebesta. “Most internet users are just skimmers and scanners—they skim the pages and scan for bolded words and dot points. So you’ve got to structure the top of your page for those skimmers and scanners, just to push them towards your conversion or money page,” he says. “But below that have enough information for the type of users that research heavily. There are people who make very considered decisions and they can also be very valued customers.

“The other things you need are questions throughout your site to resolve what’s called ‘points of resolution’ in a customer’s mind. It’s critical that you resolve those points within your website in order for them to go ahead and make a purchase. They’re normally the questions your customers will ask you when they pick up the phone and speak to you, so detail them on your site. They’ll feel confident that you’ve already thought about these questions and then they’ll feel more confident in getting in contact with you, which ultimately is what you’re trying to do with your site.”

What Not To Do

Knowing what to do is one thing, but knowing what not to do is also crucial. “Pure fact sites are a no-no because search engines can’t see them,” says Schebesta. Sites with frames and little content aren’t appealing for customers or search engines.

Flashy sites are another problem. “The key pitfall is that lots of people still can’t see flash, so you need to consider those users who don’t actually have flash software working on their computer, like in a lot of corporate environments,” Schebesta explains. “I think there is a bit of overkill where it’s too flashy and there isn’t enough content or value given to the customer.”