The Man versus Any Man
The development of e-commerce has given small businesses a chance to compete with large companies in a world wide market, and now it is easier than ever to market and sell products online. Some small businesses, however, have opted to refrain from e-commerce because they are intimidated by the big businesses, but believe it or not, being a small store with a simple website can be a major advantage online.
Time and time again low budget websites have proven that function is more important than form when it comes to converting website traffic into sales. Take plentyoffish.com for example, this is an absolutely ugly website that supposedly earns $10,000 a day from Google advertising.
Low end websites have a way of conveying trust, which is vital, since many people do not trust large corporations. Most consumers would rather buy (regardless of price) from smaller companies, with low budget websites because they feel like they are helping the little guy in his battle against “The Manâ€.
So the trick is to design an attractive website that has the appearance of a mom and pop store as opposed to a department store. Major corporations have caught on to this and are beginning to apply it to their websites. Some corporations even create new/smaller companies to sell their products online.
Here are a few ways to improve your website and compete with “The Manâ€:
First, I suggest cutting back on things like flash (it’s distracting and invisible to search engines) and java script (also invisible) that makes your website appear expensive and busy. A simple flash banner will suffice without interfering with the focus of the pages.
Second, remove page clutter. It is not necessary to fill every empty space on a page. Clutter and information overload will be a deterrent and create a spammy appearance. Research has shown that increasing white space on pages helps people to concentrate on your products and increase conversions. Moderation is the key.
Third, offer reassurance. Every page should have something on it, in the body or elsewhere, reassuring the visitors that you are honest and qualified. Also provide info about yourself (or company). Visitors are more likely to trust you if they know more about who you are and where you’re from (location is important).
The point I am trying to make is that you shouldn’t sacrifice usability for appearance. Instead, build an intuitive website first then tweak the look and feel later. The products and text on your pages are more important than your drop down menus and flashy graphics.
Keep this in mind when building your pages and you will maximize your profits from online traffic.