Each time you pick up your phone, tablet or laptop to search the internet for something, you’re wanting to do one of four things:
- Know something
- Go somewhere
- Do something
- Buy something
If folks are coming to your website to KNOW something, then teach them.
If folks are using your product or service to GO somewhere, then take them there in efficient or surprising ways.
If folks want to DO something, enable them. Help them. Show them. Or do it for them.
And if folks want to BUY something, then sell it to them. (But make sure you’re helping them know, go and/or do too.)
People often tell themselves the wrong story about their website. They think their site is supposed to be about them. And they believe the job of their website is to “sell” or “position” their company, cause or career.
Is that why you visit websites? Not me!
I visit websites — yours included — when I need to know something, go somewhere, do something or buy something. (Even wasting time is doing something.)
If you help me get a know/go/do/buy job done, then I’m likely to pay attention. If not, well, there are 1.3 billion other sites out there (and counting). And the digital universe is doubling every two years.
Image by Michael Summers on Flickr.