Ben Menoza

A friend and former colleague sent me a link to Hank William’s blog post that lent credence to Robert Scoble’s diatribe on why startup websites tend to suck, mainly because it was relevant to how he approaches marketing of his own startup projects.

The moral of the story is simple: In the simplest of terms, tell me what you’re trying to do, or else I’m leaving. It should be obvious, but I’m amazed at how many companies can’t do this. Rather than eviscerate these companies by calling out their blatant disregard for user experience or human life (a la Scoble), perhaps a refresher course in Common Sense for Web Developers is in order. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Use clear and concise language when describing… anything.
I can’t believe I have to state this, but I feel it has to be stated. If you find that you’re using too many words to describe what you do, then you most likely are. Flowery language is nice if your audience can understand it, but if you’re not a professional copywriter, then don’t attempt it. And while you’re at it, don’t make up new terms that you’ll have to define constantly throughout your site, for the sake of reinforcing your brand, because your audience will get confused and eventually leave.

Establish trust before requesting information.
Asking a potential user to provide his/her personal information, even if it is just an email address, does require you as the site owner to be forthcoming about what you intend to do with the information, why you need it, etc. If you’re approached on the street by someone with a clipboard asking you to sign a petition, you’ll want to know what the cause is and what is required of you. A guy who’s trying to pick you up at a bar will (hopefully) strike up interesting conversion beforehand in the hope that you’ll eventually trust him. This should be no different on the web; all of these transactions/exchanges require a level of trust.

Here are a few ways to achieve this:

• Explain how you’ll use the user’s information, and, just as important, how you won’t use it.
• Request only the information that is required, and ask the user to fill out other information later on.
• Provide a summarized Terms and Conditions statement, along side the official, legal version, so users can understand a little better what they’re signing up for.

Focus on quality, not quantity
Your site is only as good as the time you spend ensuring the highest level of quality. At all costs, you should thoroughly test your work to make sure that it is free of obvious defects, whether they are related to design, function, or content. This is not to say that your site should be absolutely flawless (though you should always set the bar high), but without heavy marketing or sales, your reputation will depend largely on having a stable, production-quality site.