Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

My first impressions are that there's a lot of text/images to look at, and my eye isn't sure where to look first and the animations (the Easy to Use/Proven/etc. and LATEST) are continually changing, making it hard for me to concentrate and read.

Dear Hanah,

Turn off your automatic scrolling Flash banner. The longer pieces of text are not on screen long enough for people to read them.

Transpose your social media icons to the top of your page and consider including a few words inviting people to connect with your platforms.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Princeton, NJ

Once you get through the problems noted above, there's a more fundamental problem: What is the unique and important positioning benefit you deliver to your target audience?

The words are all about you and your product, and how many people love you. There's nothing that says why I might want to buy whatever it is you're selling. "Easy-to-use" is only important if I want whatever you have. You need to be crystal-clear about why someone should even pay attention. What's the benefit?

Use more HTML and less Flash so the site is searchable. I'm having a huge issue with the auto navigation in the flash content smack in the middle of your page. The user does not see the top or main navigation because it is so distracting. The left navigation is auto selecting the buttons and Flash is happening on the left and right side of the page at the same time. It is senseless that this is even happening. Shop that! If you want something to look like Nav then make it Nav. Let the customer do the walking! Don't force it on them. When the user 'clicks' on the left navigation, STOP and let the user interact with the page.

Also, I agree : Social media icons should always be at the top of the page.

Hi Hannah,

I agree with all of the visual enhancements suggested above.

You only have a couple of seconds to let visitors know what you do and how you can help. When I went to your site, I had to wait and read several different flash images before i started to get the gist of what you do and who you do it for. Most visitors won't stay on a site long enough to do all of that.

I believe that websites work best when your ideal customer can instantly recognize themselves and their problems, and immediately understand that you are the best choice to help them to solve their problems.

As mgoodman said, you'll have to highlight the unique benefit you'll deliver. Really it's all about devising a compelling message that concisely pinpoints who your ideal customer is, what problems they suffer from that your product/service can solve, what makes you different and better than the competition, and what kind of benefits/results you can promise.

Also, on quick perusal, it seems like most of your traffic is coming from people who search for your name (so they know of you already) as opposed to keywords that would drive new visitors to your door. I would suggest that you develop more good content and organically optimize it for additional keywords.

Best,
Susan

Add videos of customers as testimonials on that homepage. I agree with others who say the flash piece moves too quickly. Also the images are rather drab. Engage your visitors quickly with someone they can relate to talking about your value.