A client gave me a gift today - a gift that, as a word nerd, I absolutely love.
It’s a new word: site-itis.
We were talking about how some sites have relevant, powerful content … but the design makes it so difficult to read that visitors can’t recognize or take advantage of the value.
And the flip side of the coin: those sites that are well designed, but the content is completely self-referential, with no demonstrated understanding of the customer.
My client said, referring to one site in particular, “Yeah, she must be having site-itis.”
I love that. It’s so perfectly expressive of how people get carried away by design coolness – or how people can be so immersed in what they do that they forget to establish a relationship with the customer first. (For a brilliant explanation of the latter topic, see Copyblogger’s recent post “Why Nobody Cares About Your Content (and what to do about it)” at http://www.copyblogger.com/user-focused-content/.)
In a spirit of fun and in total seriousness, I describe three symptoms of site-itis. If your site demonstrates any of them, I strongly urge you to take corrective action!
(I don’t want to put anyone on the spot by linking to specific examples of these situations. Every example I describe, however, comes from a site I have personally seen and experienced. And I’d be willing to bet you’ve seen similar examples in your own travels!)
1. Your site is breaking out in a rash of cool technology or design.
Hey, I’m a technology fan from the word “go.” I grew up as a programmer, and I love playing with new tools.
But when the latest “must have it” tool, technical implementation, or marketing fad is used for the sole purpose of using it, you’re not doing yourself or your customers any favors.
Why are you using a particular tool or design feature? What value does it add?
If you can’t respond to that question with a strong, customer-focused answer, your site probably isn’t as effective as it could be.
Example: A site I saw last week uses a photo of a white-shirted, tie-wearing man’s chest as the background. The photo is tinted blue. And the tint changes constantly, fading from dark to light and back to dark again.
It was almost impossible to read the description of services that was overlaid (in white and light blue!) on this ever-changing background.
2. Your site is inquisitive and bullying.
We’ve all heard that you have to make your readers feel the pain of their problem so that they can see the value of purchasing your solution.
And there’s certainly something to be said for that … as long as you do it with care and empathy rather than with a blunt instrument.
Sales pages that lead with a barrage of questions designed to make readers feel the pain often only make them wonder if they’ve inadvertently wandered into an S&M bar … or have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Example: The other day I helped a client revise the sales page she’d written for a program she’s about to release. When I put on my “I’m a first-time visitor to this site” hat, the questions at the top of the page made me feel like I was being interrogated – and left me with a strong urge to ask, “Who the heck are you to be asking me such personal questions?”
In short, I felt bullied. I did not feel understood, nor was I inclined to trust that this program would work for me.
3. Your site content is arrogantly narcissistic or painfully insecure – or both.
When your site talks exclusively about what you do, it sends a message of complete antisocial self-absorption.
Depending on the tone, it can come across as arrogant and know-it-all, or insecure and defensive.
Example: I reviewed a site last week where literally every page began with “we” or “our” or some other self-referential pronoun.
There was no way for potential customers to know if they were in the right place – if this company could actually help them with their specific problem.
When your site is antisocial, refusing to create connection, understanding, or common ground with your readers, they’ll feel confused, insecure, and unlikely to trust that you’re the right answer for their need.
What can you do about it?
Site-itis often comes with site blindness. That’s when you can’t quite bring your own website into focus and see it as your customers see it.
Site blindness is difficult to overcome on your own – after all, you either designed and wrote the site yourself, or you approved your designer’s and content developer’s work.
Get feedback – and not from your friends and relatives. Ask your clients. Ask potential clients. Hire someone to do a site review; there are plenty of people, including me, who do them at very reasonable prices.
Most of all, remember that as the old saying goes, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Because in the end, no matter how cool you may think it is, and no matter how strongly you might feel about how the content reflects your work … what you think is irrelevant if your ideal client doesn’t agree.
Learn more about getting your site reviewed: http://www.svahaconcepts.com/offerings/websitereview.html