#5 Streamlining and simplifying your website for greater results
Cleaning your web pages of extraneous and superfluous junk

Key to website success Tip #5
Simplify and Streamline your Website

Ask yourself: Have I added all kinds of "cool stuff" just because it is cool or because I figured out how to do it, instead of building a straightforward website design that "anyone can use and get where they want to be immediately"?

Cool gizmos, drop downs, flash, flashing messages, blinking anything, music, arty text, symbols only you recognize, and entry pages with only a picture are great for websites selling the teen market or a site intended to entertain rather than sell, or very high tech or artsy products. If that's you, go for it!

If you are interested in adult customers who are searching for buying information rather than entertainment, give it to them straight! If your site puts "cool" over "content" and simple navigation, you may have a pretty "face" but they won't take you home to momma as often as you'd like. Search engines don't give much credit to an opening page picture only or "opening show" and no relevant content.

For real buyers of products other than trendy tech stuff, and most services other than trendy tech stuff, the buyer wants to get to the information they have come to find. Don't delay them on the opening page. Rotating pictures in a "web slide show" may seem a good idea, but if they want to see what you have, let them choose to view your cool stuff separately. Get on with your message and give them the option to view your "show" when they have time. Don't rely on using Flash or other gimmicks to do your selling for you because for most products and services they won't.

If you use flashy stuff and achieve, "Hey you gotta come and see this website", it is a comment tied to the entertainment factor - usually not the selling ability of the site and if you have created an extreme website you may get false hits based on your show rather than what you are selling or even get into the directories of cool sites for those who have a lot of time to devote to surfing for such sites, not buying.

Remember Flash requires the user to have the player program on their computer. Not everyone is willing to download the player. In some cases, when there is no alternative way to enter a website, a non-flash visitor just goes away. Always provide an alternative for your web visitor if you do use Flash programming.

Icons for everyone? Icons are symbols. The best icons are recognizable by absolutely everyone. If you have several programs on your computer, each may have its own set of icons, which you had to figure out before you used the program well. The same holds true of a website. If you use icons, people must figure them out. This can lead to frustration or missing information entirely. Charming as they may be, try plain text or a button with a word on it so your viewer can focus on the content rather than figuring out how to get it.
It all works together in website design.

Consider the fact that many people do shop on-line from their computer at work!

Sound websites

Aha! You found a site that is playing great tunes or holiday music on their website and you think it is cool. So it is, but consider that most web shopping is done at work! Fellow employees and bosses would not be too thrilled to hear someone fooling around when they are supposed to be working. Streaming audio has a place in web sites, but if you want to get that employed person to stay at your site and buy, be quiet! Second, streaming audio is a diversion. For young people sites streaming audio is added sensory excitement, but you want your audience focused on what you are selling not splitting their attention, don't you? Third, on productivity computers, many adults turn off the sound anyway as all the dings, and beeps are distracting. And don't even think about electronically shouting "Thank you" when someone does buy from you. It startles more people than it pleases, and for people in an office environment it only shouts they've been shopping instead of working. You do want them to buy again from you don't you?

Last minute advice: Remember the old acronym - KISS! Keep It Simple Smarty! You can easily outfox yourself in building your own website with any of the 4Cs: cleverness, cuteness, colorfulness and clutter on your site. Give your website "muscle" instead. Take a look at our definitions section for more important information on actually building your web site.

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