Last time, I promised some concrete guidelines for applying usability principles to your web site. This article discusses usability as it applies to micro-sites.

 

To ensure that we are all on the same page, let’s define what a micro-site is. I will defer to internetmarketingdefinitions.com:

 For what type of objectives is a micro-site especially suited? Typically, they advance one of the following objectives:

Let’s discuss sales micro-sites as almosr everyone has been exposed to them. Successful ones provide a quick and simple way for a specific type of transaction to be completed. For example, most of the direct mail pieces exhorting you to “sign up for our no-fee Visa card with 2.9% APR” include a link to a micro-site where you can do just that, and nothing more.

 

Key to effective usability: the “and nothing more” part. To achieve this,

Effective sales micro-site usability is as much about what not to do as it is about what to do:

• Do not include your main web site navigation. Include only micro-site-specific navigation needed to support the single task for which the micro-site was built
• Do not create image-rich or Flash-intensive pages – you know, the kind that draws rave reviews at internal company demos and walk-throughs. Design to make the user experience quick and simple
• Do not include anything that would be distracting:
  • Navigation should be streamlined and linear as possible. Introducing multiple paths through the site generates hesitation and lost sales
  • Minimize links that do not support the call to action. If you anticipate that some visitors may have a lingering objection to completing the task, address it as tersely as possible, perhaps through a very brief page that opens in a separate browser window so the visitor can return to their “place” in the main browser window instantly. Credit card sign-up micro-sites often have a “Security and Privacy” page to counter objections that confidential data may be compromised or misused
  • Resist the temptation to add a Site Map or a Search feature. If your micro-site needs a site map, then it is really not a micro-site
  • Avoid general branding a marketing copy that does not directly reinforce completion of the task

 

2 comments so far...

Re: Usability and Effective Micro-sites Eric, thanks for your insights. I thought that you'd like to hear how they work in actual practice. We refined a micro-site that our organization uses to generate seminar registrations. We've tripled the responses rate compared to last spring when the same seminar was offered. Especially considering the current economic environment, we are ecstatic! Now, why didn't you post this last April? Just kidding! By Janice on   Sunday, October 19, 2008

Re: Usability and Effective Micro-sites Janice, I'm glad that I could help. 300% is quite a lift! For my own learning, as well as that of other visitors, would you mind revealing the most major changes that were made to this micro-site? Also, were there any changes in the frequency, volume, messaging, pricing, or other aspects of the marleting campaigns dirving prospects to the micro-site? While I know that the tactics I presented are effective, I can't help thinking that there were additional factors at work that contributed to the 300% increase in registrations. By Eric Bingen on   Monday, October 20, 2008

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