The content and best interface for a commercial World-Wide Web site was the focus of a pair of presentations at the Internet World '95 conference and exhibition in San Jose, CA, two weeks ago. The conference sessions attracted several hundred attendees looking for information from Web presentation experts.
Jim Sterne, president of Target Marketing in Santa Barbara, CA, told the audience they can now think of targeting marketplaces as small as one person with the Internet communication tools now available. Companies should think in terms of customer service rather than selling, he said. "Your customers will see your services as the value-add to the product you happen to sell," Sterne noted. "Sales is not a good thing on the Internet today. There's not much selling taking place. But the Internet's a fabulous place for marketing."
Also important is for Web sites to be considered as an interactive experience, he said. "A Web site is something that people do, not something that people read. The more you can do from a customer service perspective, the more sales you're going to make." An example of an effective Web site is Digital Equipment Corp.'s at http://www.dec.com, he said.
Sterne warned against putting up Web pages that are "under construction" and don't have useful information or tools. His impression as a customer then is that "I just wasted five minutes trying to find something, and what I found out was that your company broke a promise. You offered me something and then you said 'Naaah, just kidding.'"
Links to other servers are good, he said, but not so many that it invites people not to stay at your site. And he advised against making information so hard to obtain that people lose interest, such as making them wait for a password to be mailed to them. Items that should always be part of Web pages are 800 numbers, just in case information isn't clear, and a search tool for finding information quickly.
Rem Jackson, sales director of Wentworth Worldwide Media, said it's important to look at a Web page as an outsider and ask if it's useful and attractive. "Step back and pretend you're someone else," he said. "You have to think about giving your community information about you."
The two main reasons people use the Internet are to find and download useful information, and to talk to other people, Jackson said. But it's also important to know that although there are more than 25 million persons connected to the Internet, only 10 to 15 percent of them have Web access. The number of Web users is expected to reach 10 million by 1996, he said.
Since 53 percent of Internet users have e-mail only, companies should integrate e-mail with their Web sites to get their foot in the door. He also recommended integration of wide-area information servers, Gopher, ftp, and mailing lists until the Web becomes all-encompassing. "The Web will take over the Internet by 1996," Jackson said. "That's obviously what's happening." Microsoft's anticipated release of Windows 95 will bring with it an easy way for Windows users to join the Internet, and that should send Web use skyrocketing, he added. "When Windows 95 comes along, the great unwashed will come to the Internet. But don't let yourself get caught up in waiting for that, and use the other tools that are available."
Jackson advised against placing many hard-to-download graphic images on Web pages, since most users don't have adequate bandwidth. "Pictures aren't that interesting. You can end up embarrassing yourself more often than not. If you call up the Web sites of the biggest companies, you'll be surprised how nonfunctional they are and how truly boring they are.
"Your home page should be clear and uncluttered, without too many graphics on a page," Jackson continued. "Also, resist the temptation to tell everything on the cover page." Headlines and icons should not be too big. Information incorporated into graphics should also be presented in text form, for users with text-only browsers. "Differentiate your site with a unique thing to get people back," he said. "Add value to your Web site and change it very often, give free samples on-line, and list prices. Put up your own newspaper."
Jackson noted that the Web audience is still 88 percent male, with the largest number in the 21-39 age group, and with relatively high incomes and education levels. "Think about the intended audience," he said. "Remember that colors and animals have different symbolic meanings in different parts of the world. And don't make your site regional by mentioning seasons or holidays. There's a great opportunity to offend people on a global basis.