Web Critic

I saw some questions the other day about sticky websites.

Sticky websites are great and do stop people leaving too quickly. Yes, they have given the user a good experience and probably they will come back…you can always check your site stats to see how many of your web visitors have bookmarked your site.

Sticky websites are really good for social networking sites (web 2.0) and product or service researchers. Lead generation websites are for product buyers and this is when you help them to select a product, pay and go. Typical drop out rates between Add to basket and the Checkout  are over 50%…that’s more than 50% of your visitors leaving their basket in an aisle and legging it out of the door! Maybe the checkout was sticky! It happens a lot…poor design of the checkout area is almost standard on many websites…just when you have got the customer to select a product and put it in their basket, you blow it! …Why? Often it’s because the E-commerce techies and web designers can only see it from a position of Recall, not Recognition. That usually means poor usability and high drop out rates. Stickiness keeps them there but it’s a lot of other factors that get them to spend or take an action…and that’s when you have a successful commercial website!

Some parts of a site should be sticky for researchers and social networkers and some parts need to be slippy, quick and easy for the product seekers.

You can’t justify any investment in a website without the promise of a financial return.

Yours profitably,

Till soon,

TWC