www.whatpc.co.uk/vnunet/news/2232861/web-owners-urged-f -
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Published on: 12/18/2008
Last Visited: 12/18/2008
Conrad Bennett, senior technical director at WebTrends, argued that traders need to make sure that visitors to their sites can find what they're looking for easily, and understand clearly at all times where they are in the buying process.
"So if you offer a search function on your web site, which is highly advisable, good indexing is crucial, and don't make it necessary to have a log-in to use the search function," he said.
"The buying process should be kept brief and to the point, and there should be complete clarity about the final cost from the outset.
Customers hate nasty surprises at the end of the purchasing process and will often simply break off the procedure, never to return."
Web site owners should also avoid "excessively data-rich applications" because they may affect the performance of the site, and be unsuitable for the products advertised, advised Bennett.
"While online videos, animations, blogs, etc are right for some online retailers, they are completely wrong for others," he added.