Assumption Is The Mother Of All...
...mistakes. Once you design your pages and put them online don't assume it's perfect and that if anyone can't use it then it's their problem, not yours. If someone can't use it then you're missing out on revenue.
Carry out some user testing on your web pages and get a better idea of how people use your page and navigate around. 'User Testing' may sound like a massive expense that only huge corporations do, and in its purest form it probably is, but all I'm talking about is getting a few people of different ages and different internet experience to use your site whilst you look over their shoulder and see how successful they are in using your site.
Do the pages load quick enough for your young nephew? Can your gran read the text OK? Does your Dad understand what you're selling? Can your friend easily navigate your pages? Make a note of the questions people ask you, but don't help them out (If your great-grandmother asks why the typewriter is attached to the microwave, then move on to someone else ;)
).
Also, take this opportunity to ask them to find Product A online. Do they go to a
search engine first? If so, which one? What phrase do they search for? How do they look at the results page? Is No.1 the best, or do they carefully read the descriptions and titles? Do they look at sponsored links? Do they even know about sponsored links? Ask them why they chose a particular site, what did they like about it?
Being on the Internet all day, everyday can easily blind you to how 'ordinary people' use it. Advanced computer and internet users operate differently from others. The masses that use the internet to shop online are important because they are the ones that will generate the bulk of your revenue in most cases.
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