Going Home Made Easy
This is a very simple problem, but we continue to see it often. Site designers think that their users are now savvy enough to realize that the company logo in the upper, left-hand corner of their site is supposed to serve as the “Home” link. We’ve seen even the more advanced users struggling to find a way to return to the Homepage because they can’t find a link that explicitly states “Home”.
Typically, we see users look for a “Home” link in one of three places:
- In the upper-left hand corner, right around where the company’s logo is located
- In the footer of the page
- As the left-most tab (for companies who use a horizontal tab navigation structure)
So let’s go with the users. Our recommendations for home navigation are:
- Make sure they can get directly Home from any page in the site.
- If you use the upper-left logo, put the text “Home” on it somewhere.
- If you use horizontal tab navigation and don’t use the upper-left logo, make “Home” the left-most tab.
- Put a “Home link” in the footer.
NavyFCU.org - “Home” link near the company logo
Conveying online security is more than just a logo…
For years, the small yellow padlock graphic in the status bar of the browser has indicated a “secure connection”. When the Internet industry first came online, the icon was typically the only indicator of the security level, and it did little to reduce any anxiety with sharing credit card information over the Internet. There were simply too many unknowns about the mysterious connection path from the consumers home computer to the distant server on the other side. Though the technical details of the connection path remain a mystery, Websites have gotten much smarter at emphasizing the padlock and soothing any concerns. Consider the following points to reduce consumer anxiety:
- Displaying trusted “seals” such as VeriSign or TRUSTe - One of the more standard methods in ensuring a secure transaction is displaying the “seals of approval”. These sites work to verify and ensure the compliance of a site’s security, as well as a company’s legal name. Though having these seals is important, it solves only part of the puzzle.
- Make sure the message is understandable to all users - The messaging is just as important as the third-party seals (possibly even more important). Consider the following message displayed on Expedia.com
SSL encrypts your credit card number, name, address, and telephone number before they travel over the Internet. This makes doing business over the internet as secure as purchasing by telephone.
Notice the use of the technical terminology (e.g. “SSL” and “encrypts”), as well as the use of a basic example (e.g. comparing it to a telephone).
- Make sure the secure message is conveyed in the path of the user experience - The final piece of reducing anxiety levels is in the placement of this information. Traditionally, the security information is only available from a link in the footer, which in our lab experience, is rarely utilized. The best placement is where the information is subtly displayed within the user’s path. Consider the following examples of sites that have integrated security awareness within the actual user experience of the site:
Travelocity.com - While searching for fares:
Shutterfly.com - The “padlock” in the actual button. Smart.
In our experience, the balance of all three of these elements is critical for online purchases. To be clear, we are not suggesting that these three elements will necessarily cause more revenue, but more likely they will prevent lost revenue. No matter how great your Website is, if the final page where you are asking for credit card information causes anxiety or fear, then you are just increasing the odds of losing a customer.