Forum Moderators: phranque
That is just my look on things.
- Attention to detail -- no typos, broken links, etc.
- Signs of life. If the website doesn't appear to be updated frequently I get concerned.
- Intuitive design of teh user interface. If it feels like the owner of the site has put significant thought into the customer experience it makes me feel like I am in good hands.
One more thing, if I see silly animated icons or hear a jingle start to pump through my speakers I run away really fast.
Lack or very small use of stock art. I'm not sure how many more times I can see that blonde chick with the boom mic telephone thing on her head.
If the site displays any of the following, I'm bailing:
ScanAlert Hacker SAFE or really any Hacker Safe icon
Verisign Secured Seal
Mastercard Secure
CNET Certified
Price Assured....or any of the 10 other displayable icons sites seem to give out like chiclets.
and if any of the above are displayed, if I also see:
BBB Online Member, I'm bailing.
All of these things combine to tell me "Hey look, we're hiding something". If you want to see examples, search for digital photography equipment, and check out the bait and switch NY shops.
If it meets all those requirements, so long as it has an easy navigation and a good layout, I'll stick around. But if I have to learn how to use your website, it's back to google to find a competitor.
Chip-
Doesn't that depend on the nature of the site?
An ecom site should work for what it's apparently designed for, to begin with. I'm personally tired of designs that are so slick you can't find your way through the purchase process. If they can't get that right, why on earth would you trust them to get anything else right?
On pure info sites, amature deisgn can work pretty good for some. But if the info site is a big name, or wannabe big name, the site better deliver the info with a minimum of fuss. Don't ask me to register just to read your info, UNLESS you're willing to provide a VERY clear and concise reason why you need my info, and what you will do with it.
...and if any of the above are displayed, if I also see:
BBB Online Member, I'm bailing.
Having had occasion to work with our local BBB in the past, this one surprised me. Would you say the same about a site listing a membership in the local (not on-line) BBB where the company's located? I've seen some of those on sites, too.
The BBB is a shakedown, I wouldn't trust anyone who has a BBB membership. The word "bureau" for some reason makes people think they're a government backed organization, but the reality is that the BBB is a for-profit corporation just like yours and mine.
Here's basically how it works ... a customer complains about you to the BBB. If you're a member, the BBB calls you up and says "hey, so and so complained" and you do something to shut the customer up (give them a refund, whatever) and the record of the complaint disappears (Notice there are no BBB members with complaints about them).
If you're NOT a member and someone complains, the BBB calls you up and asks if you'd like to become one. If you do, you pay them, and as above the complaint disappears. If you don't, the complaint goes on your "company record" with "unresolved" status and you're not allowed to post your side of the story.
Like I said, it's a friggin shakedown. While I know a lot of business owners don't understand what the BBB is really all about and join because they think it benefits their business, those of us who DO know how the BBB works question the business when we see that BBB logo: Was this business owner someone who doesn't know? Or are they someone who had one or more complaints against them and joined the BBB to sweep them under the rug?
No way to tell, so I stay away from merchants displaying a BBB logo (both in person and online) unless I'm familiar with the company already or have a strong recommendation from someone I trust.
Chip-
To me that is quite a way to a professional site.
You can always tell when an amateur makes a site, and I'm very apt to run away quickly.
I will spend an hour or more tracking down a wayward pixel on my pages. One little out of place whitespace or unaligned image ruins the entire effect.
No flames
No Clip-Art
Nothing Flashing
Nothing Scrolling
