Testing your travel website
So you’ve got steady traffic to your website from the search engines. Now, how are you going to persuade those visitors to make a booking?
For any website to be successful, it must be user-friendly. That means the copy is easy to read, the navigation is clear and visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.
Every time you add a new page to your site, you should ask yourself why. What do you want visitors to do on this page? Do you want them to make a booking, add a trip to a wishlist or pick up the phone and call you?
Once you know why you have created the page, you'll find it easier to develop the content. Are the instructions clear? Is it obvious how to move to the next stage? What if visitors want to go back a step?
Tackling these questions is difficult – mainly because you are looking at the website every day and you’ve lost the ability to see it from the visitor’s point of view. You need a fresh pair of eyes, and an expert analysis.
Looks good, but does it work?
The value of usability testing
One solution is user testing. The single best way to discover usability problems on a site is to get first-time users to test it under supervised conditions. This invariably unearths problems you never realised existed. Often these problems are very easy to fix.
With the results of the usability tests, you can then look at developing the content of the site. Should you create a constant link to a Call Me button? What obstacles are stopping visitors from signing up to your newsletter?
Usability is not the same as SEO, nor is it the same as copywriting – but all three are related and should be treated as part of an overall analysis of your website.
Client testimonials
“Mark Hodson carried out some work for Exodus shortly after the launch of our new website in December 2007. He provided some excellent guidance and recommendations in terms of usability of the site, developing a Community Forum, and how we might most effectively communicate through the website with our family of clients. Presented in very clear, to-the-point reports, we will be continuing to implement many of his recommendations over the coming weeks and months.”
– Natasha Owen, e-Commerce Manager, Exodus
"We had some knowledge of SEO and usability, but Mark's training broadened our understanding of these issues and, as a result, helped us to structure and prioritise the next phase of our website's development. I would not hesitate to recommend Mark's services, even for those who already feel well informed about SEO and usability."
– Philip Grierson, Marketing Director, Cox & Kings
To find out more, email or call Mark on O2O 8769 4626.
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