Whether they come to buy, learn, download, or for
any other reason, every Web site visitor is a
potential customer. As a Web site owner, your job
is to keep those customers coming back time and
again. To do that, your site needs to be customer-
centric.

What Does "Customer-Centric" Mean?

"Customer-centric" means creating a Web site that
is centered around customer wants and needs. Savvy
businesses are realizing that focusing their site
on customer benefits and ensuring its visitors a
unique experience are key drivers of sales, loyalty,
and much-desired word-of-mouth advertising.

By proactively considering the needs, wants, and
beneficial preferences of your customers, you can
make more effective decisions about the content,
offerings, design, and processes available on your
site.

The Customer-Centric Quiz

Take a hard look at your Web site and ask yourself
the following questions to see how it measures up
to customer-centric ideals.

Does your home page describe how customers will
benefit from your content, your products, or your
services? If they can't figure out what's in it for
them, visitors aren't likely to stick around.

Is contact information always just one click away?
Don't make visitors work too hard to reach you.
They might not bother, and you could miss out on
important contacts.

Is your site content clearly organized and easily
navigable? People don't have time to decode silly
names, wade through a confusing maze of information,
or remember where they last saw a link to some other
part of your site. Organize your pages into
plainly-named categories, provide links to every
category on every page, and place those links in
consistent locations.

Is your original content free of spelling and grammar
mistakes? Nothing is more annoying than having to
trudge through content riddled with misspelled words,
poorly written sentences, and misused homonyms (their,
there, and they're, for example). Nothing will seal
your fate as an amateur more than poor writing. If
you aren't sure about your abilities, get a
knowledgeable person to review and correct the
content you create. Also, consider taking courses
or reading books that will help you improve your
writing skills.

Do your provide a way for customers to give you
feedback on products, services, or your site itself?
You should always be interested in what your customers
have to say. If you avoid their opinions, you're
likely to end up with products and services they
don't want. So, give them a feedback form, conduct
surveys, or invite opinions so they can tell you what
they think.

Does your site make it easy for the customer to get
what they want? If it's too complicated to download
a file, order a product, or find information, customers
will simply click over to another site where it's
easier. Reduce to the bare minimum the amount of
information you require from a customer, as well as
the number of steps needed to complete any process.

Does your site make it easy for customers to get
support online? One trade magazine recently referred
to customer service as the Web's new killer app. A
customer-centric site will give customer service a
starring role. At a minimum, customers need an email
address or phone number where they can reach you.
In-depth, well-written FAQs can help reduce the need
for one-on-one support by providing answers to the
most common questions. Interactive problem-reporting
databases can automate the documentation and tracking
of issues that need attention.

Conclusion

Success is all about meeting a need better than anyone
else. By focusing every element of your Web site on
meeting customer needs, you're much more likely to
become and remain a preferred provider in the vast,
competitive Web marketplace.


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About The Author

Carole Pivarnik is a Senior Web Developer and Affiliate
Program Manager for SureCode Technologies, Inc., a
company that lets anyone add interactive databases to
their Web sites with no programming. Email her at
carolep@surecode.com, or visit http://www.surecode.com.

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