Big Leap Towards Personalization

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Claremont Design

In previous topic I have discussed the tips on how to build trust and loyalty to your customers. In this topic we will discuss another topic that could build your customer’s trust and loyalty. Another way to increase loyalty and to convey trustworthiness to your customers is to provide a personalized content on your website. Personalization means that the content of your site is based upon the personal preferences of your customer. To site an example, when you register and made purchased on Amazon.com they made a record of your activity in their site, and each time you visit the site you are presented with a customized page based upon your prior purchases.

A personalized site “knows” your customer every time they visit to your site they are presented with new personalized content without having to enter any additional information from them. With this your customers could develop a personal attachment toward the site. This method of personalizing website content is a success because users do not have to anything to set it up, and customer would feel comfortable on this site that “knows” them.

Continue reading →

Web Design Consistency Matters

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Claremont Design

Maybe you thought that your website is a statement of your personality or a canvass that should be filled with your artistic inspiration, and maybe you are correct on that assumption. A good website must reflect the spirit of a person or a business that it represents. A good website must also be artistic enough to appeal to the visitors, but not too much. Most of the web designs nowadays favored the fresh, elegant but with less combination of colors. But no matter what you choose on your web design, always remember that site consistency matters.

Website consistency refers to the reasonable or logical harmony between each part and each pages of your website. A consistent “look and feel” on your website conveys the image of professionalism, proficiency and reliability. Nobody would take your website seriously if you have different background color and different font in every page. A site with high consistency is also much easier for the users to navigate and it is much more natural for the website user to expect the meaning of links.

From a practical point of view, it is unwise not enforce a standard look and feel on the entire website. Inconsistent web design is a nightmare in terms of maintenance. Try to imagine reconstructing or maintaining a website that has different colors, fonts, plug-ins and other web elements across the numerous of Web pages within the site. It is a total disaster!

Continue reading →

Building Customers’ Trust and Loyalty

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Claremont Design

Trust and loyalty is two most important characteristic that online business should seriously build unto its customers. Trust and loyalty is the lifeline of any online business, without it your business would vanish before you could even renew your hosting account. Building trust and loyalty is like building an indispensable portfolio.

In order for your site to become the “preferred site” for your clients, they must feel the site and their data is secure. There are many ways that the design of the site can convey the sense of trustworthiness to its customers. Just like a saying goes “Trust is earned not bought,” customers trust is built from the positive and pleasant experiences interacting with the site.

According to Jakob Nielsen, a web design guru, web designers can convey trustworthiness in a Website in the following ways:

Quality Design: A Website that has a professional appearance and comprehensible navigation conveys respect for customers and implied a promise of good service.
Correct, Reliable and Up-to-Date Content: Having up-to-data content conveys a commitment to provide users with the most up-to-date information. Information posted must be correct and reliable, otherwise it could promote distrust.
Up-front disclosure: Disclose all necessary fees, warranties and policies in clear and concise manner. This could help to convey an open and honest relationship.
Be connected to the rest of the Web: Having linkage to other websites is a sign of confidence and credibility. A site that is isolated would feel like it may have something to hide.

In addition to what is mentioned above, protecting the customers’ entrusted data will be a significant factor for promoting a trustworthy image. A site that is trusted by its customers is a site that is worth all the loyalty the customer has to give. Trust and loyalty always goes hand in hand. Loyalty is a product of trust, with trust there loyalty. Failure to consider the issue of trust is a big indicator that web design is doomed to fail too.