You know the saying ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’? That’s what comes to mind when we see a cluttered business website that’s jam-packed with content.
Perhaps you know the sorts of websites we mean – where you have to wade through wall-to-wall text to find what you’re looking for. Or perhaps you’re worried that your own website is delivering information overload.
How much info is too much?
Your website doesn’t need to contain every possible piece of information about the company or your industry. Think about it: what do you want to know when you visit a company’s website?
Chances are you just want:
- A quick overview of what the company does – or, in other words, does this company offer the products or services I want?
- A little taste of the company’s personality – is this the sort of company I want to do business with?
- A reason to reach out – how will this company’s products or services benefit me?
- An easy way to get in touch – how can I take the next step?
If your website contains much more than this, you’re in danger of overwhelming your visitors, and making it hard for them to find what they need. Thus, they’ll leave your site fairly promptly.
Be kind, rewind – stripping your website right back
Remember, your website visitors are short on time. They’ll make up their mind within seconds whether to stay and read more, or bounce off to the next website. So if you want your visitors to stick around, it’s vital you communicate what you do, and how that will benefit them, very quickly.
This means stripping your website back to the bare essentials. For example, your Home page only needs to contain:
- Eye-catching visuals (including your branding and logo)
- A catchy headline or heading
- A well-written paragraph or two of text (what you do and benefits)
- A testimonial demonstrating your customer satisfaction
- A call-to-action that entices the reader to get in touch
- Contact details
The job of your website isn’t to tell the reader every little thing about your business or industry – you can tell them more once they’ve made contact. Rather, your website’s job is to make readers want to know more, to hook them in with compelling benefits, and to prompt action (i.e. pick up the phone).
In short, a good website should drive the business forward, not drive people away! Discover how OCTOPUS can help you create a more streamlined, more successful website.
