| To go back to the television metaphor for a | | | | information is buried under a maze of links and |
| moment: imagine that you're watching an | | | | supplementary pages full of product details, and if |
| infomercial for a new kitchen knife. You hear the | | | | your ordering procedure is complicated and full of |
| expert testimony, you watch the knife do its | | | | bugs, your customers are going to be too |
| work, and you find the price reasonable. You | | | | frustrated with your website to order your |
| decide, based on all of this, to buy the knife. So | | | | product--and worse, they might start to think of |
| you wait for the end of the infomercial in order | | | | your products and your business as equally |
| to learn how to order this wonderful knife--and | | | | customer-unfriendly. |
| you're told to dial a certain 1-800 number, to | | | | Computer scientists have an acronym to combat |
| navigate a complicated menu, to enter a 12-digit | | | | this possible problem: KISS, or "Keep It Simple, |
| confirmation code from the infomercial along with | | | | Stupid." If your website is easy to navigate, if the |
| a social security number, and finally to talk to a | | | | information about your product is clearly |
| sales representative about shipping information | | | | presented on as few pages as possible, and if |
| and payment. By the time you've gone through all | | | | your ordering procedure is bug-free, then viewers |
| of this and are about to read off your credit card | | | | won't be scared off by your website--which leads |
| numbers, a thought strikes you: was one knife | | | | to a much higher conversion rate, and thus a |
| really worth all of this trouble? | | | | successful direct response marketing strategy. |
| This is exactly what you don't want your | | | | We've talked about what direct response website |
| customers to think at any point while they're | | | | marketing is, why it's an excellent strategy for |
| using your website. If your website is built on | | | | your business, and above all a few basic principles |
| flashy but hard-to-use menus, if your ordering | | | | of its implementation. |