Web Site Development Pictures versus Words
Web Site Development Pictures versus Words
"Thanks for all your help with our website and your
suggestions. We get so many comments on our web site.
Web reservations are going great. Your other marketing
advice is working well too!"
Thanks
-Kathy, Innkeeper
Inn at The Rostay, Bethel, Maine
The great debate: how much copy you should have
on a site, particularly on the home page?
Is a picture is worth a thousand words - and
therefore images, not a lot of text, should be the
main thrust of your home page? Or do words have more
power to capture a visitor's attention and compel
them to buy - meaning we should aim for powerful
copy? Do search engines prefer words verus images?
Do we place form
over function?
A graphic designers, natural inclination is to
create graphically-rich, light text websites. Since
they are focused on what a site looks like visually,
they like to use impressive images, bold splashes of
color all over the page, and not very much copy. The
end result is often an attractive,
visually-appealing site, with very few words.
However, we've learned that this inclination must be
balanced with the cold hard reality:
what appeals to a designer is
not necessarily the same as what visitors need.
The problem with many websites that don't have any
copy is that they fail to quickly and effectively
communicate the three points that all business
websites must get across: You must explain what your
company does, what the benefits your business are,
and why prospective customers should purchase from
you or visit your location.
These important pieces of information can only be
conveyed obliquely, through images. While pictures
are often very useful in reinforcing a message, it's
difficult to succinctly drive home these important
points solely through images.
On your website, visitors want
specifics, and they want them quickly. They
want you to tell them exactly what you can do for
them, and they want to know right now. We must
specifically state what you do and explain how your
destination, product or service is going to make
your customers' lives better. You have to spell out
why people should buy from you versus your
competitors.
Particularly on a home page, we
must catch a visitor's attention and give them a
reason to stay on your site. If you don't do
this immediately, they'll be gone.
It's important to remember that the web revolves
around information. People use the web to find out
what they need to know, and were they want to go.
That almost always means they are looking for text.
They want explanations, answers, reasons, and
motivation.
We believe that pictures and images enhance a
website, and quality images are of critical
importance, but they should be used to provide a
tasteful, professional frame for your copy, not
replace it.
Web users are notorious for having short attention
spans and not wanting to read large amounts of copy.
However, the problem is that most of the copy on
websites today is vague and not enticing. It's
focused on the company rather than the customer. So
it should be no surprise that visitors avoid reading
it.
The solution does not lie in eliminating text-based
communication; it means we have to work harder to
capture interest with copy. People DO read copy that
catches their attention.
If visitors are met with paragraphs that are focused
on them, that are rich with benefits, and that are
formatted in easy-to-read chunks, they are much more
likely to be drawn in and to act on your offer.
Hence, we don't focus strictly on graphics, quality
powerful copy is at least as important.