What do users really want?
It's a question that publishers ask themselves all the time. We look at the comments our articles receive. We review our stats. We check the popularity of keywords. We ask for ideas on Twitter. And we do all sorts of other things that try to second-guess what's going through our users' minds so that we can deliver content that interests them most.
But maybe we're asking the wrong question.
Maybe the question we should be asking is: what do these users want?
There is a tendency to see users as a single, giant block. A publisher will assume that when users visit a site about role-playing games, for example, some will be interested in reviews, others in strategies, and a few more in news about gaming. So a smart publisher will create content on each of those topics, balancing each category to satisfy everyone and maximize earnings.
Those user preferences might be true, but focusing on what users want ignores what they feel - not about the topic of the site, but about the site itself.
When a visitor reaches a site from a search engine, he has no idea whether the site is going to deliver the content he wants. He's been offered a giant list of options and he's going to give maybe two seconds to the first choice before heading back to the search engine and trying the next option on the list.
For those visitors, you need to act fast to reassure them. You need page design that looks professional, headlines that grab the eye and opening paragraphs that spark curiosity. You need to pull the user in quickly and start to win his trust.
Returning users though already have your trust. You don't need to persuade them of anything. You just have to make sure that you don't disappoint them.
The differences might be subtle but they do need to be considered. Plenty of publishers create keyword-rich articles to bring in search engine traffic, for example, but content like that does little for returning users who want information that's informative and easy to read. Create too many search engine articles and while you'll bring in lots of new visitors, you'll lose many of the old ones.
Chitika seems to have noticed the difference between these two groups of users. Its Premium ads - the replacements for the old eMiniMalls - are only shown to search engine traffic (and not even to all of those visitors). The question that we need to ask ourselves as publishers is what else we should be showing them.
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
July 7, 2009 09:51 AM
I think I need to redesign my blog to make it look a little bit better. Good tips.
July 8, 2009 08:01 AM
Well joel, Like you said if you didn't catch the visitor attention in the first seconds then you lose him
For me i interested in website that
1 - Professional Design
2 - Very Good Content ( important one )
3 - Fresh Content
4 - Easy to contact with the writer, i don't like to feel that he is unreachable
July 8, 2009 01:04 PM
Well .. this is really good one!
Of course, maybe i'm wrong and my high beer concentration in blood make me see things .. yet is not first time when in Your overall published articles/posts/whatever I see the social-media expert Joel winning against internet marketer Joel.
And that is clear in benefit of peoples who read "you" to learn something.
To write for visitors (costumers, users, peoples) instead to write for SE, that is not only against what "gurus" try hard to convince noobs to do, but is in fact THE WAY, the real way. To success, to fame, to gain trust and so on.
Four lines on above post have made my day brighter. Thank You, Joel.
July 9, 2009 05:03 AM
Hmmn. You are right. I used to see visitors as just a single block coming in. Wrong principle. Thanks for letting me understand Joel.
July 30, 2009 08:47 PM
i just write a post about how to redesign a blog . i think every blogger need to do this once a year to keep their blog have a fresh looking
August 2, 2009 08:42 PM
I think maybe the problem with most websites is they probably try to please as many people as they can, which can sometimes end up pleasing no one because the themes and the content lack focus. Marketers probably learnt something about not doing that but most forget these lessons over time. Timely reminder indeed.
August 5, 2009 04:56 AM
It is true, if you are unable to catch your visitors in the first few seconds, then it is little bit difficult to drag them back. But if your web content is very nice or if you are always posting fresh write ups, then sensible visitor will definitely stick to your post and even share his/ her knowledge with you.
August 24, 2009 11:45 PM
Yes, it is true all users don't want the same thing. It depends on their work and their strategies.
August 25, 2009 01:13 AM
It is true, if you are unable to catch your visitors in the first few seconds, then it is little bit difficult to drag them back. But if your web content is very nice or if you are always posting fresh write ups, then sensible visitor will definitely stick to your post and even share his/ her knowledge with you.rep
August 26, 2009 06:51 AM
Nice tips.It's a very informative post.I really like it.Thanks!Keep up the good work.I am interested very much in the subject matter of your blog, it's my first visit.