Truthfulness & Trust ..

Simply Efficient is the undisputed leader in internet-based loyalty and local "over-the-counter" marketing.

Because we're passionate about really understanding what we do .....

How many times have you opened a website only to wait minutes for the first page to load? And when it loads, what do we see? Usually, it's a pretty moving picture - taking half or more of the screen - of the web-designer's idea of what is the "fashionable" image of the day.

This is sad - and an indictment of the industry in which this sort of nonsense can exist ...

The problem is that the vast majority of business owners are totally naive when it comes to computers, the internet, and internet technology - and it's easy for them to be misled by both the aware who intend to mislead and the unaware who don't!

Some of the most basic requirements of your website are:

	It MUST be designed and built for your CUSTOMER. NOT for either you, or the ego or commercial interests of your website designer!
	It MUST encourage you to work "ON" your business rather than "IN" your business! According to current statistics, most start-up business will fail within 2-10 years. A well designed and properly used website will help save you from this fate!
	The designer MUST be FULLY aware of the visual receptivity of a computer screen, natural eye movement, and page-search physiology. If this is NOT understood your pages will be vastly diminished in value and communication potential.
	It MUST impart a message which builds trust in you and your business. It's goal must first and foremost be to "sell" you and your business to a potential customer - not your products.
	It MUST have a defined series of behavioural targets with a clearly defined terminal goal or response. If it doesn't, you've just wasted your money!
	It MUST be able to be viewed across ALL normal PC screen sizes and technologies without distortion, empty magnification, print loss, or horizontal scrolling. And ALL of these points are essential!
	Your Default page MUST load within 10 seconds - 20 seconds tops - independent of the user's download speed.  See "Killing your Trade" if you want convincing proof of the way your website can quickly (or slowly) kill your sales!
	Each information page of your website MUST print clearly, without excess ink usage, and without loss of data onto an A4 page. If not, you are going to have an irritated customer. Guaranteed!
	It MUST provide textural information which is relevant to the customer's needs, timely, up-to-date, and accurate!
	It MUST use graphics to support your text message, not as a substitute to it. Elaborate Graphic Designer images can be fatal to the usability and customer enjoyment of your site. If images are used they MUST carry strong emotional messages. Remember the ONLY person you want to please is a potential customer, not someone who's surfing the net after entertainment!
	It MUST provide material and information from your customer's perspective and ability to understand - not from yours, as an expert! Consumer Centricity is now an absolute necessity for success in both on-line and off-line marketing!
	It MUST present text which is easily readable by the targeted age group and be presented in a manner which will NOT lower the comprehension rate of the reader!
	Each page of your site MUST have absolute consistency in the targeting of the required behavioural response goals of the site and your marketing process. If it fails in this you have a major problem!
	It MUST NOT generate annoyance, tension, or anxiety in your potential customer. If it does you've not only wasted your money but you've paid someone to help destroy your business! Most websites generate more customer annoyance and tension than they alleviate .. There's a whole battery of things which cause customer anxiety, irritation, and frustration.
	It MUST NOT endanger the privacy or security of either YOU or your CUSTOMERS!
	It MUST NOT be complex beyond necessity and MUST use technologies which are in most common use and which do NOT require lengthy or extensive downloads!
	It MUST NOT have structure-altered pages to adapt to the ever-changing requirements of Search Engines. These - of necessity - are constantly changing and if your page structure and content are designed to rate "higher" on SEs and not for your customers you've not only wasted your money on the site, you've also wasted it on your regular SE monthly adaptations!
	It is ESSENTIAL to remember that the technology being used by your average customer will be nothing like that used by your web designer or - very probably - by you! What you customer sees and experiences in your site is VERY likely to be very different from that seen by you.

Of all of the above points two are VERY essential to understand and grasp if you wish to have a successful experience of e-commerce.

They are these ...

The very first point on the above list, and the very last. If you really grasp these two essentials points all else will fall into place!

Check out the "Internet Concerns" link to see comments made by some of the world's top e-Commerce Researchers and Professionals about both the essentials and the realities of website deign.

There is a third vital point of which to be aware ...

NEVER rely on Search Engines to bring REAL trade traffic to your website. If you do you just as well believe in fairies at the bottom of your garden. Check out the "Search Engines" link on the page you just left.

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