RE: Increasing page views per visit
While Janet asked about 20 questions in the same post, I'd
like to share some experience on at least a couple of them.
JANET ATTARD WROTE:
> Has anyone done any studies (or seen any printed) on what
> methods work best to get visitors to find more areas of
> interest on an individual site?
1) cross referencing in your own site is very important.
(provide content they want to read, then cross reference
the daylights out of it. Analyze ZDNet's formula)
2) Target windowing is also a key to holding the reader
(pull up a smaller reference window with a side bar or
illustration that also contains reference links.)
I have lots of mail from readers complimenting that they
spent the entire morning in my site... and couldn't stop.
> Are navbars on the top better than the side? Should a top
> navbar get repeated on the bottom? Does having navbars both
> at the top and the side confuse people?
Many sites believe that new links should be everywhere. I
don't agree all together. If the reader is in your content
well, then why invite them to leave...
"Oh, before you finish dinner, let's go next door."
Links should follow the eye flow, and support the reader's
current train of thought. They'll follow.
(Those sites with the busy links and navigation everywhere
seldom have something to actually say.)
A good friend of mine with a top index site in his field
laments that 8 seconds is the average stay in his site.
No wonder. He's got no reason for the reader to settle
down and spend some time. No content, only links to other
places.
> Do links to related stories work better than
> navbar-type category references?
Absolutely... see above.
Whew... Janet, you're wearing me out.
Here are references I've found to have the best info on
the questions you are asking.
Information Architecture (O'Reilly)
.. http://www.design-bookshelf.com/Web/InfoArch.html
Web Navigation: Improving the User Experience
.. http://www.design-bookshelf.com/Web/WebNav.html
Getting Hits
.. http://www.design-bookshelf.com/Business/GetHits.html
A very good one I'm reviewing right now
Net Results: Web Marketing That Works
.. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568304145/thedesignpublishA
Web Site Usability: A Designers Guide
.. http://www.uie.com/
... but you' probably already read all those.
Fred
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Received on Wed Oct 20 1999 - 07:06:16 CDT
