Findability: Hide and Seek Online by Arina Winkelman
In terms of the web, “findability” includes both the ability to find an appropriate web site, and ability to navigate the site to find the needed information. Focusing on the first point, can your customers, existing and potential, find your web site?
The most common way people find a site is to “google” it, either by searching the name or relevant words. After all, they are already online reading emails, or viewing pictures. It is a quick step to run a search on a topic of interest. It is often easier than flipping through the (hard-copy) yellow pages.
Pretend to be a customer and run a few searches to mimic a potential customer online.
Suppose your business was named: South Shore Tools, selling hammers and saws, located in Bridgewater, and your name was Bob Bigwig. Try this experiment …. run searches like:
Suppose that the customers knows the correct name of your business and search:
Does your site come up on the first page of search results?
Suppose that the customer knows your name, your line of business, but not the actual name of your business. This is especially important for entrepreneurs because the company and person are largely synonymous. Search, trying different variations:
Are the search results what you expect? Perhaps the search results just turn up a high school reunion or a Facebook site. Could a customer find your business based on the results?
Suppose that the customer is just searching for information on a product or service, not knowing the name of any person or business. Consider the different words customers might use to describe your line of business (eg carpentry, skill saw). Search:
Does your business show up in the first (or second) page of results? Do your competitors rank higher on the search results than you do?
If your business web site performed well in the above experiment, congratulations! Customers can at least find critical information like the hours of operation, phone number or location. If not, business opportunities may be passing you by … especially if your competitors are more “findable” than you.
Yes, your customers may be aware of your business because of good signage, word of mouth, or local advertising. But the web is often the first, sometimes preferred, source of information for today’s customers.
Toddlers enjoy an extended game of hide and seek. Customers do not. When your customers go online, reward their efforts by being highly “findable”.
Arina Winkelman