The Usability of a Website

Having a functional website is a key aspect of running a business, for any business in this day and age it is important to have a website to promote the business.

The better a company website, the greater the probabilities of success in the virtual market.(Hernandez, Jimenez and Martin 2009).

It is however more crucial to have a website that can meet these 3 targets, these are:

• How effective is the website – it is important there is no errors when coding the site. It must be working perfectly before being launched otherwise it could result in a loss of customer base. Minimizing downtime for the website is as important as having a website in my opinion, downtime = loss of revenue. This can be related to operating systems, be it for mobile phones or computers. Version 1.0 is always defective in some manner, this is why we get notifications on ‘bug fixes’, this is also common for mobile phone apps.

• Efficiency – not only is the standard of the website being questioned but the functionality is being questioned as well. A complicated website will not further sales revenue, if customers are unable to use the website this will affect their perception of the brand and they will be less inclined to shop there.

• Satisfaction – obtaining feedback from customers who have used the website is an important step in evaluating the service you are providing. The public’s opinion can provide the business with helpful tips on what has worked well and what can be improved. Positive customer experience and continued growth are equally as important.

make sure your site is easy to navigate and that each page has a link back to the home page. Add “About Us” and contact information to help humanize you before your buyers and reinforce your professionalism. (Vendio 2013).

References:

Hernández, Jiménez, José Martín, B, J, M. 2009. Key website factors in e-business strategy. International Journal of Information Management, Volume 29, Issue 5, p. 363.

Vendio, 2013. Start Up a Successful eCommerce Business, Home Business Magazine: The Home-Bases Entrepreneur’s Magazine, Sept/Oct. p. 15.