Back

Targets

SCENT TRAILS

A "scent trail" is the term given to the path people follow from the beginning to the end of their online search.  This search may originate on a search engine or it may begin on your own site.  It may include a combination of using search phrases or following url links and clicking on images. 

For example, a web user begins their scent trail by typing in "car parts" into Google.  He may then follow one of the links provided by the Google results onto a car parts web site.  On the home page he clicks on a link for "Ford spare parts" and is sent to a page listing such parts.  He may not see what he is after and use the search box on the web site by typing in "ford wheel hubs".  He is shown a page of results on that site and follows a link entitled "diamond hubs".  This leads him to a page with 5 images of Diamond branded hubs for a Ford vehicle.  He clicks on one of these links and is led to a page showing a specific type of hub plate.  He finally clicks on the "order online" link and completes the web site's target goal.

The scent trail in this simple example shows how the worded definition of what the visitor was seeking evolves as the scent trail develops.  He could have just entered "buy online Diamond hub plate for Ford car" into Google but instead he was evolving his search criteria with each step he took.  At any point along this scent trail there was an opportunity for web site owners to influence the web user's next step.  There was equally the danger of the web site failing to continue the scent trail, in which case the visitor may have abandoned it and started from the beginning again.

However take into account that people do not behave the same as search engine bot programs.  A computer program will follow a word trail much the way a bloodhound will follow a scent until it reaches the end of the trail.  But people have the ability to multi-task with their thinking patterns.  Just because a visitor searches for a particular item does not mean they are unaware of the other web content displayed to them.  The visitor who searches for a car part still has other issues on their mind from getting car insurance to managing their finances.  These other issues do not disappear just because they are searching for a car part and the visitor may well deviate from their search if they see content that relates to these issues.  Whether the visitor deviates from the current scent trail is really dependent upon how critical the current objective is in relation the visitor's other issues.  Even a bloodhound can be distracted by juicy beef steak. 

FUNNELS

For any web site target there may be many possible navigation paths to that target and more than one step that has to be completed to reach the target.  The combination of all of these navigation paths and steps is known as a target funnel.

For example, to complete a purchase on a web site it may be necessary for the visitor to traverse the home page, a category page, an account registration page, respond to an email verification, use the login page, use the product search page, visit the product page, visit the online ordering page, fill in the order and payment forms and then finally confirm the payment on a separate page.  That is a total of 10 steps the visitor has to complete.  Just think of the opportunity the visitor has in those 10 steps to change their mind and decide to abandon the purchase.

All of these steps represent a funnel to the target and at each step a potential customer may abandon the funnel resulting in a lost conversion.  The web site owner should examine the abandonment rates at each step of the funnel to discover where the most conversions are being leaked.  Take into account that the above example is a fairly simple funnel.  Most visitors will have accessed many web pages prior to beginning this funnel.

An analogy to a target funnel is like having 10 buckets stacked one on top of another with holes in the side and the bottom of each bucket.  As you pour water into the top bucket most of the water drains down to the lower buckets but some will escape through the holes in the side.  The amount of water received in the bottom bucket will be less than that poured into the top.  How much water escapes is relative to the size of the holes.

The web site should minimize the number of barriers between the beginning of the funnel and it's end.  A determined visitor will overcome most of them but each step of the funnel is really a test of the visitor's commitment and patience.

ON SITE SEARCH

An onsite search facility is an opportunity to provide extremely targeted content to satisfy the visitor.  If it does not succeed at this then it is failing in its purpose.

The issue with any search is the context in which the search takes place.  For example a search for the phrase "waterpoofing materials" does not indicate whether the searcher is intending to make a purchase, answer a query about materials, read a review or find the latest news on the subject.  Without a context it is very difficult for a site to present the correct content in the right order.  As  a result many onsite search results tend towards displaying every piece of content containing the search phrase which results in confusing the visitor.  It would be better if they first asked the visitor in what context the query is being asked whether it be technical information, product lists or news items.

The success of onsite search facilities can be measured as accurately as organic searches from search engines.  The ratio of bounce rates on the search results pages should be examined to ensure that content being displayed is engaging the visitor's attention.

SITEMAPS

Sitemaps came into popularity because they became a means by which all of the pages on a web site could be submitted to Google's indexing service.  So do sitemaps have a significant part to play in attracting visitors.  The answer would have to be no.  Very few online searches and no promotional campaigns are going to be targeted towards the sitemap on a web site.  The sitemap is not a landing page.

It does however serve the purpose of being the last resort for a visitor trying to find a page on a site if all other attempts have failed. 

Probably it's biggest benefit is in making the web owner think about how their site is organized.  It allows them to categorize their content and identify those elements that are missing from the overall content of the site.

NAVIGATION

Navigation on a web site is a maze of pathways that the visitor has to traverse.  And each visitor will arrive on the web site with their own expectation of how the navigation on the site should work for them.  When the site navigation does not meet their expectations their response is to wander around until they find something they recognize.

As the web site owner you will believe your site's navigation is logical and easy to understand.  To you it is.  You have after all seen it hundreds if not thousands of times.  But most visitors will only see it once.  If they recognize nothing in that brief encounter they will begin to question whether they belong on the web site at all. 

Navigation on a web site should be seen designed as a series of recognizable symbols.  And words are symbols.  The naming of a url link might be relevant to the content behind it but if the visitor cannot recognize it then it will fade from visitor's attention.

Make navigation links and images recognizable to the visitor.  Take into account that how you name things may not be the way the majority of people name the same thing.

REGISTRATION FORMS

A visitor registering an account or a subscription on a web site is an indicator that they are willing to make a commitment through their own free will.  But the signup form is also a barrier to be overcome between their original viewing of a web page and the tools and services available behind the registration process.

You should view the commitment to register on a web site as a sacrifice they have made.  The visitor now expects more in return from the web site than before.  If the web site then disappoints the visitor they will feel cheated. 

The after registration event should be viewed as a process all in itself.  The commitment made by the visitor should be reciprocated in some form.  This could be by providing access to web content that was previously inaccessible.  If having registered, the visitor is provided with no additional content, they will question the value of their commitment to the web site.

CALL TO ACTION

A Call To Action is an encouragement used in sales marketing.  Does it work?  Yes, if the call to action is used as a signal not a command instruction.  For example, a green pedestrian traffic signal means you can cross the street but it does not say you have to.  Similarly a sales sign saying "Save 30%" is not a command but a sign saying you have the option to save 30%, whereas "Buy This Now" is a command.

A call to action should be used as a sign of an opportunity not as a command.

BRAND AWARENESS

Raising your brand awareness is a significant goal in itself.  Most major web sites such as Amazon and Ebay have gained brand awareness prior to achieving their other goals.

It is fairly simple to measure brand awareness by analyzing your web traffic to discover how many visitors are either reaching your site directly or by typing in your domain name into a search engine.  These actions mean visitors have already identified you as a individual brand separate from all of your other competitors.

CONVERSIONS

Once the goal is defined, the conversion rate of visitors can be measured and calculated into a KPI metric.  For example, 1,000 people may view an account signup form but only 250 people submit the form.  The KPI would show the conversion ratio as 25%.  The aim would be to improve upon this ratio by questioning why 75% of visitors are not submitting the form.

Each defined target will have it's own conversion KPI.  It is this conversion ratio that will alert you to whether your web site content is achieving it's goals or not.

DEFINING TARGETS

Managing a web site with goals based upon loose definitions such as "we want more visitors" or "we just want to make more money" will lead the web site owner down the route of confusion.  It will not be possible to view the actions that need to be taken with any clarity.

If you cannot define the goal then you cannot measure it.  If you cannot measure it then you cannot know whether your methods are performing well or badly.  The measurement provides the clarity even though it may be an unpalatable truth.  If your campaign metrics are showing it to be a failure with low volume traffic it will only be a bigger failure with higher volume traffic.  It requires a qualitative solution not a quantitative one.

A target goal should be an action performed by the visitor on your web site.  That may be as simple as accessing a particular page, downloading a file, subscribing to a newsletter or filling in and submitting a form.  The higher value goals are obviously making an online order of the goods or services you offer but there are usually many steps to be taken before that target is achieved.  Each target will have therefore have one or many paths, and one or many steps along each path, before the visitor reaches the target.