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puresilva



Too Much Information

posted on 14 January 2008

"Too much information running through my brain
Too much information driving me insane" - The Police (Too Much Information)

Good song, shame about the lyrics. Anyway, the lyrics describe how it feels sometimes when you browse a website that has 50 categories of products listed down the left-hand side, a horizontal navigation bar with 12 links, and 5 headlines on the home page, all competing for your fickle attention - it's too much information.

The internet doesn't work like print - your reader hasn't bought into your information yet - not like a book, or a magazine which most people have already bought, and so they're already convincing themselves they invested wisely.

They arrived at your site from a single click from a search engine, or link from another site, and are a single click away from going back to where they came from.

Nothing is more refreshing, and so rare, as to see a simple website with a handful of navigation points and a clear indication as to the nature of the site, and nice descriptive and to-the-point copy - all loaded very quickly. Engaging the visitor in those initial moments of them visiting your site is vital. If the page layout is too complicated, loads too slowly, or if the content is cluttered and difficult to get the gist of, people are likely to click away from your site.

Nothing trumps simplicity online. It's faster and more engaging than complexity. It's clearer and more memorable, and gives the visitor more satisfaction than a jumble of images, headlines, category lists and banner ads.

How to Keep It Simple!

Some tips on keeping it simple:-

- Have your contact information (email, phone) in the header area (top area) of all of your web pages

- Any latest news you've added to your site - put it in one fixed area so repeat visitors know where to find it. A little sidebar on the left or right-hand side of the screen is ideal, with dates of when the news was posted.

- Less is more. Don't have more than 6 or 7 links in your horizontal navigation, and keep your sub-navigation down to around 10 items (sub-navigation normally being a list of links on left or right-hand side of each page)

- Less adverts; lose money with less ads, make more money allowing your visitors to find what they want to find, and making your visitors feeling a lot more satisfied with the experience of browsing your site

- Get to the point. Have a strapline below your logo stating exactly what you do. Don't waffle with your content - people are scanning your text more than reading it. Develop a practical style that gets to the point so your visitors can make their own decisions on your site that much quicker.