“When Will They Ever Learn?” Websites Fall Short of Expectations

Following a very busy month on the road and in the field, listening and studying customers up close and personal again, I am sad to report that a refrain I thought we as a community of businesses would be done with by now is being raised once again.

When I first published my book in 2002, Website Success: from the only perspective that matters, your customer!, (a revised and updated version is on it’s way soon) I naively thought I had given the world of business and industry all the answers they needed to create compelling, meaningful and successful websites for the future.   In a way, I had.  Many answers to questions businesses raise today about their websites are in that book.  

However the “key,” is the same as the key to applying any customer experience success® principle.  It is the application of knowledge not the dispersal of it that creates winners from otherwise also-ran companies.  It goes right back to the heart of long discussions with clients very early on in my professional career that formed my entire approach to the research and information business.  “Data gets me so far, information is turning data into something interesting for my business, but John, if you can turn it into something I can act on.  . . That is golden for me.”  

 While we try to cross that holy grail of a bridge with each study, with each market or marketing evaluation, alas we are not responsible for implementing the tactical.  At some point, someone other than the information geeks have to be able to understand what is being said and learned from data and information, realize the strategic options realistically offered from this knowledge and transform it into meaningful creative, design, and campaigns.

In the ‘90’s, the phrase that struck me most from all the online user interviews we conducted was “I love the web, I just hate a lot of websites.”  Simple, to the point, blunt truth.  That phrase formed the basis for the first version of my book, Website Success. 

This last month I heard the reason that epitomizes why I’m publishing an update to my book.  “When will they ever learn?  Don’t they know that if there’s any problem (by the user’s definition) with their website, we will leave in a heartbeat, never come back and more than likely buy or use whatever they are offering – from someone else.”  Not as cogent as the first phrase, but in some ways, this new view carries much larger impact to companies failing to meet online user’s expectations.

Now, I know there are some readers in the audience who believe with all the types of user research, web analytics, audience measurement panels, and tracking capabilities afforded by the world’s most measurable medium (the internet) that there are no more frontiers in this space.  The theory goes, everything that is needed for companies is provided.  Things are pretty much operating on a standardized platform with no need for new information or evaluation.  We may like to think this, and I believe I honestly thought with all the effort spent making websites and the online experience better at the internet’s inception that some day there would be validity to that thought process.

But alas, spending time with companies’ actual customers and potential customers has a way of changing your perspective.  Actually, this latest round of frustration from customers of various companies and online users of all ilks is not a total surprise.

We have been tracking online users’ thoughts, attitudes, feelings and opinions regarding their online experiences since 1994.  With the broad adoption of what is called web 2.0 (however you wish to define that term), we have seen a steady decrease in online user’s attitudes, feelings and interactions toward company websites.  This decline occurred after website evaluations reached a peak in our website optimization scoring from 2004 to 2005 (depending on industry).  In some cases, the impact of this decline has been severe, with companies reporting drops in key business metrics from 25 to 80 percent.  In other words, it’s a real problem today!

Over the course of the next few posts, I’ll share some thoughts on what is available for those responsible for websites, the online customer experience, and a company’s overall online presence.  I’ll also, of course, share where our approach helps companies fill in the gaps that still exist today and account for why the online experience gap is widening rather than improving for many industry leaders.