Great Small Business Websites Are Full Of C.R.A.P.
By: Curt Conrad
President, BrightCite Inc.
Web design students are often taught the C.R.A.P. acronym as a way to remember the key fundamentals of great design. They are as follows:
- Contrast
Elements that aren’t the same should be very different so they stand out. If they are too similar it confuses the user into seeing a relation that doesn’t exist. Strong contrast between page elements allows the user’s eye to flow from one element to another down the page rather than creating a ocean of similarity that’s monotonous and not communicative.
- Repetition
Repeat styles down the page to create a cohesive feel. For consistency, if your style related elements are the same way in one area, continue that trend for all other areas.
- Alignment
Everything on the page needs to be visually connected to something else. Nothing should be out of place or distinct from the other design elements.
- Proximity
Proximity creates related meaning: elements that are related should be grouped together, whereas separate design elements should have enough space in between to communicate they are different.
Writing C.R.A.P. Content
The C.R.A.P. guidelines will help you put together a nice looking website - but what about getting and converting qualified leads? C.R.A.P. to the rescue again. Your website design becomes more powerful when you connect the C.R.A.P. principles to your content development and online marketing strategy. Here is how to create C.R.A.P. content that will get you noticed more by search engines and help turn visitors to your website into paying customers:
- Contrast
Create content that differentiates your products and services from competitors and other alternative solutions. Create a distinctive Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that captures the essence of your brand. A good USP answers your potential customer’s question - "Who are you and why should I care?" Write content that helps readers immediately appreciate your unique value.
- Repetition
Repeat the benefits your customers receive from doing business with you from several different angles. Keep reminding them through words, testimonials, captioned pictures, awards, top ten reasons, etc… why you are the best choice for them. Place call to action links on every page multiple times. The more you repeat a specific action you want a visitor to take, the more likely they will be to take it.
- Alignment
Connect your content to meeting the customers needs, eliminating their frustrations and accommodating their preferences. Make your web content show you "understand" the prospect. To do this, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and create web content that answers questions before they ask them. Create clickstreams that segment your customers by how they use your product or service. When your web content is aligned with the visitor they will feel like your website is reading their mind.
- Proximity
Make it fast and easy for a customer to take action. Each page should give them an option to "call, e-mail, download or register". It’s important to be close by when their impulse to do business with you strikes. Also, group and suggest your related products and services on each page. Help the visitor easily transition and see the connections between your different offerings. Content that guides the reader from one benefit to the next opens doors for you to show them more of what you have to offer.
So for better online business results make sure your web pages are full of C.R.A.P.