Website success requires compatibility1. Before any kind of a deal is struck, the interests of the visitor must perfectly match the interests of the business of the site.
Moreover, compatibility must be present along every step of the way. Let me show you by way of example. In my example, the visitor comes to the site because he is interested in purchasing a microwidget.
Findability – our visitor is going to shop on the search engines. If your site does not rank in the top ten results, you probably aren't going to get a visit unless you are using text ads like Google Adwords. So you've got to make yourself findable, either through search engine optimization1 (organic search) or search engine marketing1 (text ads). If you're not findable, you have not hope of being compatible.
Simplicity – if the visitor logs on to your site and sees a sprawling mess of flash movies, tiny text, unclear navigation, uber graphics and whatnot, he's probably a gonner in less than 10 seconds. On the other hand, if the your site is simple and makes for an easy answer to the keyword inquiry that got him there, then you're probably compatible in the simplicity department.
Information – your visitor wants information. You'd better be prepared to give it to him in organized layers of complexity. He might be interested in the color of the microwidget, then he might want to know its power specifications and then might want to see an electronic schematic. This shoud be available to him in a simple pushbutton format. If it is, then you'll be compatible in the information department.
Check out process – your visitor likes you and trusts your. He proceeds to the check out section of your site. Here's where a lot or relationships break down. The process is too complicated. It asks for unnecessary information. Your visitor is there to give your money in exchange for a microwidget, not supply your marketing department with data. It has brutally stupid error messages like, “Address doesn't match our database.” and then makes you start over again. Not one of us wants to be treated like a number when we are handing over our hard-earned money. Yet, lack of compatibility in the check out process is a leading cause of breakups between visitors and websites.
Price – with the price of the microwidget on full display on hundreds of websites around the world, it's impossible to be competitive without having a competitive price. All the more reason to keep your operating costs low by investing in website marketing optimization now and learning how to get the most out of this brand new technology. Unless you have a monopoly, you have to operate like Walmart. Walmart claims to pay the same price for its goods as other big box operations, but is able to sell for less because of superior operating efficiencies.