I’ve been filling in a lot of online forms today, because I was submitting press releases, and the 10 or so press release sites I used were really hard to navigate, hard to use, and altogether not a nice experience., but that’s another story!!

So, here is my thoughts on using forms for submitting data, based on today’s experience.

1. Remember that people don’t like filling in forms, so you need to make them as simple as you can, and as quick to fill in as you can.
2. Why not make the first field in the form active immediately, so that I don’t have to click on it?
3. Why not tell me how many characters I can have in each field if there’s a limit?  Don’t wait until I have filled out the form, and submitted it to tell me.
4. If there is a limit to the number of characters, then why not have a character count? This would be really useful.
5. Remember that a lot of people will be using the tab key to move between fields, rather than the mouse.
6. So, make sure that the tab key moves to the next field, rather than the next link.  I don’t need help, or an explanation of what the field is.  And if i do, I’ll click on the relevant help clink.
7. In addition, if I’m using the tab key to move between cells, I want to work down the cells, especially when entering the address. If your form has cells on the left and right hand side, ensure that they tab down the left hand side of the list, and then the right hand side.
8. If you are a country specific site, then why not have your country as the default country on the list? Why do I have to scroll to find my country? Why can’t you help me out?
9. If your country doesn’t use zip codes, then why does your form ask for them? Use a little common sense, and ask for the relevant postal code.
10. The same goes for phone numbers too.  Make sure that your form is clear about whether the phone number needs to be with or without spaces.
11. Whilst having helpful advice in text fields can be useful, it’s also frustrating, as the existing text needs to be deleted before the actual form text can be entered.  Whilst not the end of the world, it can be annoying. Why not ensure that your field heading is self explanitary?
12. If you have different options for your free and paid services, such as for press releases, then why not hide the fields that are only available for the paid option? This makes filling in the form much easier.
13. Let me know which fields are required, and if I miss one out, then let me know.  Why not take me back to the incorrect field, and highlight it.
14. Remove optional fields,  so that I don’t get confused, or miss out anything important.
15. Don’t give me too much information and instructions.  I don’t want to get overwhelmed and leave.

These are not best practice ideas, just ideas and advice from a  frustrated web user!

I would imagine that I’ll rant about form design again, especially for ecommerce and help forms, but I’ll leave it for now…

In his excellent article Without Usability, You’re Not Doing Advanced SEO, Chris Silver Smith suggests that usability will replace advanced Search Engine Optimisation.  I agree in some respects.

My background is in SEO, but I am increasingly involved in site usability, and think that it is extremely important.

In order for a site to be ranked well by the  search engines, it needs plenty of relevant content, as well as links.  The content can include maps, and images, and by making the site easy to navigate for humans, they are more likely to delve deeper into to the site,  and the search engine spiders  will be able to visit more pages, and index more content.

Usability is the whole gamut of design, development, SEO and common sense.  It should be easy for visitors to find what they are looking for, especially if they have found your website via entering keywords in a search engine.  The content should be relevant and, depending on the sort of site, should have the right sort of tone and calls to action, in order for visitors to do what you want them to do.

Onsite SEO, usually involves ensuring that the H1-6 tags are used well, that there is plenty of content, that the page title is unique and includes keywords, and the meta description has a call to action in it.  As well as being useful for the search engines, they are also useful for visitors too.

How can you use SEO in your usability, and use usability in your SEO?  Whatever you manage to improve, it will make your website easier to use, and so will encourage your visitors to stay longer, and come back again.

Why not see what difference it makes to your website, trafficand conversions?

Search Engines, and visitors rely on links to discover new content and new sites.

It’s essential that your website has well labelled links, so that your visitors can find what they are looking for, and the search engines can index your content.

Relevant, and useful anchor text (the text in the link) will help your visitors to know where the link will take them.  Instead of  “Click Here”,  you should be telling your visitors what they are clicking on.  If some of your images are links, remember to put text link under these , so that those who are using a screen reader can see where the link takes them.

How can you make sure that your navigationand internal links will help visitors to find what they are looking for? As your navigation and link s improve, you’re sure to see an increase in traffic as more pages are indexed by the search engines, and more people can find your content.

If you have an ecommerce site, then you’ll want to make the most of it, and encourage visitors to become customers, and customers to buy more.

As well as making it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for, via your website navigation and search facility, you’ll also want to make sure that you cross sell and upsell

Cross selling promotes the additional extras that go with a product, such as batteries, or a carry case, or peripherals. If you were selling TVs, you might want to cross sell cables, DVD players, stands, home cinema systems, and games consoles.

Upselling involves promoting slightly higher priced, but "better" products. So going back to the TVs, you might promote a TV with a slighter larger screen, for another £50, or for £100, you could get a far better TV with a much better picture. Upselling will make visitors wonder if they are getting the best value for money, and encourage them to spend more with you.

Done well, using plenty of calls to action, and persuasive text, cross selling and upselling can prove to be very successful, and increase your revenue.

How can you introduce, or improve your cross selling and upselling? How can you promote your products with the biggest margins, or that customers will need? How could you help customers get the products they really want?

When you’ve designed your website, and everything looks great, and works asa it should, you might be tempted to put it live, sit back, and watch visitors flock to your site, and become customers.

In reality, this won’t happen unless you use calls to action in order to persuade your visitors to buy from you.As well as Search Engine Optimisation and Usability, you need to think about tempting your visitors.

In your Meta Description tags, don’t for get to use persuasive text so that searchers become visitors. Give reasons for people to click on your link.

Here are some examples

• Contact Us To Find Out More
• Call Us Now
• Subscribe Today
• See How We Can Help You
• Download A Brochure Today
• Add To Basket
• Buy Now
• Join Online
• See Our Complete Range
• Click Here
• Send To A Friend
• Buy Now While Stocks Last
• Only 5 Left
• Offer Ends Iin 4 Days
• For Less Than The Price Of A Coffee A Day, You Can …
• Must End On Monday

These are all examples of calls to action that can be used in your Meta descriptions, as well as in your content.

Remember that you will need to tell your visitors what you want them to do next. Don’t assume that they will know what to do.

Once visitors have heeded your call to action, you need to ensure that the process of signing up to your newsletter, or buying from you is quick and easy, so that they are not tempted to abandon part way through.

What Calls To Action can you think of that will encourage visitors to become customers? What ways can you find of making your product descriptions more tempting? What effects will time limiting your special offers, or saying how much stock you have left have on your sales?

It’s important that every page on your website has a clear purpose, and that it isn’t just there for the sake of it.

It will be easier for your visitors to find what they are looking for, and to ulimately do what you want them to do, whether it’s buy a product, or to sign up for your newsletter, or contact you.

Whilst it might be tempting to keep your website to just a few pages, you shouldn’t forget that your target audience and visitors might need more information, help and advice in order for them to follow your calls to action.

Why not have a look at your website content and see how you can streamline your content, or add more pages in order to help your visitors to find what they are looking for? As well as making things easier to manage, it will improve website usability too.

It’s important that you remember your target audience when thinking about the design, features and content of your website.  What a social networking site for teenagers would want is vastly difference from a pensions advice site, or a gardening site.

By thinking like your target audience, and seeing the site as they would, you can ensure that your design, functionality and content will appeal to them.

You wouldn’t use slang in content relating to choosing a mortgage, whilst you wouldn’t want to take a formal tone on a ring tone site.

As well as the content, you need to remember that the layout, colours and typeface are important too.

You’ll also want to ensure that your calls to action are appropriate and prominent, so that visitors know what to do next.

Why not see what else can help your site appeal to your target audience:

• Logoand images, and videos
• Features – will your visitors expect to be able to rate your products, share your videos, or add their own content?
• Will having a forum, or chat facility mean that your visitors are likely to spend more time on your website?
• Will your visitors want to be able to easily download your brochure, forms or reports
• If your website is aimed at pre-school children, then having a text-rich site will be pointless, as they can’t read.
• Is your website as simple to use as it could be? if it’s hard to use then it might be off putting to those with little internet experience
• Is your information easy to find
• Are you using the same terms and expressions as your intended visitors?

By ensuring that you are on the same wavelength as your audience, and by thinking about which other sites they are likely to be using, your website is much more likely to be successful.

The style of your website is very important and should be given plenty of consideration.  Again, like colours, your website needs to appeal to your target audience, and so the style and navigation, as well as content is fundamental.

What impression does the style of your website give? Is it welcoming? Formal? Full of slang? Appropriate for your visitors and target audience? Is it similar to your competitors and right for your industry?

Whilst I’m not a designer, or a style guru of any sort, I understand the importantance of using the right sort of colours on websites.

• Depending on the type of website, who it’s aimed at, and what it’s promoting, the colours will need to be different.
• A social networking site for teenagers will need to use different colours than an ecommerce site with a target audience aimed at the over 60s.
• Some colours are calming, whilst some encourage anger, some colours are cold and others are warming.

What do the colours on your website say about your company, your products, or your target audience?

How can you use different colours, or different shades of colours to help your visitors navigate your site and find what they are looking for?

What other usability benefits can using the right colours have on your traffic or conversion rate?

It’s important that your website remains consistent in terms of navigation, style, tone and layout.

By making sure that visitors know how to find what they are looking for, and to see where they have been, and keeping page features in the same place on each page, you can reassure visitors, and encourage them to explore your site more, and find the content they are looking for.

You might have to have a particular corporate style for your website, or your company colours or logo, and your visitors will have certain expectations from your brand even before they land on your website.

If you change the navigation around, or add unexpected features, change the tone or layout of your website, you’ll confuse visitors, and they’ll leave in order to find a website that’s easier to use, and easier on the eye too.

What can you do to improve the consistency of your website? What do other people think about the tone and layout? What does it tell your target audience about your website?