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You Had Me At the Search Engine
by Kim Krause ©Copyright 2004

You've likely heard of the movie, Jerry Maguire, with its famous
line, "You had me at hello." Jerry Maguire was luckier than web
sites we find in search engines. Many web sites don't attract
user devotion at the first word, let alone after scanning the
home page.

How many times has this scenario happened to you? You've
performed a search in a search engine or directory, reviewed the
results and found a page description that fits your needs. When
you click on the page that looks the most promising, you often
arrive at the web site's home page, where one or more things
might happen:

1.  The page loads slowly due to too many graphics, dynamic
    applications or scripts.

2.  There are terms used on the page that you don't understand.

3.  It promotes products or services that were not mentioned in
    the page description from the search engine.

4.  The products or services are unrelated to your search.

5.  The page is "amateurish" in appearance and you're not 
    feeling confident about things like customer service, user 
    privacy and security, experience with the product, or other 
    credibility issues.

6.  The page is so busy you don't know where to go to next, or
    distractions caused you to forget your original mission.

7.  Something has turned you off, such as swimsuit models that
    don't look like you do, corporate images of businessmen, not 
    women or multiple animated things.

8.  An invasive advertisement appeared that you had to click 
    away so you could read the content underneath it.

9.  The page loads but your scumware radar starts beeping like
    crazy or popup and security alerts appear.

10. You need a magnifying glass to read the content.


If a keyword search brings back an inside page, more common
frustrations occur to drive people away from the web site. They
include:

1.  There is no navigation to the rest of the web site.

2.  There is navigation, but no visible, easy-to-locate link to
    the main home page or main web site.

3.  A link "home" is offered, but sub-navigation is missing, so
    that the user must start at the beginning to figure out where 
    they landed inside the web site.

4.  Link labels do not explain what the web site is about, so 
    the visitor may not be inspired to click around.

5.  There is no suggested click path to follow. For example, if
    the page happens to be an article, it might be useful to say 
    "Did you find this article helpful? Here are more articles 
    that may interest you."

We often forget that search engines index more than our home
page. People often stumble into our web sites while searching 
for other things, linking from another web site, or receiving an
email link from a friend. The starting place isn't always home
base.

So, how do you make a web site page approachable in a crowded
room of search engine results? First, make sure your title tag is
accurate. Every page requires a title tag unique to the content
it represents. The home page is an overview page, so focus on the
main goal, which is often also your primary keyword(s).

Next, write a genuine, honest description that isn't all hype and
glorified self-worship about your great website. If the site is
going to sell something, what does it sell? Does it specialize?
Avoid words like "unique", "amazing", and "special" because,
frankly, everybody makes these claims.

It's important to not "stuff" keywords in your title and
description tags because these are displayed in search engines as
your site or page description. When read by humans, they don't
make sense. People are getting wiser. They know that you are
trying to get higher rank but it doesn't mean your web site is
any better in quality that those lower in search results.

Regardless of where the page is in your site, there are lots of
ways to attract attention or generate curiosity so that your
visitor becomes a potential customer, or at least finds the 
content interesting enough to keep browsing around. My favorite 
part of discount stores are the displays where they toss 
clearance items, or the impulse "Oh yes, I forgot I needed 
that"-type items. You can do the same thing with your web site. 
Simply place the toenail clippers, scotch tape and calling cards 
out front where they're easily seen. In other words, remind your 
visitors you carry the items they didn't know they needed.

Here are some other ideas to try:

1.  Provide a good reason to enter your site. Don't expect 
    anyone to take your word for anything. Offer incentives.

2.  Put a visible text link to your sitemap on every page. Even
    your local shopping mall has a map with a "You Are Here" 
    pointer.

3.  Be forthcoming and descriptive with pictures. If you sell
    shoes, show the tread. If you design and make your own 
    crafts, show close-ups of the detail and workmanship. The 
    sunglasses line you offer is likely filled with brand name 
    shades, but what types of faces will they complement? I have 
    a difficult time buying artwork online because I can't 
    visualize the dimensions in my head. A picture of a framed 
    version, hanging in a room with furniture, will help me 
    understand what I'm trying to purchase. In a virtual world, 
    you must go to great lengths to sell things people can't 
    touch or see in use.

4.  Place words like "sale", "getting started", "first-time 
    user", "learn more", "try now", "buy now", "free", 
    "download", "we deliver" and "free shipping" on your pages, 
    above the page "fold".

5.  On your home page, provide an introduction and suggestions
    for where your visitors might like to go next, based on their 
    needs.

6.  Search engines can only bring a visitor to your doorstep.
    It's your job to grab them by the hand, invite them inside 
    and show it off.

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Kim Krause is the Administrator for the Cre8asite Forum
(http://www.cre8asiteforums.com), author of the Cre8pc blog 
(http://www.cre8pc.com/blog/), and owner of Cre8pc Usability and 
Search Engine Optimization (http://www.cre8pc.com/). She's a 
contributing writer for the High Rankings Newsletter, Search 
Engine Guide, ISEDB.com and WebProNews as well as other publications.
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