Mixed Signals

I took this picture while sitting in the right lane trying to get to the on-ramp to the freeway. I wanted to take the 405 North, which according to this sign, is accessed via the right lane. The only problem is, the entrance to the 405 SOUTH (not North) is in the right lane.

Needless to say, it was a little confusing. Oh, and don’t worry, I wasn’t driving when I took the picture, so all good there.

Here’s another one: (Photo Credit: ZeroOne)

I found this one doing a search on Flickr. If I were driving, I’d be a little confused as to which direction’s a one-way. And this sorta thing happens all the time…

Be Clear On What You Want People To Do

When people come to your site, is it clear what you want them to do? Is the action  you want them to take (subscribe, purchase, call for more info, etc.) clear?

On Real Estate Blog Topics, I want people to buy a subscription to my weekly newsletter/community. It’s obvious in two ways – you can click to “learn more” or “buy now.” Here on [RicardoBueno.com], I want you to subscribe to get updates by email – I think I make this part pretty obvious by the contrasting color in my email subscription form.

It’s Not So Obvious Most of the Time

I visit upwards of 40 real estate websites on any given day. Often times, it’s not so obvious to me what action the site owner wants me to take. Posts scream of “call me now” or “email me to request more info” yet there’s no phone number or calls go unanswered and emails have auto-responders dated two weeks ago or there’s a contact form but it’s broken. “Buy my product” pages don’t actually say BUY or designate a price. Subscription forms are placed near the footer of the site as opposed to above-the-fold.

Is this serving your potential customer well? Not really. And yet, it happens all the time. You’re sending mixed signals.

Clearing Things Up

Look at your website right now… What can you do to help buyers (potential customers) see things more clearly? What (specific) actions do you want people to take when they come to your website? What can you change to properly guide them in that direction?