I have blogged about this before but I don’t think it can be stressed enough: do your materials provide enough information to your prospects?  Lately, I have come across several websites, notably, government websites, that simply do not provide enough information or make it difficult to find said information.  Here are some examples:

US Capitol tours: no information regarding using public transportation to get there or a map pointing out the nearest Metro stops.  Very little information about anything else. How long is the tour? What is permitted and not permitted? Not to mention how unfriendly this site is. If a government bureaucrat didn’t personally design and write this, one of his/her scared minions did.

US Naval Academy tours: When do the tours start? Where is there parking? How about using public transportation to get to the academy? How long are the tours?

Glen Echo Park: Typical of most National Park Service websites, minimal information. The home page has a link for direction at the very bottom of the page. The About Us has another link to directions. What about hours? Not listed at all, except for the cafe.

This list is simply from my personal experience in the past three weeks. How many more websites are out there that just don’t give enough information?

If you have a website, you would do well to look at it from an outsider’s perspective. Here are is a small list of items to consider:

• Is your contact information easily accessible?
• If I have never before heard of your business or organization, will I understand what you do?
• Have you listed your services and explained them?
• If you are open to the public, are your hours, admissions fees, directions to your facility, parking and transportation and other information the public needs to know clearly and prominently posted?
• If you are a restaurant, have you posted a sample menu?
• If I don’t understand what you have written, is there an alternative way to contact you?
• Is your information up to date?
• Is your layout (including fonts, etc) easy to read and navigate? Things to consider are busyness (too much information or graphics), font size, background, colors and optimization for different web browsers.

About Deborah Brody

Deborah Brody writes and edits anything related to marketing communications. Most blog posts are written under the influence of caffeine.

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