A few days ago, I opened the Google homepage to find that Google's logo had been replaced with a picture of the cookie monster from the children's TV show Sesame Street. Intrigued, I clicked the logo and was taken to a page which explained that Google was celebrating 40 years of Sesame Street. But what are they actually doing?
Well, they're giving you a reason to visit their website, not just once but again in future. They're providing you with a reason to return to Google rather than the competition. They're adding value.
I define value as anything which visitors find useful or interesting. In business terminology, it is the unique selling point of a website. We've talked about Google, but let's take a look at Google's largest rivals in the search engine market.
Bing (Microsoft's new search engine) is well known for its ever-changing homepage image and clickable information hot-spots.
Yahoo takes a news-based approach, with upbeat news stories and celebrity gossip along with direct links to popular sites such as eBay and Facebook.
Both Yahoo and Google go a step further than Bing by offering a fully customisable user experience and allowing you to choose which items you'd like to see - your email inbox, latest news headlines, social networking updates or mini-games.
Let's take another successful online operation. Amazon, the online retail giant, offers value in the form of honest user reviews and ratings on all of its products. This not only provides visitors with an independent source of information on the products they're buying; but a recourse in case the product they purchase turns out to be crap.
In the wider web, there are many more examples. Moo.com adds value with its clean, fresh interface and easy to use checkout system; Coca-Cola focuses on prizes; and International Trade Solutions (by far the best website mentioned so far! Ahem!) offers visitors an in-depth 'knowledge space'.
Adding value is about identifying your target demographic, understanding their wants and needs, and offering something interesting or useful on your website.
If you need help adding value, leave a comment or call 01905 887 887.
Value attracts visitors to your website, and keeps them coming back for more. Whether you're building a new website, or looking for ways to improve the performance of an existing one, this article has something for you.
A few days ago, I opened the Google homepage to find that Google's logo had been replaced with a picture of the cookie monster from the children's TV show Sesame Street. Intrigued, I clicked the logo and was taken to a page which explained that Google was celebrating 40 years of Sesame Street. But what are they actually doing?
Well, they're giving you a reason to visit their website, not just once but again in future. They're providing you with a reason to return to Google rather than the competition. They're adding value.
I define value as anything which visitors find useful or interesting. In business terminology, it is the unique selling point of a website. We've talked about Google, but let's take a look at Google's largest rivals in the search engine market.
Bing (Microsoft's new search engine) is well known for its ever-changing homepage image and clickable information hot-spots.
Yahoo takes a news-based approach, with upbeat news stories and celebrity gossip along with direct links to popular sites such as eBay and Facebook.
Both Yahoo and Google go a step further, offering a fully customisable user experience and allowing you to choose which items you'd like to see - your email inbox, latest news headlines or mini-games.
Let's take another well known online operation. Amazon, the online retail giant, offers value in the form of honest user reviews and ratings on all of its products. This not only provides visitors with an independent source of information on the products they're buying; but a recourse in case the product they purchase turns out to be crap.
In the wider web, there are many more examples. Moo.com adds value with its clean, fresh interface and easy to use checkout system; Coca-Cola focuses on prizes; and International Trade Solutions (by far the best website mentioned so far! Ahem!) offers visitors an in-depth 'knowledge space'.
Adding value is about identifying your target demographic, understanding their wants and needs, and offering something interesting or useful on your website.
If you need help adding value, leave a comment or call 01905 887 887.
