You put a lot of time and energy into your website so that it represents your business in the right way. Sometimes, though, it can be too easy to focus on the technical and visual elements of a site before realizing that it’s just not conveying a warm, human feeling. Sometimes, a business website can feel downright impersonal.
To solve this, to help put a human face on your website, and to make your site visitors feel that they are interacting with REAL people, try the following three techniques:
1. Online Chat
What better way to answer your site visitors’ questions than online chat? The great thing about online chat is that it enables site visitors to ask questions and get the information they need in order to convert, all without leaving the page. Based on the tone of the chat, it can also convey a down-to-earth, helpful, human voice behind your website.
2. Staff Reviews
If you are an online retailer, providing staff reviews is another great way to humanize your website. This technique puts a face on your business, while concurrently driving your site visitors to products of value and interest. Once a site visitor starts trusting the opinion of one of your staff, they are likely to look to that same voice for guidance on additional purchases they should make.
3. Interaction Options
Customer interaction is good for both you and the folks considering your products or services. So, give your site visitors the tools they need to communicate with you, no matter what their personal communication preferences might be. Include a phone number, email address, online form, FAQ, Ask the Expert feature, online forum, Twitter address, customer-supported Q&A (check out Bazaarvoice Ask & Answer), personal advisor (check out how Crutchfield offers this functionality), physical address if applicable, etc.
These are just a few suggestions to help you put a human face on your website in providing a better experience for your site visitors. If you need additional help, let me know below. Thanks!
