Avoiding Web Site Disaster

When it comes to usability and functionality, the majority of today's Web sites are failing miserably, says a report released by Giga Information Group, Cambridge, Mass. The findings show a clear opportunity for e-business service companies that can show their clients the difference between pure creativity and a successful online customer experience.

According to the Giga Web Site ScoreCard service, which recently assessed more than 200 Web sites, most Web sites fail to incorporate the minimum standards for usability, links and privacy established by industry leaders and Web experts. In fact, a large percentage of sites tested lacked key basic components, which can result in frustrated customers and missed opportunities for companies.

"Customers can move much faster through a virtual space than they can through a physical space, and if a company's Web site lacks basic components, users will quickly migrate to sites that are meeting minimum standards," says Steve Telleen, who is in charge of Giga's Web Site ScoreCard service.

Included in the findings:

Sixty-six percent of the surveyed Web sites failed to provide a link to a privacy policy from their home pages.

Sixty-six percent of the surveyed sites failed to include "action links" on their home pages to help visitors learn what they can do on their sites.

Forty-three percent of the sites were missing basic navigation aids. Of those, 73 percent did not have text navigation at the bottom of their home pages, 28 percent did not have global navigation bars, and 27 percent did not have a link to go back to their home pages from all interior pages.

Fifty percent of the sites did not have a link to a site map from their home pages, and 39 percent failed to include a link to a site search tool.

Thirty-five percent of the sites were missing an employment link, and 16 percent did not have a corporate profile link.

Telleen says a well-designed site should become a business tool that can attract, serve and retain a company's customers.

"But organizations can't become a slave to fashion by sacrificing common sense and customer service for pure creativity," he says. "E-business is not only about standing out from the crowd; it's about meeting basic customer needs, alleviating security and privacy concerns and, most important, making it easy for visitors to get what they came for."