I’m having a problem making a social media/website client happy.
The basic problem stems from the client’s desire to have things on the website a certain way regardless of whether those things encourage or discourage people to engage with the content on the site.
(In my world this problem can be restated as: Just because you’re a maven in one field does NOT make you a maven in another field.)
One disagreement was because the client preferred a long, long list of accomplishments on a single site page rather than these considerable accomplishments being spread over three separate pages under different category titles.
Here is part of the explanation I included in the memo I wrote the client:
PROBLEM WITH SCROLLING DOWN PAGES:
There is numerous research that demonstrates that people dislike scrolling down website pages. There is even a Google tool that lets you see what others see on your website (depending on what browser they are using) WITHOUT scrolling down. (You can read a blog post about this.)
This is the reason that we have kept the home page short and have separated out the [topic] listings to separate pages. (Note that at the top of each of these three listings are links to the two other pages.)
Many decisions made on the layout of this site are based on what’s called “best practices” of encouraging people, once they land on your site, to stay there and read what you have on offer.
Okay, I admit that I don’t have high expectations that this explanation will convince the client. But I’m feeling “green” because it’s a tightrope-walking act to decide when to fight for things in the client’s best interests even when you’re “fighting” the client.
Anyone care to share how you deal with this problem, whether you’re building a website for a client or designing the plans for a new home?
© 2010 Miller Mosaic, LLC
Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing. The company has launched a monthly mentorship program to help people learn about the “best practices” of social media marketing (which includes effective WordPress websites).
