Too much information in a website?

[davidsbiscotti]

I've read (in this forum) that customers are more likely to leave a site if there's too much info.

I've also been told from a member here that search engines like a lot of text in a site and you're more likely to be picked up by them.

Which is the better advice?

Being new to website design, I don't know the boundaries.

 

[CoffeeDetective]

You're right on both counts, in a way. Both people and the major search engines love a site with plenty of text. The trick is, for your readers, to create a site architecture that makes it easy for people to find exactly the information they want.

In other words, while people love a site with a great deal of content, they don't like having to work hard to find the particular topic they are looking for at that moment.

Good sites combine plenty of content with good, intuitive navigation.

Best wishes,

Nick

 

[nickmuso]

Hi davidsbiscotti,
I agree with the CoffeeDetective, it's whether you can find the information you're looking for or not. Nothing wrong with a site having tons of information as long as it's clearly presented and well structured with a transparent navigation system.

 

[davidsbiscotti]

Thanks Nicks.
I'm going for a more simple approach now.
I don't know what I'm doing, so better to keep the clutter to a minimum.

 

[equus007]

and

you can also take the porn approach and have just about every word in the English and Spanish languages on your site but not visible.

 

[CoffeeDetective]

You definitely don't want to add any text to your site that is not visible. That's the fastest way to get you site de-listed by Google.

Nick

 

[davidsbiscotti]

Ha, I've actually thought about adding subliminal content, but I think Nick is right, Google would murder me if I covered the background with hidden text and keywords. I do have a hidden link to a page in my site that I use for archiving and general storage, I hope it doesn't confuse the Googlebots.

Thanks Equus & Nick.

 

[CoffeeDetective]

I would remove even that one hidden link. Use of hidden links is like standing in front of a cop with a gun in your hand. Just asing for trouble.

nick

 

[davidsbiscotti]

Really???

 

[davidsbiscotti]

Okay, I just removed the link. I can still access the page through my sitebuilder program.

Should I resubmit the website to Google now?
Maybe that's why I'm experiencing a decline in traffic lately.

 

[CoffeeDetective]

No, you never need to resubmit to Google. As for traffic, there are two fundamental ways to increase it: 1. Create more content pages. 2. Get more quality and relevant inbound links.

n

 

[davidsbiscotti]

Google AdSense target marketing -

Why offer visitors a convenient link to your competitors' products?

Is the strategy is to at least make a nickel on the window shoppers?

 

[nickmuso]

Could be many reasons, depending on site.
Could be a new site where you haven't applied any filters yet to filter out ads that are directly competing with you. Could be that you accept that people have a choice and if they don't like the look of your product you at least make something when they depart. Could be that the product that you are offering is fairly specific as in custom made rather than the generic products shown in the ads. Could be that you're making more than dimes.

 

[davidsbiscotti]

I guess filtering is a good idea.

Maybe I'll allow them on my blog, myspace, etc., but filter them on my primary website.

Thanks Nick!

 

[CoffeeShopPromos]

Website Content

This is a good thread. I think Coffee Detective said it well. One thing I would add is to be sure your visitors know exactly what you do as soon as your page loads...I believe the stats say you have 5 seconds to deliver your first impression. If they don't see what they are looking for they are sure sure to click off of your website and on to the next. If they click off of your website on the same page they entered, it's called a bounce. You can monitor bounce rates with several free tools online. I prefer google's webmaster tools. It's an excellent way to monitor how people are finding your website through keywords, referring links, etc. You can also see how long visitors stay, how many pages they view, or if they bounce. In short, the tools are an excellent way to see if your content is any good.