What do you use Google for?

Ask 100 people this question and I guarantee you that at least 99 answers will contain the word ’search’.

A small group of people will also talk about things like Gmail and Google Maps.

An even smaller group will talk about Google Adwords, AdSense, Analytics etc. The stuff that only web professionals really know about.

Top task: search

Because search is the absolute top task people visit Google for, the new Google homepage focuses on it for the full 100%.

Strange?
Not at all. Search is what 99% of people visit Google for. Give people what they want.

Less important tasks: less prominent on the homepage

If you move your mouse over the screen, you get to see more. The other important tasks, like Gmail and Maps are at the top. Below the search are the things Google actually earns money with: the advertising programs and the business solutions.

A bold move?
Not really. Though it is true most people lack the courage to do this on their own website.

Google puts the stuf that generates revenue in the background. Most CEOs and web managers are afraid to do that. But at Google, they realise it’s not the advertising programs that generate the revenue, it’s the millions of people who ‘google’ every day. Why do they google every day? Because the website is so deliciously simple.

How do you identify your website’s top tasks?

We can help you on your way with user research.
That way, you can base your website on facts instead of opinions or feelings.

Related articles

• What would Google look like if you had made it?
• Focus: the basis of every good web page
• Page fold: myth or reality?

Focus!

A few quotes by Peterson:

• “Amateurs often end up with pictures that have too many points of interest. The resulting lack of direction and subsequent confusion alienates the eye, forcing it to move on, seeking satisfaction elsewhere.”
• “Without order you have chaos. With chaos comes stress. With stress comes the inability to perform well.”

Very true. For photographs and for websites.

Bad web pages have too many focus points. Visitors don’t know where to look. They’re confused and go back to Google to find someone else who’s got what you’re selling.

I can’t begin to tell you how often we see people during user tests who simply don’t know where to look on a webpage. Overcrowded pages drown out the important information in such a way that people effectively do not see it.

Less is more

For a travel brochure Peterson was told to take a picture that said ‘Amsterdam and the Netherlands’.

• 1st attempt (top left)
  Flowers, bicycles, a canal and pigeons (Peterson fed the pingeons to make sure they stayed put). Result: too many focus points. Messy.
• 2nd attempt (top right)
  No more pigeons. Trying to clean up the background by way of a passing tram. Result: still too busy.
• 3rd attempt (bottom)
  A radically different point of view, focussing on the basics: tulips, bicycles and the calming water in the background. Result: a beautiful photograph with maximum impact.

Focus. That’s what every website needs, from the homepage to the detail page. Focus on the things that matter.

Just like Google focuses on the search feature on the homepage, despite the multitude of other tools they have.

Shameless advertising
AGConsult has been helping companies and government agencies with finding their online focus since 2001.
Curious to see what we can do for you?Contact us.

What do you have to do?

1. Get yourself a cup of coffee or hot chocolate
2. Watch the presentation
3. Change your website where needed

Tip: for a full screen view, click the second to last icon at the bottom right.

Problems?

• No Flash on your computer?
• SlideShare blocked by your firewall?

Don’t panic. We’ll talk about the tips in detail over the coming weeks.