Visitors' questions - How to give customers the right information on the website

“How can I help you?” This is the first question a visitor is asked in a store or office. And that should be the most important question that a company has in mind when planning its website. While in a classic image brochure the company is the focus, on the Internet it is the customer. He comes to the site with a specific request. And he is impatient. If the visitor doesn’t get their questions answered immediately, they go to the competition, which might do it better. It’s just a click away. But what does the visitor want? On the Internet there is no direct counterpart who can formulate a concern and besides, there is no such thing as a “visitor”. Every potential customer has different questions. To still find out which answers need to be on the website, there are some tried and tested tricks and approaches. These answers should not be missing on any website Whether it is a master painter, boutique, tax advisor or cosmetic studio, there are four questions that should be answered at the top of every website:

• When are they open?
• What is the address?
• What’s the phone number?
• What is the email address?

It is best to place this information above the large header image. The majority of visitors come to the site via smartphones and tablets and no one likes to scroll and click on small displays to find a company’s address or telephone number. It is important that - at least in the mobile version of the website - the phone number and email address are clickable.

Collect questions in the secretariat and from employees

The second step is to identify the most frequently asked questions from potential customers. Who knows them better than their own employees? In an office, it is certainly the secretary who is confronted with questions from customers. In a restaurant it is the waiter, in a craft business it is the on-site employee. When planning the website, you can all write down questions that you encounter from customers in your daily work. Chances are pretty good that these are the questions that the website visitor has.

Interviews with friends and acquaintances

Friends and acquaintances are the best guinea pigs when it comes to the content of the website. You can talk and discuss openly with them. However, it is important that they do not have specialist knowledge or much insight into the company, but rather look at the website from the customer’s perspective. They should formulate questions that they would probably have if they were to visit a company in their industry on the Internet.

Visitors’ questions - How to give customers the right information on the website

Personas - invent customers

The third way to identify important questions is through personas. The approach here is to invent personalities. You look at the target group and pick out several typical customers. For example, a restaurant has a fairly broad target group. Depending on the location, price level and menu, there are certain age groups and social classes that would eat here. It could be Peter, for example. He is 64 years old, a pensioner with no money worries, lives alone and has a dachshund named Poldi. He loves home cooking, doesn’t like cooking and therefore eats out often. His questions would probably include:

• Is there also regional cuisine?
• Is there a lunch menu?
• Can the dog come with me?

Sabine, on the other hand, is 32 years old, a dental assistant, married, vegetarian, mother of two children aged four and six. She doesn’t have much money and when she eats out it’s something special. She wants to enjoy this. Your questions would probably include:

• How much does it cost to eat in this restaurant?
• Is there a children’s menu?
• Is there something for vegetarians too?
• Is there a play area or playground for the children so I can eat in peace and chat with friends?

And then there is Hugo, 44, entrepreneur, married, no children. He leads a team of 50 people who he would like to invite to the company party. Either the celebration should take place on the company’s premises or in a restaurant. He’s not sure about that yet. His questions when researching on the Internet include:

• Do they also have space for larger groups?
• Can you book a supporting program such as music, cabaret or crime dinner?
• Is there a terrace or beer garden for a summer party?
• Do they also offer catering outside of the house?

Other questions other people may have include:

• Can you order online?
• Do they offer a delivery service?
• Do I have to reserve a place?
• Can I eat there if I have allergies?
• Can I pay by card?
• Is the restaurant barrier-free?
• Is there parking nearby?

And how should we answer all these questions?

Once the list of questions is ready, the answers need to be placed on the website. Of course, this doesn’t just happen in the form of text sections, because no website visitor is prepared to read long “novels” on the screen. Some answers are found in pictures on websites, others in lists or videos. Which format fits which answer must be decided on a case-by-case basis. Icons and short texts, for example, are wonderfully suited to conveying a lot of information at a glance. A dog icon with the message “Dogs allowed” does not overwhelm the visitor and the message gets across quickly. Further combinations for quick information in our example:

• Wheelchair icon + “barrier-free”
• Card icon + “Card payment possible”
• Plant icon + “Vegetarian dishes”

The photos on a website also provide quick answers. For the restaurant, for example, a picture of the beer garden is ideal, which visually interrupts and loosens up the text. The caption can mention the number of seats and the small playground in the corner. More answers have already been added. Moving images are suitable for products or processes that require explanation. Explanatory videos are particularly helpful, as they are much easier to understand with drawings and spoken words than long, continuous texts. So that there are no discouraging text blocks on the website, you can list common questions and provide them with expandable answers. This means the visitor can open the text that really interests them. A big advantage for smartphone and tablet users who don’t want to scroll for long. With the right content and format, website visitors will have their questions answered quickly. In a figurative sense, the “info center” of the website is then finished. In the next step, content can be added to promote sales and customer loyalty.