(Note: this post does not apply to e-commerce and media-related websites)
Now that everyone has the perfect website standard down pat - the top nav, the left-hand nav, the footer nav, the rotating main-area flash with the four promo call-outs below - it’s clear what a waste of time it’s all been.
Website content a mile wide, and eight miles deep, 99% of it uninspiring, noncustomer-centric, dated, noninteractive. For what purpose? To serve a relative handful of visitors, without distinguishing those who are there for the first time and those who are there for a repeat visit? Your garden-variety 30-second TV commercial is far more engaging than your garden-variety website.
You can see the comScore data for yourself, and how the traffic falls off as you move down the top-50 domains. Better yet, look at Hitwise data that shows the top 10 sites controlling 25% of all web visits.
Or this recent study, by Yahoo and Media Contacts (yes, yes, bias alert, but still), which found that of the approximately 85 different websites the average person visits in a month, only about 1.5 actually translate into high-engagement experiences.
If the future of Marketing, of the world, is an engaging digital experience, then websites as we know them are toast. Microsites, landing pages, in-banner interactivity, and widgets will rule.
If you don’t believe it, delete 20% of your web content and see if anyone notices. Recall my post on IT industry partner portals - rated poor year upon year by the user community.
The future is about interactive strategy, not website design. It is miles beyond SEO and SEM. To that end, it involves a good three months minimum of strategic thinking.
Given the time of year, and the current point in the economic cycle, now seems like a good time to put on those thinking caps.
Now, excuse me, while I go watch that damned “Saved by Zero“ spot again.












