What do men like?

Not that, you dummy.

I meant in a website.

Statistics seem to show that the majority of business conducted online is by women, so I'm wondering what would change that.

What do you like in a website? Why do you value some things over others? What stuff annoys you or has no interest to you? What sites are good enough that you would actually put some money their way?

I don't really mean specific content, I mean format.

Are you looking for bold graphics, good content, short summaries, in depth articles, quick read, all pics and no reading, etc. etc. etc.

Once you've identified some of the characteristics of a site that would keep your attention and encourage you to visit it a lot, the next question is what would then make you a paying customer?

Or are you just a cheapa$$ to the core? (like me )

I like nice, simple websites that open quickly and that don't try to download some attachment to my computer so I can see their flash objects.

I hate websites with a plain white background.

stuart in mn wrote: I like nice, simple websites that open quickly and that don't try to download some attachment to my computer so I can see their flash objects.

+1

Keep it simple. Don't make me work as I hunt for the item that I plan to give you my money for.

Same here, I dispise flash intros. i don't usually go to a site to be entertained by an intro, usually I want information. Simple, easy to use, and informative, that pretty much says it. I've designed a few sites lately, so I've had to make a few choices too on design versus functionality. Given the choice, functionality is usually what keeps people coming to a site. If it looks good, but takes a while to load and is hard to use, chances are people will skip it and move on. Just my experience.

OK, I know I don't really fit your target demographic SvreX, but I'm going to give you my opinion anyway lol.

I like clean simple homepages with a straightforward design. I don't like having to search all over creation just to figure out where the "contact us" info is. I like a navigator that has a few main choices with sub navigators to further break down the site's offerings. I like a search feature.

I do like some color, but not so much that it distracts from the content, such as tiny white text on a dark background or even worse on top of a picture . I will ditto the sentiments above, I don't like having to have flash player just to view content, and I don't like waiting for content to load. I don't mind scrolling up and down a little, but I really dislike scrolling side to side.

I prefer that there not be any animations or flashy stuff, or popups on the homepage. I don't mind if something I click on opens in another tab, but not every thing opening in new tabs.

I tend to like edgy sharp graphics with lots of contrast.I do like darker pages as long as the text has someplace to be that makes it easy to read. I like a logo in the upper left corner that takes me to the homepage.

And the number one thing I dislike about some pages is not letting me back out of it. When I do a search and a page comes up that looks promising and I click on it but it's not what I need and I hit "back" to go back to the previous page and it keeps reloading their page I get p i s s e d.

Hope that helps!

http://www.mcmaster.com/ has one of the best "mansites" I've run across.

It allows rapid, precision shopping with a minimum of space devoted to "browsing."

racerdave600 wrote: Same here, I dispise flash intros. i don't usually go to a site to be entertained by an intro, usually I want information.

Ugh, I forgot about those. I don't think I've ever sat through an entire one.

It's OK, Mojo- around here we count you as "one of the guys".

So far I'm hearing simple, good content, information, no distracting crap.

So after finding that stuff, what makes you a buyer, instead of a surfer?

Woody wrote: Keep it simple. Don't make me work as I hunt for the item that I plan to give you my money for.

Do you GO to a site PLANNING to spend money (as in, "I need such and such, wonder where I can buy it), or do you value a site which makes you respect their product (as in, "GRM has a great site and a great community. I think I'll start trying to buy from them or their advertisers)?

Oh, and Mojo,

I do have to wonder about a married woman who clicks on a thread with a title like this!

Well, it kind of depends on what you're selling. If I can't get it anywhere else then price is not really the big thing, but if the entire internet is your competition then your price better be competitive.

I like a site that tells me if it's in stock or not right up front, without me having to put it in my cart and go throught the entire order process before they tell me it's backordered two weeks.

I like product information, dimensions, shipping weight, what have you. The more I know about it the more confident I am that it matches what I'm looking for.

I like pictures, and if it says "click here to enlarge" I don't want to see the same 60 x 60 pixel image open on a new blank page, that's not "larger".

I like to see things like "free shipping", even if it means I have to spend a certain dollar amount. I usually spend more time poking around the site to see if I can find something else I really like so I can get the free shipping. I like being rewarded when I do order by getting a coupon I can use on my next order, even if it has an expiration date.

I like the site to be consistant in it's layout and look, but also to have new fresh content on a regular basis so it doesn't look stale after a few visits.

I figured there was going to be another cute lil' kitty picture in here, that's why I came in here lol.

As far as ordering parts goes..

I always liked Dan's Comp.'s website.. http://www.danscomp.com/index.php

Easy to browse, enough color to be interesting, and pictures for everything.

A good example of two different approaches at selling the same product would be Jegs and Summit.

Let me re-direct for a minute.

I am asking marketing questions, not product questions.

In other words, I agree with everything I'm hearing about prices and products. If I am LOOKING for a particular thing, I want most of the stuff you guys are talking about.

But what would attract you to a site? In other words, if your not looking for a particular product at the best price possible, or for an easy shopping experience, what would interest you?

What would make you frequent a site, if you weren't necessarily buying their product at this exact time? Is there no such thing?

I know, for example, that there are a lot of sites that generate a lot of traffic through whining, complaining, and extreme statements and images. But do they become trusted sites that convert their "loyals" into customers, or are they fringe efforts that just promote traffic and b*tching?

GRM, for me, is a site I appreciate for the community, and have come to participate regularly because of the content (much of which is generated by the readers). But I've also come to trust it, and would therefore consider it's advertisers, readers, or recommendations before other sites when making purchases.

So, what would catch your attention like this, what would keep you coming back, and what would develop such trust that leads to business? Or is it just that we are a bunch of cheapa$$es, and all our gabbing doesn't really lead to business? (It's tough to sell to cheapskates).

SVreX wrote:

Woody wrote: Keep it simple. Don't make me work as I hunt for the item that I plan to give you my money for.

Do you GO to a site PLANNING to spend money (as in, "I need such and such, wonder where I can buy it), or do you value a site which makes you respect their product (as in, "GRM has a great site and a great community. I think I'll start trying to buy from them or their advertisers)?

I do both. I visit sites for info all the time, even when I don't have a specific need or purchase in mind. If I don't know the site I don't go there expecting to buy something, and I certainly don't feel the need to "donate" money to a site until I have developed some kind of bond with it, and that usually takes time.

If I visit a new site and the info I find there is useful, relevant to my interests and jives with other stuff I have read on the subject, I will tend to develop a trust for the site in general. Especially if the information is delivered in a non-biased, professional manner that doesn't sound like it was written by an 8th grader (no offense to those well spoken 8th graders out there).

If the site doesn't have anything special or different it may not get me back though, as there are a lot of places you can find stuff on the web. Articles, ongoing projects, employee bios, anything that allows me to relate to the humans behind the scene will help further a "bond" with the site and the "family" it represents.

one of my pet peeves is when i click on the picture of something for a larger image, and get the same tiny thumbnail in a larger window.

SVreX wrote: It's OK, Mojo- around here we count you as "one of the guys". So far I'm hearing simple, good content, information, no distracting crap. So after finding that stuff, what makes you a buyer, instead of a surfer?

One of my biggies is to have some information I can get to quickly: dimensions etc. I also like having everything in one place: picture, tech info, price, additional items needed if any, a Buy Now button etc.

I can't stand sites which make you wander around from page to page for each of these things. I'll put up with it for just so long then I am gone.

Good stuff- So you guys like stuff "direct", "shoot from the hip".

Keep it coming...

...still trying to figure out Mojo!

SVreX wrote: ...still trying to figure out Mojo!

LOL I like to keep you guys guessing so good luck with that!

Jensenman wrote: One of my biggies is to have some information I can get to quickly: dimensions etc. I also like having everything in one place: picture, tech info, price, additional items needed if any, a Buy Now button etc. I can't stand sites which make you wander around from page to page for each of these things. I'll put up with it for just so long then I am gone.

+1 If ALL the info is there and I can buy it there price is secondary. If I have to wander through a bunch of sites to find the info I need I will usually buy it from whoever has the best description/photos/specs. Internet shopping isn't a treasure hunt, I don't want to spend a bunch of time wondering if this is what I am looking for.

A valid email address AND a telephone number that doesn't go to a robot.

J

A few things not to do:

websites that only work in one web browser

a poorly designed shopping cart/checkout prodecure

confusing/hard to find contact information

if you are selling a product, either no pictures or generic pictures, combined with a poor description (a picture of the actual item, with dimensions if needed is much better)

annoying advertisements (especially a page during the checkout to try to trick people into sigining up for one of those $10 a month coupon scams, which i saw on a auto parts website)

Strict no return policies (depending on what is being sold, but generally i do not order from places that all sales are final).

The most important thing is that I should be able to intuitively find the information I'm looking for. The website design and layout should make it more natural to find that information.

Not to be a brown noser but... I love the GRM website. I think it is the best laid out site that I visit regularly.

No flash or animated gifs. It has a simple color palette with good contrast, that doesn't clash, and that clearly delineates segments of the page so that I know where the information will be. The visuals are just stimulating enough, not distracting.

Intuitive navigation.

It is also designed to function as a website. The information fits the browser window, rather than me having to set my browser to fit the information. It does not waste space, but has enough negative space for information to not get bunched up.