How Your Site is Organized Impacts Conversions
Information Architecture (IA) is the science and art of bringing users, context, and content together on a website to create an environment where users can accomplish their goals and tasks quickly and easily. How information is organized on your website is just as important as how your website looks and feels. Imagine That will develop a solid, information architecture for your website the promotes a good experience for your customers. Let us show you how.
What is Information Architecture?
There are lots of reasons not to let your friend’s brother’s niece’s boyfriend build your website for you – even though he just did a class on web design in high school. While most web developers are familiar with some of the top level “What’s” of IA - labels, headings, data structures, etc. - they don’t understand the “Why’s”.
IA can be broken down into three systems: Labeling Systems, Navigation Systems, and Search Systems. Labeling systems address how information is presented. Navigation systems have to do with how people get around your website. Search systems help users find specific information.
Why is IA Important?
A website has to connect with the way your customers think. This is where information architecture (IA) comes in. A well-thought out IA considers your business context, content, and your customers.
- Context. What are your business goals? How do the internal politics of your business affect your online presence? What does your business culture look like and how does that impact they way your customers see you? What are your limitations?
- Content. What are the objectives for the content you offer on your website? What types of content do you offer your online customers? (video, text, documents, etc.) How is the information on your website governed and who owns it?
- Customers. What motivates your customers? What are they looking for on your website? Does how you present your offerings make sense to your customers such that they trust you enough to take action?
How Does IA Impact Conversions?
In web design, IA is an important part of user experience (UX). A website that is easy to navigate, that presents information in a well organized, easy-to-follow manner, provides a positive experience for your customers. Happy customers mean more conversions.
This is where a lot of the Do-It-Yourself web services fall apart. Their focus is on providing businesses with easy ways to setup web pages; little or no thought is given to how that information needs to be organized for the end user.
A spa is limited to the same tools as an accountant’s office. Are the customers for a spa and an accountant’s office the same? Do they have the same goals when they visit a website? These businesses are different and need to provide a user experience for their customers that connect with the customer’s goals. Good IA makes sure that happens.
Moving Forward
Imagine That is committed to making sure your context, content, and users, come together to create an excellent user experience on your website. Before we build your site, we address the IA you need to accomplish your business goals. If you get a deer-in-the-headlights look from a potential web developer when you ask what his or her information architecture strategy is, back away slowly. Or just contact us and avoid that unpleasant experience completely!