We believe that any web site, regardless of its size or complexity, should contain mandatory content. These are the parts of the site that really should be considered standard features that will provide a visitor with the best possible experience.
Some mandatory content is more obvious than others, but it is surprising what can be left out, even on large sites. And while you would expect to find terms and conditions and a privacy policy on a large e-commerce site, we would argue that these kinds of features should be included on every site.
So, what do we recommend as being mandatory?
Route confirmation on the home page. This sounds so obvious, yet so many sites fail to confirm their purpose on the home page. You must never assume that a visitor knows who you are, what you do or where you are based geographically (especially if you have a .com address). Tell them.
Terms and conditions. Every site should have a terms and conditions of use. You may think this is overkill for a small site, but let me refer you to a favourite legal term “for the avoidance of doubt”. If you include a terms and conditions statement, there is no doubt about your liability.
Privacy policy. This is particularly important if you are collecting customer details to store in a database. But even if you only have a contact e-mail address you should include a privacy policy. As a minimum, every site collects aggregated visitor data; you should make visitors aware of this fact.
Site map. Okay, if your site is only three pages long, perhaps this isn’t mandatory. But any more and it is! Many visitors like to use a site map as their main form of navigation. For some, it provides an overview of a site, like a contents page in a book. It’s also reassuring to a visitor that they can use the site map, if all else fails. And if you’re still not convinced, then maybe the fact that a site map will help your search rankings – particularly in Google – might seal the deal.
Search. Like the site map, many visitors use search as their first method of finding content on your site. A search function, displayed prominently on every page should be included. Try to avoid the free search features that some search engines offer, as they distract from your content and can direct visitors away from your site – in some cases straight to your competitors!
Copyright. A copyright notice should be displayed prominently on your site – ideally in the footer of each page, but as a minimum include it in your T&Cs.
Contact Us. It’s incredible, but true that some sites don’t even bother telling a visitor who they are or where they can be contacted. A real world address increases visitor confidence exponentially, particularly if your site is e-commerce enabled.
Telephone number. And speaking of confidence, even in this digital age, many people just prefer to deal with a human being. Regardless of whether you are an e-commerce site or not, a contact phone number should be displayed prominently, or at least where it can be found very easily. Why reduce the number of ways a customer can contact you?
Regulatory information. It is mandatory for UK companies to include regulatory information on all their web sites, including the company registration number, place of registration and the registered office address.
Returns policy. If your web site offers online purchase, then it simply must have a returns policy too. Just as a real world address and phone number is important, so is a solid process outlining what a customer should do in the event of a return. It’s common sense really – after all, would you buy from anyone who wasn’t open and up-front about what to do if things don’t go according to plan?
