Window Into Your Company

My grandmother and I used to tour the department store windows on Madison Avenue. We'd love to look at the elegant displays and the glamorous products they were selling. They had style. They also told you everything you needed to know about the company without having to say a word.

Your website is a window into your company. Just like the displays on Madison Avenue, before a client or customer reads a word, they tell that person who you are. 

Whether it's as spare as Google's landing page, as busy as cnbc.com, the look tells the vistor whether you are easy to use (like Google) or full of information (like CNBC). It gives a personality and intangible qualities to your company. Look at Target.com, Macys.com and LizClaiborne.com.  What do these sites tell you about their company and what they stand for? These companies have windows in New York and on the net.  It's just how they use them that's different.

What this means to you is look at your site and think about the messages you're getting just through the design and headlines. Most people spend less than 10 seconds per site.  So what's the takeaway in three blinks of the eye?