Imagine this; A Baby Boomer finds his way to his website. He scans your home page but isn’t quite sure what you offer. One… two… three… four… five… OUT! Probably forever. Your web visitors have 3 main questions in mind when they arrive at your site:

1. Where I am?
2. What can I do here?
3. Why should I do it?

You can follow simple steps to help your Boomer visitors quickly understand what you offer and move from launch to purchase. After all, don’t you want the Boomer generation visitor’s experience on your website to be easy and enjoyable rather than an exercise in frustration?

1. Have a tagline that clearly explains what you do.

Not all domain names are chosen clearly or with the customer in mind. Some are simply ‘companyname.com’. That’s fine if it’s so well known that everyone recognizes the name, like Sears.com, Ford.com, or RedSox.com. But often a domain is chosen in a creative effort to be smart. Take, for example, http://www.plaidonline.com. Without the tagline “We sell craft supplies,” a visitor would be scratching their heads trying to figure out what’s on offer. Here is another example. The name of the company, ‘From Start to Finish’, doesn’t really tell you what the company is about. But their tagline, ‘Professional Event Coordinators’ explains it all in three simple words. With a clear tagline, you not only help your Boomer visitor know what you’re up to, but you also help search engine “spiders and crawlers” understand what you’re all about. Make sure his tagline includes the key phrases he is using for his website so that search engines can easily find it.

2. Have a customer-focused, benefit-rich headline using the reader’s words.

By anticipating what your Baby Boomer customer will think before they arrive on your website, you can create a headline that offers a perfect solution to the problem the visitor has in mind. Make it big, bold and obvious. This is one of the fastest ways to let your visitor know that he has found what he is looking for. And he will be relieved and willing to stay.

3. Design your web page in a familiar format.

All of the most successful web pages follow the same familiar format: ~Place your navigation menu in the left column or at the top of the page. Your navigation options should clearly guide the visitor to what they need. ~Make sure your most important keyphrase-rich copy is centered above the fold on the first page. ~Make sure there is plenty of white space, powerful subheadings, and bulleted lists for easy scanning. People won’t read large blocks of text. ~Place your logo in the upper left corner. ~Make sure the copy follows the natural visual path from left to right. ~Clearly include your phone number and contact information on each page. ~Place graphics to the right where they do not interfere with the messages. ~Avoid displaying graphics that upset many people. They will just click. ~ Always include a sitemap.

4. Use clear, easy-to-read fonts

It is very important to select fonts that are easy to read and large enough for any age group: ~Avoid white text on a dark background which is difficult for readers, especially Boomers and up. ~Keep font colors consistent from page to page. ~Don’t use too many colors or your page will look cluttered and hard to read. Remember, clarity and simplicity are paramount to helping your Boomer visitors quickly discover what you’re offering. Never make your visitors work hard or you will lose them!

5. Don’t try to be creative with hyperlinks.

Some web designers like to try to coordinate colors on web pages, including the colors used for hyperlinks (the underlined text you click on to go to another page). People are familiar with the blue underlined text in hyperlinks. Don’t vary this. Say enough in your link text that it’s clear what’s behind the link. Be sure to use selected key phrases in your hyperlinks, again pleasing search engine spiders and bots as well as your reader.

6. Stick to the “rule of two” for clicks.

Research shows that the higher the number of clicks before a visitor gets what they want, the lower the conversion rate. Don’t make more than two clicks on a desired information page or shopping cart and watch your conversions increase.

7. Offer clear action steps and guide users.

With action verbs and clear instructions, you can move Boomer visitors towards the desired action: ‘view demo’, ‘sign up for our newsletter’, ‘learn about product xyz’, ‘download your free report’ or ‘buy your subscription now’… everything clearly tells the reader what to do. And there you have it. Seven simple, clear and easy steps that will make your Baby Boomer website visitors nod and move on to take the desired action.