Regardless of how often you upgrade your software or technological knowledge to stay on top of Internet fads, one thing continues to remain the same. Web sites must be found, and must be usable.

Many search engine optimization and marketing professionals are finding that some Web sites aren't yet ready for traffic, or can't possibly deliver their objectives because of poor design. They instantly recognize why a site isn't performing well in search engines, but, search engine rank isn't the end of the road. Rather, it's the beginning. Now that your target user has found your web site, will they be able to use it?

This article begins a series of articles on how to test your own web site for search engine and visitor usability. Using my background in Quality Assurance Internet software application testing, I've spent the past several years adapting those testing techniques for user interface purposes. I'm well aware that some Web sites are built by people who don't have access to defect tracking software or know how to obtain user feedback. User testing involving focus groups and test plans are the optimum choice but the need for high- end testing methods may not fit your budget or objectives. This series of articles will include references to books and companies aimed at assisting you without breaking your budget. It will cover how to test, how to get feedback, how to implement that feedback and much more.

Techie Terms For Logical Steps
The simplest form of site testing is done by cognitive walkthrough and heuristic sessions. Armed with a list of web site heuristics (a brief checklist of user interface specifications -- see this page for more info), you "walk through" a site, check off items that are included and make note of those that aren't. A cognitive walkthrough approach allows you to see the behavior patterns of your visitors, how they move about the site, what links they choose, where they make errors or where they perform steps you never planned for.

Why Am I Here on This Web site?
Every web site has special objectives to meet. Is it intended to provide services or sell products? If you want to make money from your site, is it set up to easily do this online? Are you getting your message across? If you run an information web site, how organized is the content? Furthermore, how might you make it better organized?

Before asking your visitors about your web site, ask yourself some questions first. In software testing we can't test (or develop) an application until we know exactly -- down to the smallest detail -- what it's expected to do. The same thing applies to Web sites

This is where the fun of user testing comes in. Using a variety of methods (which I'll discuss later in this series), you'll be able to learn many things about your web site. You can see if your site visitors found what they were looking for, and you can test whether your objectives are met. You can also troubleshoot low sales, keyword search issues or web site abandonment (e.g., perhaps they easily found your site, but then quickly left).

Copy the Sales Clerk
Quite often I'll make a purchase in a store and the sales clerk will ask, "Did you find what you were looking for?" At first it seems like a dumb question, especially when I'm writing a check for $127 worth of merchandise; however, when you think about it, the question offers a chance for the store to receive feedback. It opens the door for questions or complaints.

How many Web sites ask this? In Part Three of this series, I'll talk more about how to copy the sales clerk and use this technique for your web site

Fairy-dust Technique
Two Christmases ago I learned that buying from small and home-based businesses was the way to go if I wanted to sense a human being at the other end of my online transaction. I purchased practical gifts that were designed artistically and uniquely by a woman who ran her business from her kitchen. When I received my order, she had included a small token gift for me, as well as tiny feathers and shiny sprinkle-things that fluttered with joy when I opened up the package. She also wrote me a handwritten thank-you note! I raved about her web site, Cheap Therapy, for weeks afterward, sending her traffic whenever I saw the opportunity to do so.

Large ecommerce sites can learn from the kitchen-run businesses. Although I might take some of these Web sites to task for user interface issues (Web design), there's no denying that they know a lot about customer satisfaction. Usability is part user interface, part user, part functional, part business objective, and part being found in search engines. The user part is vital; while you want to make sure the user is happy while they're on your web site, they'll return to your site because you made them happy long after they were gone. In part 4 of this series I'll dig deeper into visitor-pleasing tactics and how to put user feedback to good use.

That Happy Ending
So what REALLY makes your visitors love your web site? What makes it "usable"? Frankly, nearly all Web sites are usable; usability is a word worn out from overuse by web site reviewers like me who test sites! But you'll find that certain things will confuse many visitors. Sometimes they can't contact you because your form didn't allow a field for their country or province. Or perhaps you completely forgot that special-needs users might like to visit your web site, but you didn't design it with this in mind. In the final section of this series I'll show you how to turn your web site upside down and shake out the disconnected parts. Taking a little time to inspect underneath the hood of your site can go a long way towards meeting your goals.

Laying the Groundwork for Long-Term Success
Whether you have a web site or are thinking of building one, you'll need to start with two pieces of paper. Write "Business Requirements" at the top of one, and "Functional Requirements" on the other.

For business requirements, you can simply write things like "I want to sell shoes." Or "to sell high-end designer shoes at a bargain price." You can have several goals related to your business requirements, such as "This web site will sell 30 pairs a week," and "Information on designer shoes will contain links to designer sites." Don't forget to write down your plans to include a shopping cart, a newsletter, images, optimizing for search engines, researching your target market/audience or whatever other goals you may have.

For functional requirements, you want to write down *how* you will sell those shoes by detailing everything from how the shopping cart will work to how the web site search function will work, and where it will be placed on the web site If you plan to optimize for the search engines, don't forget about your need for keyword research and how you will focus on keywords within your page copy. Functional requirements can be lengthy, but that's what you want. Will your pictures show detail? What font face will you use? Later, during testing, you will need to prove that each business and functional specification was met. If something fails, you may risk losing a sale or a return visitor.

When writing down your functional specifications, remember to trace each one back to the business specification it applies to. If a function isn't going to help manifest a goal or objective, it doesn't belong on your web site You'll find this exercise is a nice precursor to story board drawings of your pages, and helps you analyze your web site needs.

But wait! You're not done yet. Remember the heuristic evaluations I mentioned? You (and your design staff if you have one) will also need to create a 10-item heuristic checklist of basic web site guidelines based on the functional specs you just outlined. These can cover fonts and spacing, added scripts, ads, printable pages, navigation styles or even the placing of elements on a page. Since every web site is different, it's important to make this checklist your own, not simply a clone of Jakob Nielsen's.

Coming next week: Part 2 - A Web site Review Checklist