In the past few weeks, I've become increasingly aware of a major problem among websites: It's very difficult to figure out what the site is actually selling.

在过去的几周里，我致力于研究网站中出现的主要问题，其中很重要的一个就是：网站并没有真正地突出它所要出售的产品。

I've encountered this problem numerous times recently due to emails from people asking for advice on their websites. Unfortunately, when I visit their site, I can't tell what kind of product or service they are offering. I can usually get a general idea of their industry, and I can figure out at least some features of the product or service. However, there have been multiple instances where I can't get a concrete grasp of what the product IS.

我最近已经碰到好几次类似的问题了，主要是因为在我收到的用户的Emai中有关于他们网站的询问，并要我提提意见。糟糕的是，当我访问他们的网站时，我几乎搞不清楚他们要出售什么产品和服务。我只能对他们经营的产业有大致的了解，并指出一些关于他们产品和服务的特征。但是，我还是不能读懂其中的大多数产品到底是个什么东西。

Case in point: This week, I got an email from a company offering financial services. They were interested in having me build a website for their product. The product, as they described it, is a financial tool enabling companies to save $1,000-2,000 per employee per year on their health insurance plan without altering their coverage, carrier, or plan.

重点案例：就在这个星期，我收到一封来自于财政服务公司的email。他们想委托我创建一个关于推销他们产品的网站。该产品可以帮助一个公司在不改变任何计划和政策的情况下，每年节省1000-2000美元的员工健康保险开支。

Despite the fact that the company sent me a fair amount of information, I nevertheless had not a clue what the product is.

如果该公司能够为我提供更多、更详细产品信息的话，我就不会对产品的主要优点摸不清头绪。

Why?
其中的原因到底是什么

Because they didn't explain the exact nature of this "tool." After reading everything they sent, I was still left to wonder: Is it an actual product, such as a piece of software? Or is it some sort of membership in a program or organization? Or is it more of a service provided by the company and not really a concrete product at all?

因为他们没有对产品的性质和作用解释清楚。在读完他们发送的每一份Email后，我就陷入了疑问：它是一个真正的产品吗，类似于一个软件？或者它根本就不是一个产品，它可能只是公司提供的一种服务吧？

In their defense, they actually did a good job of conveying the benefit--saving $1,000-2,000 per employee per year. But I still wanted to know what the product IS.

在他们的回复中，该产品确实能为公司的每个员工每年节省1000-2000美元的开支。但是我还是弄不清楚这个产品到底是个什么东西。

Such lack of clarity can be devastating to a website. Visitors detest uncertainty, and they will not spend time or money on a site that leaves them with an incomplete understanding of what's being sold.

这样过于简单的描述将对整个网站带来负面影响。访问者会对这样的网站非常反感。他们会因为搞不清楚产品的具体性质和效用而离开这个网站。因此，制作这样的网站毫无用处可言。

In my experience, many people don't actually know how to define their product or service in a single sentence. And even if they can define it, they don't define it in a way that someone unfamiliar with their product would readily understand.

就我个人经验而言，大多数人不清楚如何利用一个简单的句子来概括他们的产品和服务。即使他们明白该如何简述他们的产品和服务，他们概括出来的产品说明也很难让消费者直接读懂。

Apparently, many companies suppose that if they provide lots of information, it will translate to understanding on the part of a visitor. But this frequently isn't true.

很显然，每个公司都存在这样的误区：如果他们把产品描述的过于详细，就只能获取部分的客户群，而不能获取更多的客户群。其实事实完全不是这样。

If the information is vague, even if there is lots of it, visitors won't be able to deduce the exact nature of the company's services. And they certainly won't be able to do it in a timely manner.

如果提供的信息非常模糊，句句脱离主题，这样的话，即使信息再多，访问者也不会读懂公司的产品或服务到底是什么。那么，他们也不会浪费时间去推理了。

An equally significant problem is that although a site may eventually define its product clearly, it doesn't happen fast enough. The problem is that visitors won't stick around long enough to hunt and peck for the answers they seek. You have to be clear up front.

这里还有一个同样重要的问题：尽管能够清楚地定义产品，这也不会立刻起到作用（即：客户不一定会当即购买）。这是因为大多数客户不愿意花太多的时间去了解这个产品，这就需要对产品的描述进行精简。

What's the key to solving the problem? For starters, here are four suggestions:

那么，解决这个问题的主要方法是什么呢？在这里，我可以提供四点建议：

Recognize the problem. Consciously make a note of the fact that lack of clarity is a serious issue. By your very sensitivity to the issue, you'll be better prepared to deal with it.

首先，正视问题。要承认，在产品和服务的描述上含糊其辞是一个严重的错误。你应该着手解决这个问题。

Focus on getting your message across in the first seconds of a visitor's visit. You ordinarily have a very short period of time in which to convince visitors to stay or leave, so make the most of it. Make it your top priority to proclaim your message very clearly on the home page.

因为大多数用户缺乏耐心。所以，你要仔细考虑一下，如何使用户在浏览信息的第一秒钟就征服他们，使他们继续往下面看更多的信息。所以，你必须要将最能吸引用户、最能征服用户的信息清楚地放在主页上最显眼的地方。

Write for a twelve-year-old. If at all possible, try to make sure your message would be comprehensible to a kid. Even if you have a product or service that a twelve-year-old wouldn't be interested in, it's usually possible to write in terms they would understand.

将你的产品和服务的介绍信息写出来，然后让一个12岁的儿童先读读看，看看他能不能够读懂你写的到底是什么。如果连他都不能读懂，那么这样的信息，大多数人也不会一眼即懂。因此，修改吧！改到一个12岁的儿童都能读懂为止。

Write a good site definition (see my previous article on the topic: http://www.kianta.com/designtips/definition.htm). A site definition is a concise, objective one-sentence statement explaining what a site does. This statement should appear in a high-visibility location, preferably at the top of each page near the logo.

用一句话来概括你的网站到底是做什么的，并将这句话放在网站的首页中最显眼的地方。最好是放在网站顶部logo的旁边。

Get the perspective of a few outsiders. Round up a few people who are unfamiliar with your service to help you, and see if they are able to adequately describe your product to you based on your copy.

也可以找一些外人做一个调查，在他们完全不熟悉你提供的产品或服务的情况下，让他们看看你写的产品和服务的相关描述，看看他们能不能快速准确地将这部分内容复述出来。

Whatever you do, don't underestimate the importance of clarity. Be clear, be concise, be specific.

总而言之，不管你采用什么方法，都不要忘记，一定要用最精简的语言来描述产品和服务的主要特点，并且一定要通俗易懂、一目了然。这点太重要了。

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