The Importance of Website Feedback
Written by Jai on February 5, 2008 – 12:59 pm - 4,822 views
While building a website or a blog, one always considers using the best design, layout and content. But today, instead of discussing these aspects of web development, I’ll be sharing the importance of website feedback which can act like steroids for your website or it can also be used as user-generated content. For most websites, a feedback form seems to be hidden away somewhere on the last page of a developer’s list of site requirements. Forcing visitors to navigate their way through many pages just to locate that feedback form which results in frustration and reduces interest.
Feedback from your website can also act as free and original content for which you do not have to pay anyone. Search engines like Google love unique content. If you miss the opportunity for user feedback, it’s a missed opportunity for you to rank high in the eyes of search engine spiders. You can benefit by enabling most user feedback to be out on the front of your website, e.g. comments, reviews, opinions etc. You can convert feedback into a promotion device or funnel it out into site enhancements.
- Make your feedback form visible and easily accessible. Place the link for your contact page in your global navigation area so that it appears on every page.
- Keep your feedback form short and simple so that visitors do not mind submitting it. Do not make registration necessary for filling up the feedback form and be clear about what you intend to do with the feedback results.
- Invite product reviews, guest blog writers, video/audio submissions, paid reviews and snapshots. Let your visitors edit their own reviews. Link back to their websites if necessary.
Finally, show that you want their feedback by creating opportunities for them to do so. You will be surprised at how many times the comments from users will point to a problem or bug that you could never have noticed about.
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17 Responses
to “The Importance of Website Feedback”
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- Mar 7, 2008 : Importance, Applications & Treatment of User Feedback | How to Make Your Users Happy
on Feb 5, 2008
Don’t you think that it is easier for people to contact you if you include you email address somewhere visible in the sidebar?
on Feb 5, 2008
@Cosmin: In the above article, my aim was to make poeple understand how they can get site visitors to create content in the form of feedback. Just including an email address will not serve the purpose.
on Feb 5, 2008
Reading the article I blushed remembering my sites other than my blog. Started before the SEO-wars the sites really need some “user generated content”, the term we hear about so much that some of us ignore its meaning…
Thank you for the impulse!
on Feb 5, 2008
I’ve seen “feedback form” and I’ve automatically thought of a contact form that usually emails the feedback. So you suggest using a page with comments enabled for feedback?
on Feb 6, 2008
giving your e-mail addrs givesthe visitors even more trouble. Instead having a small contact for m(even on the home page) ,something like plugoo ,Can really help your blog in getting good feedback!
on Feb 6, 2008
Very important !!!
on Feb 7, 2008
Daniel is right. It’s really awful, when you click a link — and istead of usual behaviour (openning a page) it starts loading your mail program! (I use TheBat, but all of them need some time to load).
on Feb 7, 2008
I agree when you mentioned about show readers that you want feedback. I think a great way to do that is to leave your articles with a question…or at least write in such as way as to get a reaction from your readers.
on Feb 8, 2008
Yea Amikeco .I use (not really ..just have it ) MS outlook .And everytime i think i click on a contact page link ..It opens the program.How irritating is that huh ?
on Feb 9, 2008
What about a guestbook like Chat Box? I put one on my Guestbook page and it really play an important role in getting feedbacks from my readers . Leave a question in the end of articles is another useful way to receive feedbacks.
on Feb 9, 2008
hey chada!
Is it your first time here ?.
Can’t you see the chat box/plugoo on the top of the page ?
on Apr 21, 2008
Very interesting post!
I came across http://www.kampyle.com - Kampyle Feedback Analytics. They provide a free sophisticated feedback form for websites and a SaaS analytical application to manage all the feedbacks. This tool will surely help with easily collecting feedback from your users. Adding their feedback form is as easy as adding a link.
on Jul 12, 2008
Hi there,
i just wanted to show off my very first personal homepage and i kindly ask you to please visit it and let me have your thoughts and feedback! dont forget to sign my guestbook thank you very much for your time!!
http://www.dangmn.net
on Sep 4, 2008
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on Sep 20, 2008
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on Dec 2, 2008
Hi Jai, I completely agree with you. Most websites do not use feedback (if they collect any) for user generated content and/or further website development/improvement.