“How to Pull This Door”

Sometimes I land on a page that clearly wants me to do something.

Donate.
Renew.
Subscribe.
Register.

And there are twelve paragraphs explaining how.

Apparently the theory is:
"If we explain it clearly enough, people will follow the instructions."

But let's face it:
The other day I pushed on a door that was clearly marked "PULL" -- in red capital letters.
A full-page poster labeled How to Pull This Door would not have helped.

Because most people don't read instructions.
They scan the page and look for the next step.

If that step is obvious, they move.
If it isn't, they stall.

So when something on your site isn't working --
isn't moving people to the next step --
the solution usually isn't another paragraph.

It's making the next step obvious.

Without adding words.

All the best,
A.