ReadWriteWeb posted an article covering why Facebook wants to be “your one true login”. The article appears as one of the top results when users search for “Facebook login” on Google. The comments on the article are riddled with confused users thinking that is the new Facebook login page.
What is happening? People are going to Google, searching for “Facebook login” and clicking on whatever the top result is, thinking it is going to take them to Facebook’s login page.
John Gruber comments:
It’s funny, yes, but it’s a fascinating glimpse at just how confused many people are about how web sites and browsers work. They don’t use bookmarks, they don’t type “facebook.com” in the location field. They just Google for whatever they’re looking for and assume the first result is correct.
This should serve as an important reminder that far too often brands do not put enough emphasis on the simplicity of the user experience of their website.
Brands work so hard to drive people to their site. They want to appear as the top search result for all sorts of different terms, but what happens after that? Now the customer is on the site. Can they figure it out? Can they find what they are looking for?
It does no good to do all that work to drive people to a site if once they get there they leave frustrated because they can’t find what they’re looking for.
If you’re a brand you should be spending quality time simplifying the user experience of your site. If customers don’t have to call or email for help, support costs are lower. Customer satisfaction is higher because instead of getting frustrated, they get stuff done.
Lower costs. Happier customers. What’s not to love?
