WebWord.com > Moving WebWord > Path of Resistance (16-Sept-99)

Are You Creating a Path of Resistance?

by John S. Rhodes

In the WebWord.com Usability Newsletter #2 I told you about a problem with web site URLs that drove me crazy. The problem is rather straightforward. Often, when I type a URL into the address bar on my web browser, I leave off the "www". For example, if I wanted to reach my own web site I might type in "webword.com" or "http://webword.com". The problem is that for many web sites, if you leave the "www" off, you won't be able to reach the site. I should note that you can reach WebWord if you leave the "www" off, but for many web sites, this is not the case. 

I've been watching people type in web site addresses for a long time now. However, I only started watching people closely about 4 weeks ago. I recorded 75 observations of people typing in URLs in the address bar (I kept a notepad with a running tally). I'll be the first to admit that this was not scientific and, as you might guess, I was acting in a biased manner. Nevertheless, I think the results are somewhat useful as a starting point. I found that in about 20 of the 75 observations, when people typed in a new URL they first tried the address without the "www". So, my findings indicate that about 27% of the time, users did not use the "www".  

If we make a simple inference, this indicates that people are failing on the web quite often. First, let me point out that many web sites have their server set up so that users must use the "www". So, some people never make it to the web site. Second, many users know that if the web address without the "www" fails, then they should include on their second attempt (if they aren't too angry or frustrated). However, not all web users know to add the "www". I admit that it is a web stereotype to include the "www", but many people don't understand the nature or purpose of the "www". And so, quite simply, they don't include it.

Ouch! 

Here's a short list of web sites that force users to include the "www": 

• Gateway Computers
• Yale University  
• Stanford University
• Lucent 
• Ford Motor Company
• Cornell University
• Nortel Networks
• New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG)
• The Associated Press
• SAP (Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung)
• Toshiba America, Inc.
• Key Bank
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. Gov't Agency)
• General Motors
• U S West
• BellSouth
• Houghton Mifflin Company (publishers)
• Honeywell, Inc.
• Levi's

Just to be clear, if you wanted to reach Gateway computers by typing in the URL, you would have to use either "www.gateway.com" or "http://www.gateway.com". Using "gateway.com" or "http://gateway.com" does not work! Go on, give it a try. Dell is laughing all the way to the bank on this usability error.

As you can see from my short list, many large companies and prestigious universities are forcing their customers to type in the "www" before their URLs. I find more examples every day. This doesn't seem to make business sense to me. These companies are forcing many users to do more work. They are creating a path of resistance. The total number of lost users on high traffic web sites might be hundreds if not thousands. Why make it hard to business? If you have a reason why this makes sense, let me know.

Just to be clear, making a URL work with or without the "www" is easy. You should immediately ask your webmaster or web team to make this change. If you are the webmaster, go ahead and make the change! As web developers know, a simple change to the DNS entries will take care of this situation. Remember too that you can always redirect people to the "real" URL after they reach a site without the "www", if you really feel it is necessary. Finally, I want you to realize that you can easily allow both URLs to work. Again, as an example, both "http://webword.com" and "http://www.webword.com" will work for WebWord.com. Feel free to leave the "www" off, or add it if you wish.

I've heard one (weak) argument against using the "www" in your URL. You might want to force users to use the "www" because it indicates that the address leads to a web page versus another type of internet page (e.g., an FTP page). However, since the majority of internet traffic is web traffic, I don't think you need to care about other types of pages. Allowing users to type in the URL without the "www". It doesn't make sense to force users to type it in. As you know, making things harder means lost sales. 

What next?

• Subscribe to the WebWord.com Usability Newsletter

• Read another article: The Open Company Manifesto

• Recommend this article to a friend

• Visit the Moving WebWord index!
  
  

Subscribe to the Webword.com Newsletter
Receive the best free usability newsletter on the Internet.