Usability / Conversion is going to become more Important as Visitors become more Expensive to Acquire

Technology giant Google has launched a new tool aimed at helping internet marketing consultants and others improve their website usability.

According to senior software engineer with the firm Bruno Bowden, Browser Size is based on the concept of 'above the fold' - where newspapers place the most important information so that it is spotted first.

The Google program provides information regarding the position of certain features on a website - if they are in the 80 per cent area, then 20 per cent of people must scroll down in order to view them. 

"We hope people will use this tool to make their websites better, in turn making the web better for everyone," Mr Bowden observed, adding that for those who are interested in learning more, there is further data on the Google Code Blog.

Furthermore, he went on to suggest that the tool could also be beneficial for website designers as by using it, it is possible to minimise the amount of scrolling necessary and ensure that important features on a page are immediately visible to surfers.

And Graham Charlton of Econsultancy concurs with Google's viewpoint on this matter.

He recently recommended that marketers consider placing certain buttons, such as navigational links and delivery offers, above the fold in order to tempt people to read further on.