When I was in college, I took a “singing for the stage” class. The instructor once put me in front of the class and told me to sing a song, but not to smile. Then she had me sing the same song again; but, this time, she had me smile. The class overwhelmingly thought my second try was much better.

A smile is magic. When an employee smiles as he asks a customer if she needs help, the customer relaxes and feels good about being in your store. When an employee answers the phone with a smile, the person on the other end “hears” the smile and it makes a difference, even if the customer is upset.

Retail stores, especially, should be physically decorated so that the room “smiles” at a customer when she walks in.

For me, good examples of a store smiling at me are the Anthropologie stores. I read somewhere that, although a chain, each store is decorated differently with unique items “found” by its decorators and arranged just so.

Ideally, websites should do the same thing. They should be decorated with unique items pertinent to your business and your customer. Most of all, your website should “smile” at your visitors.

A website like that will hold visitors longer giving them a chance to see more of your offerings and your value.

Unfortunately, most websites don’t strive for that quality. I did a search using the keywords “furniture store in … ” several cities nationwide. Most of the sites were respectable-looking websites, but few came close to “smiling” at me. Or even making me feel like I wanted to stay on the site!

An artistic designer and thoughtful content developer can help you redesign a website that truly welcomes and smiles at your customers. It’s not easy, though. Everyone involved has to dig deep

Easy Web Tip #137: When redesigning your website, remember the amazing power of a smile. Try to develop that smile factor in your design.