In today’s marketing and retail landscape, your website is one of the most powerful tools in your business arsenal.
Having an effective, intuitive, and appealing website is like hiring the best salesman – except this one works around the clock without getting tired. It is the centerpiece of your marketing strategy and an asset that should keep on giving.
If your website leaves much to be desired, you need to act as soon as humanly possible. Customers are willing to forgive and forget for many things, but there is no excuse for a bad website experience.
Below are five tips for improving your website’s user experience that are so simple you will wish that you had read this article sooner:
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9 Lesser Known Ways to Improve Your Website's User Experience
1. Use White Space Strategically
Do not be fooled into thinking that white space is harsh or needs to be used for more specific advertising measures. White space is an essential part of effective web design, it makes your content easier to read and enables users to focus on elements around the text such as chat boxes and pop-ups.
Strategically placed white space can boost user attention by around 25%. It makes your website feel open, approachable, and modern. The key to utilizing white space correctly is to find the balance between information and easily digestible content.
2. Optimize Your Page Speeds
One of the biggest killers for websites is waiting for pages to load.
Pages that load too slowly are interrupting and frustrating for your users. One of the ways you can fix that issue is to compress all your images before loading them onto your website – that can dramatically improve the speed of your pages and improve your site’s conversion rates.
Mobile devices are all but taking over the digital space, with people accessing content from their devices across multiple platforms. People expect fast and valuable content – if they do not feel like your website is ticking either of those boxes, they will drop you faster than you imagine.
3. Simplify Your Design
Websites should be enjoyable and simple to use. You never want to make users work for information, navigation, or assistance.
Having too many elements at play may seem like you are offering choices to your users when the stark reality is that you are probably just confusing them.
Click here to find a team of experts ready to answer any questions you may have about designing the perfect website with a strong focus on the overall user experience.
4. Strive for Consistency
When establishing a brand or reinforcing an existing one – consistency is key.
The same thing applies to your website. Use only company colors, fonts, and logos; they define your brand identity. Create a style sheet for your website to use as a reference when designing your website.
You can use different shades of the core colors of your brand but ensure that consistency is a design priority. Consistency applies to graphics, fonts, and page layouts, as well as logos and taglines.
5. Cut Through the Chatter
You know that friend who rambles forever before getting to the point? Don't let your website be that friend! Cut through the fluff with clear, concise copy that guides users through key actions. Use headings, bullet points, and shortcodes to break up text walls.
6. Make Navigation a Breeze
When users land on your website, you want them to be able to find what they need quickly and effortlessly. A convoluted navigation system is a surefire way to have visitors hitting the back button faster than you can say "bye-bye conversion."
Keep your navigation menus clean, logical, and consistent across all pages. Use clear labels and consider adding a search function to allow users to cut straight to what they're looking for. Don't make them work for it – their experience should be smooth sailing.
7. Go Easy on the Pop-Ups
Pop-ups are great for grabbing attention and growing your email list but too many of them can turn really annoying. You can avoid this by using pop-ups strategically so they add value to the visitor. Most importantly, always make sure to give the user an easy way to close the pop-up. When used wisely, pop-ups can enhance the experience rather than hinder it.
8. Prioritize Mobile-Friendliness
These days, a lot more people browse the internet on smartphones than on computers. Therefore, if you website isn’t optimized for small screens, you are missing out on a huge pool of potential customers. To prevent this from happening, make sure that your site looks great and works perfectly on mobile devices. Ensure that you use a responsive web design, easy-to-tap menus and buttons, and fast-loading pages.
9. Have Fun with It
Your website should speak to its target audience with ease.
Do not put too much pressure on yourself to create something that will not feel organic and intuitive.
Remember that as much as creating a great website is essential for driving sales and improving brand awareness, having fun while you are at it is equally important.
Summing it Up
These lesser known tips should give a good idea of where you need to start to revamp your website to be more user-friendly. A well-designed website builds trust with its users and encourages visitors to take action.
Good luck with your design - and remember to trust the process.