A website’s user experience can dictate its success or downfall. If you manage to satisfy a new visitor, you can convert them into loyal customers. This can also lead to successful sales and better SEO scores.
Improving a website’s user experience requires consistent effort to work. By improving this aspect of the website, you can reap the benefits it holds.
Among these benefits include lower bounce rates. It also comes with increased conversion rates. More people will enjoy your website more due to the smooth user experience.
Today, we will look at how you can improve your website’s user experience. These would include tips and strategies. These can help you bring more visitors to check out your website and what it offers.
Improve and Optimize Page Speed
When that happens, it could result in the user leaving the website. Slow loading speeds can lead users to visit your competitors instead. Studies show that 53% of users will abandon a website if it takes too long to load.
You have many internet users using mobile devices as of late due to their ease of access and comfort. With the ability to access the internet on mobile devices, the loading speed is the key point. A web designer should consider this when improving the user experience.
To aid in this, consider the thought of compressing images before uploading them to the site. One of the leading causes of slower load times points towards image files having hefty sizes to them. You can use image compression tools to help with optimizing your page’s loading speed.
It would also help to simplify texts and limit pictures on your page content. Use a font that is easy to read, especially for users with visual impairments. Too many pictures can overwhelm and confuse users.
Take Advantage of White Space
Another factor to pay attention to with your website is the presence of clutter. Your website can look disorganized and claustrophobic if there’s too much going on.
Combine this with questionable color choices. That would make the website look gaudy and repulsive. Even if you wish to have a complex design, white space is a must.
This form of clutter can turn off visitors and would have them reach for the back button. No one likes a badly-designed website. For this, we will look at principles to help fix this problem.
One of the ways you can address this is through the use of white space. There is a running tendency for clients to comment about white space. In this case, they would want it plastered up with another piece of content.
In this case, the plastered content ends up as either an image or copy text. This would only end up as a distracting element that the visitor would not pay attention to.
Incorporating white space helps increase a reader’s attention span. It helps pull one’s attention towards the content. This also adds a clean division between sections and makes it easier to scan through.
Segment Information with Bullet Points and Headings
Another aspect to take note of in improving user experience is content organization. Consider the idea of segmenting and presenting the information. In this case, by using bullet points and proper headings.
This helps when presenting articles and posts. Give visitors a better means to focus and skim towards the sections that they need.
With bullet points, users can get the information that they need in a short amount of time. It eases up the search when they need details when troubleshooting.
It also helps when taking note of key features for products or services. Using bullet points also makes the content look attractive to the user.
Another layer of organization that you can use is the hierarchy of headings. This helps you divide up the topics and segments. It also allows for an easier means to skim through and find the information needed.
Conventions Help Visitors
Another approach that you can take advantage of is in using conventions. This method helps your visitors familiarize themselves with your website’s layout.
This provides an easy aid in navigation. Thus helping them go through various sections of the website without a problem.
Among these conventions include the placement of the logo on the top left. Another one would be the placement of a call-to-action button at any part within the top area.
These conventions can come in the form of features, such as creating a search feature on the header. Another would be to put the social media links in the footer area, usually as icons.
These kinds of features can help visitors have an easy feel with the website. You can use this as a guideline, more so when designing the layout. All while including a signature that makes your website unique.
Set Up Website Navigation
When navigating, there should be indications that visitors are in the right area. The last thing that you want is for a visitor to get lost.
The navigation can come in various forms and with various looks. Their goal is to guide the visitor around the website.
For instance, your main and secondary navigation bars on the top section. These can help indicate where a visitor is at that moment.
You can show it on the title of the page while showing an indicator. These menus also show which sections they can visit, as well as other features they can access.
Depending on how your website appears, your placement of tabs and menu sections can help your users. Go for something smooth and intuitive to help in improving UX.
Maintain Web Page Consistency
Consistency is also key in web design. This means that a lot of the elements that you use should match each other. This reflects your brand identity.
This can range from font style and size to the color scheme used throughout the website. Other areas that would help with page consistency include button style and appearance. Photo choices can also affect the page consistency.
The reason behind this is that it helps the visitor know that they are still in the right place. Inconsistent pages would incite confusion and may cause an increase in bounce rates. On top of that, it also helps save you time and money when it comes to the design.
Make Hyperlinks Distinct and Visible
Links are as crucial in a website as they can redirect them to various sections where you want them to go. This includes internal links that lead to the site’s topics or segments you wish them to check out. These could also be external links that help you link back to other websites that you partnered with.
Knowing the importance of these links, you need to make sure they stand out from the rest of the text. Link differentiation gives users a chance to pick out the paragraphs of the link they need to check out.
This is where conventions and familiarity come to play. Regular internet users can tell with ease what a link is. All they need is to see the highlighted blue text and the underline that comes with it.
With that said, exploit this familiarity. Take advantage of user expectations to let them click on the links that you want them to go for.
In setting up your links, take note of the anchor text’s length. Links with longer anchor texts help identify what awaits at the end of the link, such as an article or an image. This helps with setting up the expectations of users.
Keep an Eye Out for Error 404 Pages
It can be frustrating when clicking on a link or a button on the website to find an Error 404-page waiting. This is the error that shows with the message “page not found”.
Search engines do not penalize or punish you for this error. Even so, you would likely earn a user’s ire in the process.
This is one of the more notable contributors to increased bounce rates. That is aside from slow page loading times.
It increases their frustration. It trips them up with their navigation through your website. Thus, they end up finding these errors disruptive and annoying.
For instance, they wanted to access a new section or a new offer on your website. You have a link ready, and you also have a button that they can click to reach that section.
In those instances, consider using tools that can scan throughout your website. This helps you narrow down on sections and links that may lead to 404 pages.
You can use the likes of Google Webmaster tools to check for crawl errors. It can also help you patch those missing sections or pages.
The page with the Error 404 message can also be something you can use to redirect your users back to the main site. You can provide links in there that lead them to another section or back to the site’s main page. You can also include a creative look to make the page more consistent with your brand.
Clear and Compelling Calls to Action
A website should also have calls to action that are both clear and compelling. You have visual cues in place that would serve that purpose. These can take the form of buttons that visitors can find when they check out the website.
In creating the needed CTAs, you have to find ways to attract their attention. For buttons, you have to take note of a good color to work with. This may need a good study on the psychology of color to take advantage of this.
Along with this are the keywords that you use for those buttons. Consider using verbs or action words, prompting a person to do something. With the right word choice, this can also bring visitors to respond.
By mixing words and color, you can create compelling calls to action. In articles and posts, you have a different approach to a call to action. This would be more towards the use of links and the right choice of words.
You have a specific call to action that fits any situation and purpose. Try to find the right one that suits your needs for your website.
Responsive and Mobile-Friendly
Many of the users that you would encounter use their mobile devices to access the internet. This can range from checking out social media or looking at various websites. With that in mind, a website optimized for mobile devices is a plus and can provide you with an advantage.
You need a website that loads and processes fast when accessed through a smartphone or a tablet. You also need a website with prompt responses after a few taps on the tabs or buttons on it. You also need a website that is both easy to read and navigate.
With an optimized website, you’ll see an increase in user service and satisfaction. Did you notice that any of these may prove a challenge for you? Try to get help finding the best website design service for your business here.
Step Up with Your Website’s User Experience
For any website, user experience is a crucial factor in determining online success. Great user experience starts from the layout and web design. It then carries on to the optimization of its loading and processing speed.
Web designers strive to bring out the best in both appearance and experience. Once you improve the user experience, you can see the conversions come in. This would mean more customers to work with and more chances to provide your best service.
However, creating a website is only the beginning of your online success. If you wish to join the eCommerce market, you need the right marketing strategies. For more tips on growing your brand online and making more sales, check out our other blog posts.
