There are many ways that websites unintentionally make
things difficult for visitors – poor navigation, pop-ups, no clear
calls-to-action, and cumbersome checkout processes.
A website is meant to inform, entertain, and provide a
product or service. In order to do those things, you have to provide a good
user experience (UX).
Bad UX causes visitors to bounce directly off your website,
which negatively impacts your search engine results. In addition, you can
forget return visitors or positive reviews if visitors have negative
experiences with your website.
Here are a few simple ways that you can improve your
website’s user experience:
Check the usability
The first thing you want to do before making changes to the
functionality of your website, is to assess how visitors currently use it.
Running a usability test with a few participants who have
never used your website before will give you a good indication of where visitors
go, what problems they run into, and what comments they make about your site.
Once you have this information, you can begin to improve your website.
Improve your website navigation
One of the first problems that many websites have is that
they tend to be overcomplicated, or on the other end of the spectrum – too simple.
This leaves visitors lost and unsure of where to go or how to find what they’re
looking for.
A good way to test how your navigation performs is to have
your participants complete a simple task on your website. Have them “Request a
quote” or “Purchase a coffee press.” Seeing the processes they take to go where
they think the task would be on your website can show you how your navigation
may need to be adjusted.
Make clear Call-To Action routes
Although sometimes you’re unaware, when you visit a website,
there are hidden or not-so-hidden calls-to-action throughout the website,
hinting at what steps you should take next. This could be something such as a
suggested question, to a button asking you to “Start Learning Now.”
By creating these paths for visitors, it not only will help
them navigate your website but it will also improve your conversions. Visitors
will be directed to take the actions that you want them to take, instead of
them having free-range of the website. This focused funnel through your website
will keep them clicking through and eventually taking the main action you
desire, whether it is a download, sale, or a contact form filled out.
Create a captivating visual
It does not matter what type of website is being visited –
just because your industry isn’t necessarily in the realm of creativity doesn’t
mean that your visitors don’t want to have a pleasing design.
At Sales & Marketing Technologies (SMT), we have designed websites for many different industries. We do our best to see that they are beautiful and functional. A busy, cluttered and unappealing website is going to cause
some visitors to leave immediately, raising your bounce rate and costing you
customers.
Trust the experienced and skilled Orlando web designers and web developers
at SMT to create an attractive and user-friendly design for your website. Contact us today to learn more about how
we can improve your website and your business.