Aside from social media, your website is often the first way that people interact with your company, and it’s beneficial to them (and you) if it’s as easy to use as possible.
No matter how often you interact with different websites – or to put it another way, how used to using different websites you are – you will no doubt have visited some, not spent long and clicked out, because of the way the site has been created, and that you haven’t been able to do what you wanted to do or get the information you needed.
Designing website with a focus on the end user is key. Because most of us have racked up so many hours interacting with websites, design doesn’t just mean a good looking picture and a bit of content, it has to be more memorable than that – so how you do you make an impression with your website, for the right reasons? Here are some steps you can take to make your website more user friendly.
- Ask your users
This may seem really simple, but it’s a great place to start. Are all the things that you love about your website the same as the people that visit it? Is there anything missing? To get this information, you could add a comment box asking what they would like to see on your website. Sure, not all of the advice may feel that it has been put across in the most constructive way, but there is always a way that it can be put to practical use. Many people will have come to your website to benefit from your product or service, so may be flattered to know that you also care about their opinion. The biggest task here is to work out which advice to act on and which to ignore – don’t let the way that something has been phrased lead to you missing out on something which could benefit your business.
- Intuitive navigation
If you’ve ever been through your Google Analytics results, it can be sad to see how many people have bounced out of your site on your Home page, and not delved any further into your content. Part of the reason for this could be that they don’t know how to go further – which is where your menus and categories come in. Are they divided in a way that would make sense to the visitor? Are you using industry-speak? Can they get straight to what they want to see by using a search function? If not, why not add that option, to make it even easier for visitors to get to your content?
- No content for content’s sake
You know your stuff and you are willing to stand by the services you provide or the product that you are selling. That must be true, otherwise why would you have a business and a website?
Your content – whether that be copy, images or places to interact – should all be doing some work for you, without apology. Make sure your copy, is clear, detailed and high-quality information, and, if you can, add some of your personality in there or information about yourself. Always remember you are creating a relationship.
How do you choose your images? Stock images are easy to spot and detract from your authenticity, so try to use them sparingly. Otherwise ensure you have high-quality and relevant images that go with your copy and make it memorable.
When it comes to colours, the most cohesive thing to do is take inspiration from your branding and apply that to your website.
- Make it quicker for people to interact with you
Does your content load all at once, or in stages? People expect to go to a page and find everything they need, all in one place, straight away. Very rarely do we have time to wait to get to the information that we want or complete a purchase. Ensuring that your loading speeds are quick means that people are more likely to stick with you than go elsewhere.
- Make it clear what you want people to do
Once your visitor has found your site, they’ll be wanting to take that next step and complete a purchase, find out more information, or take part in an activity – whatever the aim of your business. Is it easy for them to do this? Are your calls to action clear? This could be the only time you have this visitor’s attention, don’t waste it.
These are just starters for ten, of tips on how to make a more user friendly website. Is there anything you were surprised to read or feel that was missing? Let us know. We can take our own advice, too.
And of course, if you would like to get to know more about what we do and how our services could benefit your business, please get in touch.
