According to research, every dollar invested in website user experience generated 100 in return. That could improve your website’s return on investment by 9900 percent.
How we navigate, explore, and use a company’s website matters. A website’s design and functionality can frustrate visitors so much they leave.
Good design and functionality, on the other hand, can create such an impressive user experience that visitors become paying customers.
It can also encourage them to return time and time again.
Companies that improve user experience on their websites can boost traffic, engagement, and ultimately sales. Here are our seven tips for how to improve a website.
That way, you can bring in those leads and launch your website towards long term success!
According to Adobe, creativity and design are key components for creating a great customer experience and effective marketing.
Everything from layout and color scheme to illustrations and even paragraph length can impact your website page design.
To design a strong, effective landing page, start by keeping it clean. Enhance customer experience by making the most of white space.
A cluttered website can make it difficult for visitors to find what they’re looking for. Too much content on the page can feel overwhelming and prompt visitors to leave. Instead of filling that real estate, use white space to give your content some room.
This will help draw attention to specific pieces of content. It can also help your website feel more modern.
As you consider website user experience, look at each page with fresh eyes. Remember, every block of content impacts the entire page.
Try adding white space around your headlines as well. This will draw the eyes towards impactful points of text.
Prioritize the space above the fold. This is the first content visitors see when they land on your website. That means it needs to make a good first impression.
With white space, you can focus a website visitor’s attention exactly where you want it.
For example, a bright call-to-action (CTA) button will stand out against that white space.
When you attract a visitor toward a CTA button, you’re also encouraging them to convert.
That way, you’re turning that visitor into a potential lead just by making the most of your space.
As of 2017, 49.7 percent of worldwide website page views occurred on mobile devices.
Your customers are on their cell phones and tablets, searching Google and making online purchases. As mobile use continues to grow, it’s important for companies to develop a mobile marketing plan. This includes your website’s development and design.
To start, check out Google’s tool to determine whether or not your web page is mobile-friendly. This website can also provide helpful insights into how you can improve your web pages.
A responsive website will ensure that visitors have a solid user experience, regardless of the device they use. That way, you can enhance customer experience and optimize your website for every possible opportunity.
Google is also prioritizing mobile-friendly websites when they determine search rankings.
Improving your website for responsiveness can help put your website at the top of those rankings.
At this point, it’s also expected. To provide customers with the best possible website user experience, you also need to meet their expectations. Responsive websites are the current standard for company websites.
When you stay ahead of the trends, you show customers you’re relevant and up-to-date. This can also boost you in front of competitors who are currently neglecting a mobile marketing strategy.
Instead of falling behind, make the most of mobile. A mobile-friendly website doesn’t just improve user experience.
It also strengthens your pay-per-click (PPC) ads and your SEO. Since these marketing efforts take time, money, and strategizing, you want them to perform at their best.
With a mobile responsive website, you can make sure your company website’s landing pages are optimized for these strategies.
That way, you’re not missing out on potential sales!
Otherwise, you could also end up deterring mobile website users. A website that isn’t mobile-friendly makes it difficult for visitors to navigate your content.
This could also make it difficult for them to complete a form or make a purchase.
With a mobile-friendly website, you can improve the website user experience for e-commerce opportunities, too. That way, you can increase website traffic and sales in one move.
Here are our tips for making sure your website is mobile-optimized.
It can take five to seven impressions for your brand to sink in with customers. When your brand is consistent across your marketing materials and channels, you can improve this brand recognition.
That includes applying your brand across print materials, social media accounts, and of course, your website.
Your brand is a mix of colors, symbols, and images. It also includes the tone used in your copywriting.
Adding brand consistency to your website will help customers recognize your company on sight. It can also give you a unique identity to help you stand out from competitors.
This consistency applies to fonts, colors, heading sizes, illustration styles, button styles—it’s a little bit of everything.
Check through your pages and make sure the design remains consistent. A random or drastic change in the design can make visitors feel like they’ve landed on a different website completely.
That confusion can even encourage them to leave altogether.
Another way to build your brand is to add social proof to your website. This includes customer reviews and testimonials. Social proof gives your company credibility for new and old customers alike.
When website visitors see happy customer reviews on your website, they’ll know your company is a trustworthy resource.
This also shows visitors that you provide quality products and services, which can help you make a sale.
Check out this guide for small business social media reputation management for more ways to use social proof.
Your website visitors can’t actually explore your website if the navigation is difficult to use. User-friendly navigation can improve website user experience and boost engagement.
To start, make sure the navigation bar is available on each page. Use contrasting colors for the buttons, text, and hover options. That way, the content is legible but still stands out.
Within your content, make sure to link internally.
This will help customers explore the rest of your website. It will also improve your search engine optimization (SEO).
That way, you can rank even higher on Google search pages.
Then, add a search option to your website. That way, it’s easier than ever for customers to find what they’re looking for.
You can also enhance customer experience by improving conversion navigation.
This includes making it easy for customers to check out and make a purchase or submit a form.
Instead of a complicated, multi-page process, make it clean and easy. That way, you won’t have abandoned carts or frustrated website visitors.
Broken links can also cause visitors to leave your website. Check those internal links to make sure they actually go somewhere. Then, check your website for 404 errors.
A 404 means the page wasn’t found on your website. If a visitor clicks one of these links, they’re probably expecting it to navigate somewhere. You can fix these links by redirecting them to the homepage.
A 404 can convince visitors they need to go elsewhere (as in, another company’s website altogether).
If you don’t want to direct customers to the homepage, create a fun 404 error page instead. Then, encourage customers to visit an alternative page. That way, you don’t scare them off.
People are getting smarter when it comes to recognizing stock photography. Instead of filling your web pages with boring images that don’t engage customers, choose your imagery wisely.
Stock photography can impact how visitors see your company. A dull, cliche, or cheesy photo can cause distrust in a company’s brand. They can also come off as gimmicky or make it difficult for your website to stand out from the rest.
Real images of your company’s team can build that trust back up. It also communicates an authenticity that visitors search for in companies.
That way, visitors will begin to develop an emotional connection with your company.
This emotional connection can also make it easier for you to convert these visitors into leads—and eventually sales.
When you can, update your website with real photography. If you still need to rely on stock images, that’s okay. As you search for images, try to choose photos or illustrations that match your brand.
These photos should look and feel real. That way, visitors won’t recognize stock on sight.
In addition to building trust, strong imagery also makes customers more confident in your company. This can help enhance customer experience and encourage visitors to return over and over again.
As you build this brand loyalty, you can also improve your sales and ROI.
Try updating some of the photos and illustrations on your website to see what a difference it makes!
The copy on your website can either encourage visitors to make a purchase or encourage them to leave.
Provide your website visitors with quality, unique content. In addition to improving user experience, this will also boost your SEO rankings.
Adding informative content to your landing pages and blog posts will show customers you know your stuff. It will also help you stand out as an expert in your industry. As a result, you’re adding value to your content, website, and your overall company.
Make sure to update your content regularly as well. This includes posting blog posts (either new or repurposed ones) and updating page content.
That way, you’re keeping the language fresh and relevant to your target audience.
This also ensures there aren’t any outdated statistics within your content.
Once the content is updated, take a look at your headlines. Use strong verbs to encourage action or leverage the fear of missing out (FOMO) to communicate urgency.
This will encourage searchers to click on your website from Google. It will also inspire visitors to click around or convert into a lead.
Longer landing pages are also a current trend. Remember, we don’t want to stuff your pages with content. Instead, use that white space to keep everything organized and clean.
Local SEO can attract nearby customers to your business. These customers are often searching for local businesses while they’re in the mood to buy. With local SEO on your website, you can jump on these opportunities before your competitors get the chance.
Here’s everything you need to know about local SEO for small businesses.
Once you kick up your copy, you can attract visitors to your website, then encourage them to engage with your content. This will also strengthen your call-to-action. With a stronger CTA, you can encourage visitors to become a lead or make a purchase.
That way, your website content is optimized to help your business grow.
Our last tip to help improve website user experience is to speed things up!
A slow-loading website can cause frustration and lead visitors to leave. A website that’s optimized for speed, on the other hand, can improve your SEO, PPC, and enhance user experience.
You can use this Google tool can help determine how well your page speed is performing. This tool can pinpoint the exact areas for improvement. Boosting your mobile website speed will help your desktop website run faster, too.
That way, there are no bounce issues or frustrated website visitors.
A reliable web host can ensure your website maintains speed and performs at its best!
With these seven tips to improve your website user experience, you can improve online customer engagement with extreme ease! As customers stay on your website longer and explore more, you can also improve your search engine ranking.
As a result, you can boost your website’s reach, credibility, and make it easier than ever to use!
Visit our website’s blog for more effective website tips and tricks.