Business has gone online. This is old news by now and you are surely beyond the point of wondering whether you should have a website or not. But since everyone is online now, the competition to get the best possible site has risen exponentially. Indeed, Google changes its algorithms pretty much every day to try and keep the game hot.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By Gorodenkoff
So, while you have probably already sorted out your internet security (if not do it now!) and you have given a few pages on SEO a cursory glance, what are your customers really looking for? The perfect user experience, or UX for short, is what all businesses are competing for.
Here’s what you can do to help.
Simple Navigation
Navigating a website should be simple but in too many cases, the site is unbearably difficult for anyone who isn’t already intimately acquainted with it. Why? Because the navigation tools aren’t obvious, don’t lead to where you expect, or require you to take a circuitous route.
The more intuitive you can make the navigation of your site, the more likely your customers will find what they are looking for. In some ways, intuitive design is about creating a recognizable site rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. In other words, having a menu bar at the top of the screen is probably a good idea!
Segmented Information
When you read this blog – or any blog – you probably choose to scan the headers first and then delve into the content you most find interesting. And you can guarantee that your users do exactly the same. Segmenting content using headers makes it easy for people to find what they need easily and filter out any extraneous details.
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While you don’t necessarily need a new page for every single detail, don’t be afraid to make your website bigger if it makes it easier to find information. Your customers will want to be completely satisfied that you are the company for them before buying.
Get the Look and the Speed
The performance of your website is by far the most important factor in keeping users online. Would you wait for more than 10 seconds for a page to load before giving up and going somewhere else? Probably not you impatient 21st century being! And your customers won’t wait either.
But here’s the rub. Often, to get the look of the website you want, with plenty of white space and easy navigation, you will need to use a larger site which naturally takes longer to load. This means that you need to think carefully about how to speed your site up as well as what may have to go as a result. A single second of load time could make a real difference here so going through with a fine-tooth comb is essential.
When your customers get the experience they want, they are much more likely to come back and spend with your business. Never mind your marketing budget, this is where you need to spend right now.