In today’s digital world, the internet is becoming a vital component in the spectrum of business strategy. Your website is evolving into one of your most powerful assets. Open users’ minds to what you have to offer by ensuring your visitors have a seamless user experience on your website .
As Susan Dray once said, “if the user can’t use it, it doesn’t work”. You might think this is obvious but how often do you visit a website and have an unpleasant experience?
The fast-paced nature of web technology can be hard to keep up with and your website can become outdated quickly. If this sounds like your worry, it might be time to consult an experienced user experience designer to complete a redesign.
Unsure where to start? Begin with these 3 easy wins to instantly and directly improve user experience on your website.
1 – Get Responsive
What is responsive web design? Responsive web design involves designing a website so that the appearance of the site will scale dynamically and appropriately for the device being used. This creates an optimal viewing experience for your visitors on any device.
Having a responsive website is no longer an option: it is essential. It will not only enhance your user’s experience across devices, but the even better news is that Google favours optimised sites when presenting results for searches made on a mobile device.
Need another critical reason to go responsive? If your website doesn’t work well for mobile and tablet users, your bounce rate will be very high. to clinch the decision to go responsive, research shows that mobile devices account for 2 of every 3 minutes spent online. Without responsive design, you arre hobbling user experience.
If you’re interested to learn more about how a responsive redesign can improve your website, take a look at this case study: http://www.internetrix.com.au/blog/responsive-design-ecommerce/
2 – Improve your page speed
Nothing frustrates and disrupts website users’ experience more than a webpage taking forever to load. Several sources suggest that as little as a 2-second delay in load time during a visit can result in severe abandonment rates.
Kissmetrics found that 73% of mobile internet users polled said they’ve encountered a website that was simply too slow to load. Slow page load very clearly affects user experience because visitors expect speed and if they don’t get it, they aren’t going to wait around.
On the other hand, a fast website is going to lead to a great user experience, and by satisfying your visitors ultimately this can lead to a much higher conversion rate.
Just like responsive design, the good news about investing in page speed is that not only is it important for user experience, it is also favoured by Google as a ranking factor.
Curious to find out how fast your website is? Google offers a free tool where you can test your page speed, and will also give you actionable insights on how to improve your load time.
3 – Make Navigation easy
What do I mean by navigation? Navigation menus help visitors find the information, content or features they are looking for within your website. Right from the start, your website’s navigation should be intuitive and seamless: if it is a maze to navigate, visitors will not engage and drop your site like a stone.
A report into user experience by Komarketing asked B2B buyers: “When you get to an internal page on a vendor website from a referral site or search engine, how do you orient yourself?” Almost half of the respondents said that they use the navigation menu.
A common term used in web design is the three-click rule. The three-click rule says that if a user can’t find the content they’re looking for after 3 clicks, then it’s three clicks and they are out of your site.
Adobe advises for the best user experience is to keep it simple. If navigation becomes complex and overwhelming for users, they have a tough time finding what they need and that creates dissatisfaction, frustration, and a disincentive to feel good about spending time on the website.
Remember, navigation is the users’ primary tool to find their way around your site, and you want them to get where they want without noticeable effort: quick and easy. So don’t experiment with navigation: follow best practices.
Summary
Designing your website for user experience really is remarkably important. We want you to succeed, so why not use these 3 tips as a great place to start. Ensure your design is responsive, page speed is fast and adopt seamless navigation. Remember: “if the user can’t use it, it doesn’t work”.
If you would like help with making these changes, Internetrix is an experienced web design agency and can help. Contact Internetrix today to enhance your website’s user experience. Thank you for browsing this post, stay tuned for more from Internetrix. Pick up the phone, Live Chat, or email us if you would like us to share our skills and knowledge to achieve your business goals and targets.
XPON combines digital consulting with winning website design, smart website development and strong digital analytics and digital marketing skills to drive revenue or cut costs for our clients. We deliver web-based consulting, development and performance projects to customers across the Asia Pacific ranging from small business sole traders to ASX-listed businesses and all levels of Australian government.