How to design a good user experience on your website
The first place consumers visit for more information on your products and services acts as the face of your company. It’s the front door to your world—who you are, what you offer and your ambiance as a business. In today’s digital society, this place is your website.
You might have the greatest solution to a problem, but if your website doesn’t catch the eye of a potential customer and give them all the information they are looking for, they may go elsewhere. Keep in mind, it takes more than just a valued service to build a successful business – it takes an effective website as well. The good news? You don’t need to be an expert to achieve this.
We understand that the idea of creating a website from scratch can seem a little scary—but it doesn’t have to be. We have recently gone through this ourselves and would love to share the knowledge we gained along the way! Here are some simple and effective best practices to will help you create a successful website and boost your business.
Have clear navigation
One of our valued partners, Clark Integrated Technologies, does a great job achieving clear navigation throughout their website. Feel free to take a look in the link above! The options at the top of their site are clear, the purpose of their product is evident, and it’s followed by an effective call to action. They’ve done a wonderful job creating an experience that is tailored to their ideal client, someone looking for managed IT services.
So, how do you get a website that is similarly effective? Before you begin creating your UX, spend time mapping out your website. Think about the types of information your visitors desire when navigating your website and start to categorize them into intuitive buckets. From here, you can begin to plan where these features should be displayed for an exceptional customer experience.
Finally, keep it simple. This means you’ll need to make your top navigation easy to understand, avoiding uncertainty in the options. Studies in psychology show that people are overwhelmed by too many choices, so keeping it simple and to the point will make navigation easy for your visitors.
Have strong CTAs
A call to action (CTA) is where you ask yourself, “What are the primary actions I want my visitor to take?”
At the early stage in your customer’s journey, it’s most likely a request for more information or a free consultation. Use language on your CTA that tells the visitor what they should expect on the other side of the button: short, actionable phrases like “Request a Demo” are examples of effective calls to action. CTAs give you the opportunity to be direct – so be clear about what the customer can expect next.
For example, on the top right-hand side of our website next to the navigation tabs, you will see a clear call to action – “Get a Free Trial.” We know our prospective customers want to get their hands on a sandbox before considering their purchase, so it was our primary goal to make that action readily available across our website.
If someone’s not ready for a strong CTA, offer one that doesn’t require a firm commitment. This could be a free infographic or white paper, something that will keep the visitor engaged and allow you to build the relationship at a pace the user is comfortable with.
Remember, your goal is to provide your potential client with a positive experience that encourages them to continue exploring your website, ultimately engaging in a relationship. Think about where they might be in their buying journey and word the CTA accordingly.
Consider the flow
When someone visits a webpage, is it clear what information they’ll receive? Ask yourself, “What’s the purpose of this page?” If it doesn’t have a clear purpose, then ask yourself, “Why is it here?”
Some pages, like your company’s “About” section, should be more informational while other pages, like a product page, should inspire you to act. Content should also move from a broad level to more specific information the deeper a visitor navigates into your site.
When you plan the layout of your page, make sure you capture someone’s attention at the top so that they want to keep reading. If you’re not entirely sure how to structure this, consider using resources like Wix that provide you with clean, website building templates.
To improve your flow, avoid clutter. Emphasize the most important points and leave space so readers eyes are naturally drawn to those features. A good rule of thumb is that there should always be white space on a webpage. Another good rule of thumb is to use bullet points when possible. Bullet points allow visitors to read important information in a quick manner, so they don’t have to read too much other information that may not be relevant to them.
If you’re not sure how well your page is going to perform, consider using web analysis tools like Google Analytics and mouse flow. These tools help you easily review the readability of your pages and give you access to analytics that help you gain more insight into visitor behaviors.
No dead ends
Your goal right now as a technology solution provider is to keep visitors engaged on your site for as long as possible. One of the quickest ways to negatively impact your UX is to leave your customer confused about how to progress.
This means your website should be highly interconnected, leaving no openings for visitors to jump ship. Remember, when someone clicks on a CTA or lands on a page, there should be a next step available. You want them to be able to move forward instead of needing to use the “back” button. As you create your UX, ask yourself: “What would I like them to do next?”
Confirmation pages are great places to add information that gives your visitors opportunities to learn more. If someone reaches a confirmation page, they’re interested in your product or service, so take the opportunity to include links here that they might find useful.
For example, if they’ve just requested a consultation, include links that re-direct them to a whitepaper that bolsters your credibility or explains what to expect if they choose to partner with you. This will give your guests another opportunity to positively engage with your website.
These are some simple and effective guidelines to get you started. Feel free to navigate around our website and reach out to us with any questions. Happy website building!