Does your website draw people in, or does it push them away?
If your site is outdated, hard to read, difficult to navigate, or has other problems, it might not be helping you win customers. Fortunately, you can make changes in these areas to boost customer experience.
Your website is the first thing people see when they discover your brand – it should be a welcoming front door! Here are five secrets that will help your website wow customers.
Secret #1: First Impressions Matter
The first thing to consider is the overall appearance of your website. Does it look like it was built in 1997 and never updated? Or does it take into account the most recent updates in website technology?
The most important change you can make to your site is to make sure it’s mobile-responsive. This means that it renders just as well on a small screen (like a phone or tablet) as a larger one.
One of the reasons a mobile-responsive site is so important is that Google rewards responsive design by ranking those sites more highly in search results.
Other important aspects of appearance include using multimedia to capture attention, such as infographics and video. Of course, make sure that your font is bold and easy to read.
Secret #2: Speed Wins
How long do you think the average person waits for a page to load? 53% of mobile users will leave a site that doesn’t load in three seconds or less.
Three seconds.
Clearly, you need to optimize your website for speed if you want to capture attention and create a great customer experience. Two easy ways to do this include reducing the file size of your images and eliminating auto-play. You’ll also want to choose the right web host.
If the technical aspects behind speeding up your site seem overwhelming, work with a professional marketing firm to make it easier.
Secret #3: Make it Easy To Navigate
No one likes dealing with a situation that’s confusing, and your website will give a much better customer experience if it’s clear and easy to navigate.
You can test navigation by tracking how users act on your website or by running tests with focus groups. Do they use the menu appropriately? Do they notice links, or are they not bold enough?
Drop-down menus are the most common type of navigation, and you should ensure that clicking your logo at the top of the page brings the user back to the home page no matter where they are on your site.
Also, make sure that a quick visual scan of your site makes it clear where to go for common concerns. You’ll want your contact page easily accessible, for instance, and your current sales offer should be highlighted.
Secret #4: Brand Voice
If you want someone to buy a product or service from you, they need to know, like, and trust you. The best way to ensure this happens is to have a site that’s appropriate to your industry and brand.
Some brands are focused on edginess and even irreverence. Other brands are buttoned up, professional, and formal. There’s no one right answer. What’s important is to know your customers and create a brand voice that resonates with them.
When you find that
voice, make sure it’s consistent throughout your website, print marketing, and
other digital platforms. Having a consistent experience is vital for customers
to identify with your brand!
Secret #5: Make Conversions Easy
What do you ultimately want people to do on your website?
Most of the time, you want them to buy a product or service from you. Everything about your web design should be focused on making that as easy as possible. There are dozens of ways to boost conversions through design, but here are a couple to focus on in the beginning.
The first step is to make conversion simple. Nothing about the process should be confusing. Make sure it doesn’t take too many clicks to close the deal. The sales form should be clear and easy to understand, and the thank you page should reinforce the decision to buy.
When you design your sales process, make sure to use colours like red and yellow for calls to action like “Buy now.” These draw attention immediately and make it more likely that folks will follow through.
The Best Web Design is Done By Pros
As a small business owner, you have plenty of priorities. Your biggest ones are building your revenue and developing your staff. You don’t have a lot of time to be thinking about web design!
It’s important to have dedicated professionals with a focus on marketing work on your web design. When you work with a professional company like Local SEO Search web design services, you can rest easy knowing your design is in great hands.
Boost your customer experience with excellent web design today!