Do Online Visitors Like Using Your Website?
Usability is a big topic in web design, but it often feels like an abstract concept to business owners. They want their sites to be more usable and engaging, but what does that really mean? And what are online visitors looking for?
When your website is as usable as possible, customers stay longer and interact with your content more. It’s not hard to understand why. Think of all the things in your life that you have chosen – like appliances, apps, or automobiles – because you like using them. There are many other products you could have purchased that would do the same things, but you chose the ones you did (at least partially) because you liked their usability.
More usability means increased marketing power and higher revenue. But how do you make customers love your website?
Make Your Website Faster
You may not realize it, but there are several things you can do to speed up your website and have it load more quickly for visitors. You can:
- Upgrade your web hosting for a few dollars a month
- Take away over-sized images
- Remove unnecessary plug-ins.
These might not seem like major improvements to your website, but they all give customers a better user experience. No one likes waiting for a website to load, so don’t frustrate them with slow pages.
Maximize the Readability of Your Content
The readability of your website has two distinct parts. The first is the organization of your writing. Small paragraphs are easier to scan and organize than long blocks of unbroken text. They feel less overwhelming to visitors who may skim before reading your messages from beginning to end. The second component has to do with word choice. For maximum readability, avoid using unnecessarily large words or jargon that might not be familiar to your readers.
Engage With Visitors
Your customers might not be concerned with the same topics or details as you. As a rule of thumb, it’s better to cater to their interests over your own. In other words, know that you have a marketing message that needs to get across, but layer them in with content that’s focused on the subjects your readers and customers want to know about.
Make Your Site Easy to Scan and Navigate
You might not obsess over the navigation and search features within your website, but they can be a source of frustration for your visitors. If it’s easy for them to find exactly what they’re looking for, they’re likely to hang around your site. Conversely, if someone who isn’t a loyal customer can’t find what they want on your website, they may leave quickly and visit a competitor.
Atlantic BT faced this issue when working with the North Carolina Department of Revenue. We all know that taxes are often complicated. A website that is difficult to navigate doesn’t help anyone during tax season. ABT reorganized and modernized the DOR site, adding user-friendly access to essential pages. We also made sure that the site was mobile friendly for taxpayers on the go. The DOR re-design focused heavily on the user. Since then, the site has seen increased traffic and usage.
Ready to Boost Your Online Marketing Results?
At Atlantic BT, we are experts in web development for companies and institutions of all sizes. If you want to put these ideas in action – and get some customized recommendations for your organization – contact us today to schedule a free consultation!
