Websites are no longer a novelty or a useful complement to a brick and mortar store. They are an essential part of everyday life. The average American is spending up to ten hours every day online.
Businesses exist solely online, entrepreneurs with great ideas can start up online with very little help and even the most casual of users know what looks good. Consumers aren’t likely to forgive mistakes. If your website isn’t completely user-friendly, they know they can simply click away and find one that is within seconds. So, you need to get it just right.
Make Sure It Looks Good and Works Well on All Screens
Ten years ago, when the first iPhone came along, most of the websites we consumed were on a desktop or laptop. While you could view the internet on your mobile phone, it was just a smaller version on the same page. It was slow, hard to navigate and difficult to see. Then, the rise in popularity of smartphones and the increased use of tablets meant that web developers needed to adapt. Now, most websites are available in mobile-optimized versions. It’s rare to find one that isn’t.
A lot of people see AMP as a quick win for both users, SEO, and marketing. But there is still a lot of debate about AMP technologies and whether or not it is good for the progressive web, and whether or not canonical-AMP is better than HTML5. One thing for certain is that AMP is not an SEO ranking factor.
This means that if a user is surfing the web and comes across a site that’s difficult to read and not fully mobile optimized, they click away without even trying to navigate it. One mistake people make is setting up a theme, reading “fully mobile optimized” and assuming it is. Check it out for yourself. Then, every time you make changes, check again.
Make Sure It’s Easy to Read
Color schemes and fonts have trends and fashions. But, in many ways, it’s a good idea to ignore them. Make the odd change to the smaller details. But, on the whole stick to plenty of white space, dark text and a clear, easy to read font.
Include a Search Bar
So many websites don’t have a clear, easy to spot search bar. This means users have to scroll through your categories or archives to find what they are looking for. It’s such a tiny addition that makes the world of difference to a user.
Include Clear Contact Information
Most websites include social media links. But, many miss other essentials such as a contact email address or business address. Make sure your viewers can find you easily.
Break it Down
Casual visitors, who aren’t looking for something specific, are very unlikely to sit and study a post in great detail. They’ll skim read, and extract information that appeals to them. Make it easy for them to do this by including lots of clear subtitles, informative pictures and bullet-pointed lists.
Make It Easy to Shop
If your website includes an ecommerce store, make sure it’s easy to use. Add pictures and descriptions, transparent pricing and an easy to use shopping basket. You should also offer several payment options for ease of use.
It’s also important that you update and keep using it yourself and asking for feedback. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because it was easy to use in the beginning, it always will be. Things change.
