How to Improve Your Website and Make it More User Friendly
We live in a world where simply having a pretty website is no longer enough to be successful. With an increase in online business over the years, your website is now required to be user-friendly on top of attractive to compete with masses. Consider your website one of your most powerful marketing tools to promote your brand. After all, it’s practically a multi-faceted billboard showcasing all aspects of your business (at least, it should be!). Here are some important things to keep in mind when building or revamping your website to make it user-friendly.
Make Your Site Responsive
We guarantee you that more than half of your online traffic is coming from mobile devices. In order to give users the best online experience, it’s important to make sure your site is mobile-friendly. To learn more about mobile optimization, check out our other blog post here.
White Space
Learn to appreciate and utilize whitespace on your website! Whitespace, or the negative space on your website is the empty space in between the different elements of your website. Not only does whitespace help break up parts of a page, therefore making large blocks of content easy on the eyes by creating balance and flow, it also helps users better navigate the information on your website without being overwhelmed. You might see this as a waste of web real estate but it’s important to understand the design value it adds.
High Quality Images
No one and we mean NO ONE wants to see pixelated photos on a website no matter the type of business. While we urge you to use higher resolution photos, we also suggest that you make sure they’re browser friendly as photos that are too high quality can put too large of a strain on your website loading time.
Brand Consistency
Make sure the overall design coincides with your brand. Watch out for crucial details like colors and fonts as these things can make or break the design of a website. It helps to have a brand guide to go off in the initial stages of design. Check out our branding services, including style guides here. Lastly, don’t forget logo placement! Your logo is how others will recognize you so it’s important to display it somewhere visible, like at the top of the header.
Compelling Call to Actions
Ask yourself what it is you want users to do when they visit your website and create strong call to action (CTAs). Whether it’s making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, consider using action words that will incite the user to actually do what you want them to. In terms of design, we highly suggest using contrasting colors and bold fonts to make your CTA stand out.
Above the Fold
Place your most important information above the fold – that is, the top portion of your page that houses the space users will see when they enter your site before scrolling. Your site header should also be a part of this space including your logo and site navigation (if applicable). This is also a good spot to place those CTAs!
Contact Information & Social Media
Leave ways for people to contact you if they need to! Utilize easy to fill out online forms where users can input their contact information and a message. In addition, don’t force people to look for you on social media. Share your social handles on your website whether it’s in the header, footer or on a separate contact page.
In Closing
Your website is the main storyteller of your brand! It should be attractive, concise, and easy to use. The initial stage of design is oftentimes the most important and keeping these guidelines in mind during the process is a great start in making your website more user-friendly without sacrificing style and branding. If you’re interested in learning more about our website design services, visit us at www.trifectamarketinservices.com/website-development.