There is no doubt about it: If you are a business owner trying to expand your customer reach, investing in a high-quality website is one of the smartest moves you can make. Given the number of potential add-ons, features and information a website can provide, the possibilities for growing your business with one are endless.
With that said, not all websites are the same. When it comes down to it, your content can make all the difference. In order to ensure you have a web presence that stands out from your competition, you need to put effort into ensuring your site is as user-friendly as possible.
For some business owners who already have programming and design skills, this might be work they can do on their own; nevertheless, if you are like most people, you will probably need to hire a professional web designer who can help you figure out what options will work best for your unique company or brand. To have a better idea of what kinds of things you might expect, consider these five essential ways to enhance a user-friendly site:
Ask For (and Respond To) Immediate Feedback
If you want to know what others think, why not ask them? Consider, for instance, how many times you have thought of possible improvements to the various products and services you use. How often did a company give you a chance to offer your feedback? To know what is going on inside the heads of people who use your products and services, asking for immediate feedback can be especially effective.
Additionally, it is worth noting that sometimes asking is not enough. Indeed, it is often beneficial to also respond to the feedback you receive. This can be even truer so when the feedback is negative.
Get Rid of Tedious Tasks
Take a good look at your website. Do processes still exist that are clunky or outdated? If so, consider getting rid of them. By eliminating redundancies, you can improve your website by finding easier ways for visitors to do things. For example, think about the way you verify people’s information. With something like verification, voice technologies can make the experience much smoother.
Limit the Number of Times You Ask for Information
How many times have you been on a website, entered your personal information, and then five minutes later, it asks you to re-enter the same information? Going through this process is not only cumbersome, but it can be downright annoying. In addition, many people do not like giving out personal information as it is. Therefore, every time your website asks someone to do it, you can bet he or she is less and less likely to do so.
Observe Outsider Engagement
Sometimes, when you own your business, it is easy to lose sight of the trees within the forest. Simply put, you are too close to everything! As such, it can be a great idea to ask an outside to use your site. While they do, observe them. What is challenging or confusing? What do they like? Ask for honest feedback. Then, consider it as objectively as you can.
Keep Things Simple
Less is usually more. When it comes to your company’s website, this fact remains true. If possible, avoid flashy colours, images or features, and instead, opt for something simpler. Often, subtle and clean-looking pages experience far more views than the ones that freeze people’s browsers.
While there is no doubt that your business can substantially benefit from having a high-quality website, one of the greatest keys to adding value to it is by making sure it is user-friendly.
