Wondering Why Your Website is Not Converting?
This could be the reason.
Every website should have a clear and defined purpose. It could be anything from generating leads to selling products or simply getting newsletter subscriptions. The last thing you want is for your website to be just a digital brochure, with no goal or value for the visitors.
Maybe your website does have a specific objective, but for some reason, people are not doing what you expect them to do. What could be wrong?
Whether you are an entrepreneur, a small business owner, or a designer, these 5 tips will help you improve your website’s user experience in general.
These UX tips will help you find the key elements that could make your website better connect with your audience and improve the way people interact with it. The user experience strategy should start in the planning phase of any website but if yours is already built out, you can still apply the same concepts provided here to improve your current site.
1. Define the main and most important goal
A website might have several goals; this could be anything from filling out a form, clicking on a phone call button, or signing up for a subscription. However, you should always determine the main objective to plan the structure of the content accordingly.
Structuring your website’s information so that it guides the users in the right direction and using strategically placed CTAs (Call to Actions) are some of the ways that you can improve your chances of getting those leads or newsletter subscribers you’re looking for.
People’s attention will shift from one thing to another very quickly unless you provide content positioned in the right places and ask them to do exactly what you want them to do. Keep it simple, and don’t overwhelm them with multiple or contradicting choices.
2. Use Conventions and Keep Everything Consistent
If you think about it, there are certain things that we all expect websites to have in common. You will often find a logo on the top left side, a mobile menu on the top right side, and the company’s or product’s information all the way to the bottom, in the footer. These are standard practices that are known to users. These things are expected to be there because we are already familiar with them.
It doesn’t mean that you can’t be creative and that all websites should look the same (even though sometimes it feels like they do), but people will always look for familiarity. Ease of use will always be a factor in how good the user experience is, and most often than not, keeping things simple and clear will make your audience engage more and complete the main goal of your website.
3. Navigation
Another important factor to consider in your website's planning phase is what the navigation will look like.
Start by creating a sitemap that makes sense for the type of information your website will have. This should also be something simple and clear instead of overly complicated and overwhelming. If you have a lot of information and many different pages, you can always have more than one menu but make sure that the main menu on the top part of the page only contains the most critical pages.
Keep the main menu as straightforward as you can, and again, think about the site's main goal. Don’t put anything there that is secondary to your website’s objective.
4. Hierarchy and Color
By using text hierarchy, you can also let the user know the most important sections of your website. You can direct people’s attention toward that one goal you previously defined. For the details and least important pieces of information, use smaller and lighter text.
Color also plays a big role in the overall user experience; if people can’t find that subscribe button easily, they won’t subscribe. Choose an accent color for your buttons and text links, and make sure you use it consistently. Having multiple styles of buttons will confuse the user and will make them less likely to click them.
5. Feedback & Errors
Users will often make mistakes; your website should communicate to them what is wrong in a clear and obvious way. There is nothing more frustrating than not knowing what you’re doing wrong when filling out a form, for example.
The error messages should pop visually and explain in simple words what the person did wrong and how to fix it. Don’t leave default messages or error codes that no one will understand.
It’s also important to communicate when things go as expected. Don’t leave people wondering if the form was sent successfully or if they are now subscribed to a newsletter. Always show a success message or have the page redirect to a thank you page.
If you want to have a successful website, carefully planning the user experience will be one of the biggest factors that could make it or break it. A better user experience will increase your conversions, and it’s also good for SEO.
I hope you use some of these tips on your website and see the benefits of a strategically planned structure. Make sure you keep track of your traffic, clicks, and engagement so you can test and try different things and understand what works and what doesn’t.
To learn more about how you can improve your website’s user experience, contact me privately, or leave your questions in the comments section, and I’ll be happy to help.
