User Experience: Why It’s Important And How To Improve It On Your Site
Your website can be one of the most powerful tools at your small business’s disposal, but it’s only as powerful as it is useful. If a visitor can’t find the information they need, they’ll quickly move on to another resource! In web development, how this visitor feels when interacting with your site is called user experience or “UX.”
When the SlyFox team designs a website, we do it all with user experience in mind. We create spaces that are easy for the reader to navigate, access, and understand. Why is user experience so important, and how can you improve it on your site?
Why User Experience Is So Important
Good user experience helps people find content and engage with it. Once a visitor clicks on your site in their search engine listing, you have as little as fifteen seconds to capture their attention and keep it. Their experience in these fifteen seconds has to be useful and positive, and this comes down to how you structure and fill your site.
Your UX may have been why users found your website in the first place! Google recognizes the importance of UX because the company is in the business of listing the websites they think will best answer their user’s queries. Their algorithms determine this by considering the features that make it easier for audiences to find the information they need. Headings, for example, make it easier for both visitors and search engines to understand what your content has to offer.
Overall, though, UX is more than aesthetics and readability: it has to work for you, too! For your small business’s bottom line, the most important part of a great user experience is how it leads to conversions. While this can describe any action a visitor takes on your site, you want a higher percentage to leave their contact information or make a purchase. If your site is easy-to-navigate and attractive, visitors are more likely to end up as leads or customers!
How You Can Improve User Experience
Certain characteristics will make your entire site more attractive to users, improving their overall experience and increasing your chances of conversions. The big five are:
- Improved page speed: If your pages take too much time to load, your visitors will get very frustrated. Google also considers it, and soon they’ll be putting a lot of weight on the speed of your mobile experience.
- Mobile responsive design: Most people use their phones to browse the internet, so make sure your website can adapt to their needs. Luckily, adding mobile responsiveness is now a natural part of building a site!
- Easy-to-read content: Segment the information on your website with headings, bullet points, and paragraphs of digestible content.
- Relevant media: The photos and videos you have on your site must relate to your product or service. If they are not connected, the user will be confused about what they’re seeing and leave.
- Calls to action: Clearly-marked calls to action improve how your users can navigate your website, letting them find helpful features as soon as possible. These also encourage conversions!
If your website needs any of these features, SlyFox can help! Whether we’re revamping your old web presence or starting a site from scratch, improving user experience is part of our routine. We’ll show you how you can make UX work for your small business!
