Q: What is one simple way to make your website more user-friendly?
A: Make sure it’s optimized for mobile. “More and more people are browsing websites through their mobile phones. You can potentially lose customers and business if your website is not optimized for mobile.” Courtney Spritzer, SOCIALFLY
Include video. “Videos can improve user experience, engagement and SEO, and they can communicate a message more effectively than the written word. Short and concise is the key: No more than one to three minutes is perfect. Better user experience and engagement can result in a lower bounce rate and ultimately the opportunity for more online conversions.” Christopher Rodgers, Colorado SEO Pros
Use customer service software. “Add Zendesk or a similar widget to your homepage so that users can quickly and easily get questions answered and give you relevant feedback.” Jon Bradford, Colab
Do real user testing. “The best thing you can do to improve the usability of your site is to watch real people use it. In-person user tests are the best, but can be costly and difficult for a team that is inexperienced with user testing. Don’t worry though; there are other options that are nearly as good. For example, UserTesting.com is a low-cost way to create user tests with real people and get quick feedback.” Robert Swisher, FestPop
Create a call-to-action button. “For small business owners, there is nothing worse than losing a potential customer who is ready to buy. Your website should have a call-to-action button on each webpage. This will really help boost your user experience to convert a prospective customer to a sale. Users shouldn’t have to scroll to the bottom of your page to complete an inquiry.” Ajmal Saleem, Suprex Learning LLC
Integrate a chat functionality. “Many times a potential client may have questions about our services but doesn’t want to opt-in or call. We have found that adding a chat widget breaks down this barrier. It’s a great method for engaging with potential clients, and when we discover someone who we feel might be a match for the services we provide we invite them to take the conversation offline.” Frank Bravata, Exceptional Tech Support
Simplify the experience. “Building a website is about creating an experience around the delivery of a message. Segmenting the amount of information that’s being presented to the users at any given time will allow them to read and absorb the messaging you’re trying to communicate. Breaking the web page up into frames and utilizing clear and simple in-page navigation will also help the user stay focused.” Michael Cleary, Huemor
Tell the users what you want them to do. “A website is much more useful when it’s clear to the user what they should do. What’s the call to action? Why are they on the site? Tell your users what they should be doing on the site, whether it’s contacting you, registering or taking some other action. Your users will be happy, and you’ll get the desired action taken.” Jason Unger, Digital Ink
(Source: TCA)
