How to make a website better – part 1

When a website visitor lands on a page it needs  to make a good impression.  Consider your site pages, both layout and content, from the perspective of a unique site visitor seeking the product or service a search result has indicated they’ll find on your site.

The landing page needs to reinforce what’s being sought, quickly

It’s a well known fact that site visitors arriving via search results won’t spend long on a web page if they can’t find what they’re looking for, almost instantly.  Instead, they’ll hit the ‘back’  button and return to the search results. It’s worth considering the way you engage with websites and how long you spend on a page when you’ve landed via a search enquiry.

Don’t put too much on your home page

It might not be practical or result in a cluttered  layout, causing confusion and lack of focus for the visitor. You need clear signals directing the user to what you want them to do/where you want them to go next. Big buttons on the page attract attention and can be used to highlight calls to action.

Make sure your site  navigation is clear

As well as indicating what you want your site visitor to do next, give them clear signals where to find things they may be looking for. If your site uses drop-down or fly-out menus it’s worth putting yourself in the shoes of a site user trying to find a product or service, essentially hidden from view when they land on the page.

Positioning elements on your page

Having briefly considered navigation, let’s consider layout.  There’s a lot of talk about ‘above the fold’, meaning content that’s visible to the visitor without them needing to scroll down the page. However, that should be a guideline and should not dictate page layout for every business website.

A site visitor form on the front page, if not every page, is very popular at the moment. However,  whether it appears above or below the fold is not written in stone. If you’re aiming to collect visitor contact details then displaying a form ‘above the fold’ is fairly obvious. However, if the object of the website is to convey authority on a subject, then space taken up by a form might be better used for a different call for action. Get it clear in your mind what you’re wanting from your website, then plan layout and content accordingly.

Less is more

A well worn phrase, but true.  When you’re browsing websites keep this question in the back of your mind. What did I notice first on the page, then next, then next.  Don’t just consider the visual appearance, which is important to a degree. Finding the information you’re looking for is more important.  I don’t think we’re all such a simple lot that we’re influenced in our buying habits solely by packaging.

Testimonials on a website are valuable 

Which brings me onto ‘reinforcement’ through testimonials and/or social media.  I’m not stipulating both, although I know that’s the best option. I’m starting from an assumption you  have neither and need to start somewhere. Don’t just set up social media accounts and get the icons added to your pages if you’re unsure why you’re doing it, apart from ‘to be seen doing it’.  Avoid following the herd, and take a route which can prove more effective in the short term. through including  testimonials on the front page and perhaps on other pages?. There’s a lot to be said for dedicating a whole page to testimonials; just make sure there’s a link on the main navigation bar so that it’s obvious where a new site visitor can go to see what other people say about your products/services.

Improving your website for users