Did you know that it only takes seven seconds to make a first impression of another person? Now, think of your website like the face of your small business. Do you want your customers’ first encounter with your company to be with a welcoming, professional and easy-to-use website or a series of clunky, slow and unattractive pages?
If it seems like your website isn’t getting you the conversions you hoped it would, maybe it’s time to work on that all-important first impression. At Gordon Digital, our expert website developers have identified several meaningful changes that will get you the web traffic you want, and the conversions you need to transform your visitors into customers.
But first, let’s talk about what makes a website successful. Every excellent website has two key elements; the first is valuable content and the second is a pleasant user experience (UX). Many websites already have the first part down pat, but fall short on the second. Here, we outline the steps you should take to improve the UX on your website.
Declutter Your Site:
The biggest mistake we see on websites is having too much information crammed into a small space. It’s unappealing and confusing to your web browsers, because they don’t know where to look, or what to click on.
To improve your UX, first ensure your site has a clear goal. This might be to make a purchase, complete a webform, or make an enquiry. Once you know the goal, clear you visitors’ pathway of potential interruptions by:
- Removing irrelevant or unhelpful information
- Ensuring the relevant information is front and centre
- Space out the content into clear distinct sections that can be easily read
- Place your call to action (CTA) where it will be seen
Improve Your CTA Placement:
It doesn’t matter if it’s your main website or a landing page, where you position the “Add to Cart”, “Read More”, “Make an Enquiry” or “Sign Up” buttons has a huge impact on whether or not your customers will click them.
You want to ensure your CTA buttons are the focal point of every page. When a visitor first loads up your website, the button you want them to click should be directly in their line of sight and have a very clear and confident message (i.e. “CALL NOW”).
But don’t stop there! Most web browsers will want to know more about your business before converting, so allow time for your customers to scroll and read through your valuable information. To present another opportunity for conversion, place CTA buttons further down the page, too.
Optimise Site Speed:
We all know how frustrating a slow website can be, and it is one of the primary reasons websites suffer conversion losses. A good rule of thumb is if your page takes longer than three seconds to load, then the web browser is unlikely to stick around. However to ensure a positive user experience, Google recommends sites keep their load speed under two seconds.
If you would like some data on your site speed, Google PageSpeed Insights will tell you your website’s load speed and provide helpful opportunities for improving it.
Be Mobile Friendly:
Last year over 60% of website visits came from mobile devices! The bottom line? It’s more important than ever to make your website easy to use on phones and tablets. Without a well optimised mobile site the UX will suffer and potential consumers will click away.
Adjust the design of the site so that text, images, buttons and forms are easy to read and navigate. You can do this by resizing the text, changing the layout, or culling unnecessary elements. You can keep your navigation and CTAs clear on the page using sticky menus and ‘click to call’ buttons which will follow the web browser as they scroll.
By taking advantage of these improvements, your website’s UX will improve drastically and the conversion rate will grow with it. For more assistance on growing your conversions and optimising your website performance, engage Gordon Digital’s team of professionals. Our experience across multiple digital platforms has helped dozens of businesses grow and achieve their business goals.
