Your website is one of your most powerful content marketing tools and constantly represents your brand.
With digital trends changing constantly, be proactive by trying new ways to revamp your website and increase website traffic.
Here are 7 essential tips to improve your website and user experience instantly.
1. Ensure it’s responsive on mobile devices
Accessing websites on our mobile phones is a part of our daily routine. In fact, as of February 2023, 60.04% of all website traffic comes from people using mobile devices.
Keeping this statistic in mind, we must ensure that our websites are mobile-responsive from every angle. When designing your website, use a mobile-first approach.
Limit pop-ups and make them clear and direct. For example, if you set a pop-up to appear when scrolling down a page, ensure that the popup has a clear CTA.
2. Make your website faster by checking page speed
The higher your page load time, the higher your bounce rates. In fact, 82% of consumers say slow page speeds impact their purchasing decisions.
You can use Google PageSpeed to get information about your page for free. This service also offers suggestions on how to improve your loading speeds for desktop and mobile devices.
One of the worst experiences for a user is encountering 404 pages. A website user encounters a 404 page when the requested page on the website is no longer available.
404 pages can adversely affect the user experience and the trustworthiness of your website. We recommend carrying out a broken link/page audit using free tools such as a broken link checker to ensure your potential customers don’t encounter this problem.
3. Make it easy to navigate with headlines and SEO
Search engines consider headlines when ranking content, so it’s vital that you carefully word them.
Headers also increase user experience by guiding website visitors to sections of your site that are valuable to them.
Use search engine optimization (SEO) tools to find trending keywords to use in your headlines. Use clear, larger-size fonts in bold colors for the headings so they stand out in your content.
4. Improve user experience with images & videos
Using images and videos in addition to website copy will make it more attractive. However, if these images and videos aren’t unique, your brand may not appear authentic.
It’s worth the effort to design your images for your website. If applicable, you can incorporate photos and video guides that feature your team members.
5. Focus above the fold with a call to action
The above the fold section of your website is the section that’s visible before a user starts scrolling or when the user lands on the page. If you want to keep the user’s attention, you must include pertinent and interesting content at the top that helps to meet your business goals and ensures customers can find what they are looking for.
A great example is to place a call to action (CTA) above the fold to increase conversion rates so that users don’t have to scroll down to find it.
You can also include your contact information, such as your NAP or name, address, and phone number. Keep this information consistent throughout your business website.
You may want to limit your white space above the fold to maximize the information you can fit. However, white space is encouraged on other parts of the page to keep it looking open and easy to read.
6. Make your site functional with clear website navigation
Functionality is more important to website users than the site’s attractiveness because if potential website users find it challenging to navigate your website, they will leave the site no matter how nice it looks.
It’s better to focus on making your site easy to navigate with a positive user website experience. Using consistency for website navigation removes any stress for users. For example, you can keep the navigation menu in the same spot on all pages, such as docking it to the right or left. This will help customers to find the products and services they need.
You can also guide users with a breadcrumb at the top of the page, allowing them to see the original search terms and refinements they’ve made to their search. Internal linking will guide users to other parts of your professional site they may find helpful and keep them on your site for longer.
These navigation tips establish trust with potential customers as they don’t feel lost on your site.
Creating separate pages from your homepage for specific reasons can keep your site clean. For example, if you hold a webinar, create a landing page for guests to register and a thank you page after they sign up.
You can also consider a fun design trend such as a 90’s retro navigation theme, where pages are organized according to real-world systems, like a record store in this case.
7. Use social proof for a great website
It’s human nature to want to experience the benefits others are experiencing. Users who see social proofs on your professional site will want to participate in the action.
One of the best ways to attract new customers and differentiate your company is to post testimonials to show firsthand – unique information about how your business has helped others to grow.
Outshine your competition and improve your search ranking with StatenWeb
There are many ways to ensure that your site is a success, but the most important tip to improve your website and search traffic is to update it as often as possible.
Keeping your website up-to-date shows that you are on top of the latest trends, productive, and reliable.
Set up a meeting with StatenWeb, and we will show you how to keep your site easy to navigate, attractive, and valuable to all clients.