A company’s online growth is very dependent on the experiences that consumers have while interacting with their websites and platforms. User experience (UX) has been a growing field in recent years, as mobile apps have risen in popularity. A consumer’s ability to easily use your digital platforms is crucial to their future relationship with your business.
User experience affects consumers’ overall perception of a brand. Any frustrations that come from the experience of your company’s website or mobile app may prevent people from investing in your services. They’re also more likely to complain about their experience elsewhere, harming your brand image. Streaming platforms are an obvious example of this. While Netflix has been the leader in its streaming user experience, Disney+ has been notorious for the clunkiness of its product.
Fortunately, there are many ways businesses can improve their overall user experience and increase their conversions. By focusing on the following areas of UX, you can set yourself up for success in your digital strategies.
1. Ease of Use
A platform that isn’t user-friendly will shorten the time a user spends on a website. No user wants to spend an hour figuring out how a website works. By spending less time on the website, there is naturally less of a chance that consumers will convert. For example, if your site is operating slowly, or a lot of links are broken, it may leave consumers feeling frustrated. They may not have the patience to navigate a clunky website, especially if they’re on mobile.
A lot of work goes into the most successful websites on the market, and an easy-to-use website often involves a design and development team. For this reason, optimizing the UX of your site or platform may be difficult if you don’t have employees dedicated to the task. Working with an agency like Hawke that provides web design services can connect you with a team of professionals who are well-versed in the subject. A fully dedicated team will be able to focus on all the small details that impact your website’s form and function.
2. Calls to Action
An easy-to-use website isn’t a guarantee that your site visitors will turn into customers. You need to include calls to action within your website design so that your visitors have some motivation to discover more about your website. If your copy isn’t doing any legwork to persuade your visitors to interact, they may miss out on some of your business’s key offerings. A consumer may also have trouble understanding how to interact with your business if there’s no guiding text.
Highlights of popular services and products on the front page grabs the attention of those visiting your website for the first time. Creating headlines for special promotions or new products will inform and reel visitors in. For small businesses, embedding a “Contact Us” CTA on the front page prevents consumers from having to search for your information. Emphasizing certain keywords and phrases will engage visitors and encourage them to interact further with the site, increasing conversion odds.
3. Site Navigation
Let’s say your consumer clicked on a CTA to get to your platform or site. Your work’s not quite done yet, as you still need to help them browse your content. If they were brought to your website by the ad for a specific product, you need to have that product front and center. This could easily be done by using link anchors and strategizing content that’s external to your site. However, those who found your website organically may rely on your site’s navigation system to discover your products.
You can find areas for improvement by completing user testing, like heat mapping or path reports. Heat maps allow you to see the most common clicks and behaviors on your website. So if a lot of people are searching for a product, you can strategize so that the product is linked in the navigation. You want to ensure that your navigation menu makes sense and is easy to understand. Optimizing this aspect of your website helps your consumers find preferred products and services faster.
4. Branding and Copywriting
A cohesive brand across your company’s website, apps, and other avenues helps build trust and recognition among consumers. If your website doesn’t match the branding shown elsewhere, it may be confusing to online visitors. Creating cohesive visuals and copywriting standards will leave your web visitors with a sense of familiarity when revisiting your different touchpoints.
As you create content for your website and other platforms, you must place importance on the quality of your writing. Running your content through a grammar and spelling check will make your business look legitimate and professional. Use a style guide to ensure you stay consistent. Maintaining an identifiable tone will help uphold your brand image as well. Holding your content to a standard makes your brand more reputable, and will make it more trustworthy to those new to your site.
A Key Part of Growth
Online experiences are more than just buttons and links. Developing a strategy that enhances user experiences can benefit your business in more ways than one. Most noticeably, a good user experience on your online platforms encourages conversions and loyalty. By working on the various components of user experience, brands can strengthen digital strategies and foster online growth.
