You only get one chance to make a good first impression. For most web surfers, your web design will be their first impression of your business and will go a long way to establishing your credibility. The top priority should be to provide a positive user experience by using the best mixture of graphics and content to convey your most important messages.
However, creating a great website experience for your visitors is not limited to creating a visually pleasing site. Consideration should also be given to keeping your content simple, accessible and informative.
Producing a Memorable Website Experience
Your web design should be a fundamental component of your web development strategy, and should incorporate subtle persuasive techniques to:
- Make it easy for visitors to learn what you offer.
- Steer customers towards completing your primary call to action.
The following are some simple but effective tips to help you get your message across while at the same time giving your website visitors a rich web experience.
Make Sure to KISS
First things first, keep it simple; surfers are not looking to be dazzled. They want an experience – but that doesn't mean they want to be bombarded with over-the-top animation or unnecessary audio. Here are a few pointers which will help give the right impression.
- Review how your content is organised – does it help address your customer's needs?
- Think through your website navigation – is getting around your site child's play?
- Are there clear Calls to Action? Is it obvious how to progress a purchase?
- Consider using breadcrumbs to help surfers easily locate where they are
- Provide a site search function on all pages
- Include a 'most popular' or 'recently published' feature
Remember, surfers want an easy to use site which will make finding information they are looking for a breeze.
Make it All About Your Content
Content is king, whether it's text, video, or audio (or all of the above), the key is to present your content in an easy to digest format.
- Surfers like to scan content – use headings and sub headings to make this easy
- Review the length of your paragraphs – try to keep them around 3 – 5 lines long
- Limit your paragraph width and include a generous margin either side
- Consider using lists to give more focus to your product benefits
- Don't be afraid to share some personality – it's what is unique to you after all
- If you refer to other services you offer – include the link within your copy
- Use subtle animation to help draw attention to your best offers – not simply to dazzle
Research carried out by Nielson identified that surfers view content in a F pattern. Use this to your advantage by placing key content in these key focal areas.
Make it Easy to Stay in Touch
If surfers wish to sign up to your newsletter in order to keep in contact, don't make them hunt for your sign up form. Make it easy to locate and a quick, painless process to subscribe.
Other great ways to make it easy to stay in touch include making RSS feeds available and buttons which go directly to your social media pages.
Techie Note: Check for Cross Browser Compatibility
Finally, a little bit of a technical – but important – information. While Internet Explorer is still the most popular web browser, it's worth noting that different versions may render the same content slightly differently.
If you add to this the increasing popularity of other web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Apple's Safari, Opera and Google Chrome then you can see how a website needs to be coded correctly in order to give a consistent experience across each platform.
If you would like help updating your website in order to give your visitors a surfing experience they will appreciate, contact us
