How to Create a User-Friendly Web Design
Today’s internet users are extremely demanding when it comes to website functionality and design.
With all the remarkable trends happening in web design, landing on a plain website with few features or one that’s difficult to navigate can be frustrating.
If it’s hard for your site traffic to find what they’re looking for, they’ll simply go somewhere else.
The same thing will happen if pages take a long time to load or are filled with broken links. Faster loading times are linked to higher conversion rates.
But it is relatively easy to give visitors to your website what they’re looking for and keep them coming back.
How Do You Make a Website User-Friendly?
Generally, technical experts approach web design from the perspective of code, wireframes, and how the content is being managed in the system.
However, having a great website design is more than integrating with social media or optimizing the cart and payment options.
It is also about having a design that replicates your business strategy. A website that has been optimally designed helps attract visitors, so the product and the brand should be attractive through text and visuals. This will guide your site toward its defined goal.
Here are nine easy steps to make a user-friendly website for your business.
1. Identify the Goal and Scope of the Website
Before creating a website, the designer has to focus on the goal and the objectives of the design, in collaboration with its stakeholders.
Determine who this website is for and what the expectations of the website visitors will be. Design your site so it’s more appealing to potential customers than competing websites.
Ascertaining brand attributes, conducting a competitor analysis, developing creative briefs, and creating audience personas can be great ways to identify the goal of your site.
2. Create the Wireframe and the Site Architecture
The wireframe, or the site map, frames the foundation of an optimally designed website. It offers the web designers a clear strategy on the architecture of the website and explains the relationship between the different pages and elements.
The wireframe serves as the blueprint of the website, and it also provides the framework for storing content elements and the visual design of the site. It is also great for identifying potential gaps and challenges within the site map.
Visitors to your website should not be made to hunt for information, as this will build up their frustration and potentially lead them to the website of a competitor. So the information on your website should be in-depth and easily accessible.
3. Concentrate on Visual Design
After designing the blueprint of the site, the next step is to leverage its visual style. Your website’s visual style should reflect your organization’s visual brand.
The style should match your branding elements, website logos, and color choices. Images and visual creatives play a major role in getting your website to look and feel the way it should.
The visual elements should communicate its message, be mobile-friendly, and above all build trust.
For example, if your business provides an anonymous whistleblowing system, it doesn’t make sense to style your website with flashy designs and zany graphics.
The site’s purpose is to allow people to report harassment, fraud, corruption, and so on. So a professional tone and a subdued design will convey that your site is legitimate and trustworthy.
4. Prioritize Site Layout
When a visitor lands on your website, likely the first thing they will look for is the navigation menu so they can find the page they desire.
The navigation button should also take them back to the landing page easily, and it should be present on every web page.
Position the navigation button in a way that it is obvious to users and also fits the style and layout of your website.
Since 54% of web searches are from mobile phones, a responsive website layout must look great on both mobile and desktop.
Make sure that the users can see things easily on their handheld devices without having to zoom in on the content every few seconds. They should also be able to navigate across the website easily.
Average time spent on page or site is one of the most important metrics for customer engagement.
5. Include CTAs
Make sure your website has strong calls to action (CTAs) on pages where they’re appropriate. Always position these CTAs in a similar location, like the bottom of a blog post or at the top of a page, so they’re easy to find.
Not only will this increase conversion, but it will also tell website visitors who want to make a purchase how to take the next step.
6. Make Sure People Can Find Your Site
The website creation process is completed by incorporating appropriate website content and optimizing it for SEO purposes.
The content on your website should be informative, interactive, and very well-written. It should also be credible in order to be picked up by search engines.
Use a plagiarism checker to be sure you haven’t unintentionally created duplicate content, as Google’s algorithm will notice this and penalize your site in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
A white label link building service can also help you extend your site’s reach. Include videos, slideshows, podcasts, and other media, and build the best HTML and CSS codes for your site.
7. Test Your Website
This is perhaps the most important step in the website design process. Once you’ve created your website with a stunning design, thoughtful content, and interactive visuals, it’s essential to test everything.
Test each page and ensure that all the links are working. Test if your website loads properly on all browsers and devices, and do all of this before your site goes live.
Conduct various types of testing, like functionality testing, performance testing, and security testing. This will help you identify flaws in your website long before people start visiting your site.
8. Launch Your Site
This is a pivotal part of the web design process. Launch your site after extensive review, approval from stakeholders, and comprehensive testing on all tools. After the launch process, be prepared to address feedback from the users.
Make changes if required, like fixing broken links or updating the text. Keep in mind that regular changes to your website are inevitable and will be ongoing.
9. Keep Up with Site Maintenance
Websites require constant and stringent maintenance. Upgrading your website’s content, making changes to its backend, and fixing broken links are everyday tasks.
All of these steps are essential for the smooth running of your website. This also helps to take the organization’s goal a step higher and outnumber the rivals.
The Bottom Line
Websites have evolved to be something greater than mere pages with some text and images. Your site traffic expects valuable information and an intuitive experience.
If your website wasn’t designed with the user in mind, you can transform it to be user-friendly and incorporate tools and software to help you gain new customers and keep them.
Are you an
Entrepreneur or Startup? Do you have a Success Story to Share? SugerMint would like to share your success story. We cover entrepreneur Stories, Startup News, Women entrepreneur stories, and Startup stories
|
You can attract prospects, increase conversion, reduce churn, and improve your return on investment (ROI).