When it comes to web design, user experience, or UX, has become more important than ever. Aside from a natural desire to ensure users enjoy what you have to offer, UX is now a crucial Google ranking factor. So, if you’re passionate about finding new ways to give your visitors a positive experience…
When you design new pages for your site, develop them for mobile users first. This is because we now live in a world where more people find and visit sites using their mobile devices as opposed to on their desktop.
Think critically about how you will organise all elements on the page. Allow for plenty of clean white space to avoid a crowded and disorganised look.
If you need someone to complete a given objective, make your call-to-action eye-catching and desirable. Rather than “click here” or “contact us”, offer visitors a compelling reason to. That could be premium content or insight, or even a download link or voucher code as just a few examples.
A key aspect of UX is knowing how to navigate your site. Take them on a clearly signposted journey from where they landed through to other relevant information. Hyperlinks should stand out with different colours and sizes to make it easier for people to understand how to navigate and where to go next.
Rather than large blocks of text, short bullet points are great for UX as they make content far more accessible.
Images and videos are excellent tools to help engage and educate your readers; however, you must use them wisely. Make sure you minimise file sizes and aren’t using too many, which will slow down your page load speed.
The design of your site should be an extension of your overall brand. This should be consistent to maintain familiarity and trust with your website.
404s are terrible for UX as they are dead-ends for your site, often occurring when you delete old pages, but fail to remove any links to that page. Get a site audit and check for links that lead to 404s. The best option would be to redirect old pages to a new one before deleting them.
Well-written content will make it easier for your visitors to understand your points and take away key messages, significantly improving their overall experience.
There are lots of ways to minimise loads speeds, and the Google Page Speed tool is a great place to start. A fast-loading page means that people get fast answers to their questions, rather than having to wait around a long time for text, images and videos to load.
Essentially, your focus should be on ensuring your site loads quickly, includes a diverse array of content and is easy to navigate. By following our 10 top tips, you’ll be well on your way to maximising UX, as well as your Google search results and converting your visitors into customers.
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