Your website is the core anchor for your digital marketing efforts. Designing a great website user experience requires understanding the problems different visitors have to solve.

1. Use white space.

I have heard consumers complain about more than one occasion that their websites contain so much white space and that this wasted immovable will serve more of their services. White space is important for good design though. White space allows the content more legible while allowing users to concentrate on the elements that surround the text as well.

Accommodating text and names, white space raises user focus by 20 per cent, according to Mad Egg. White Space will also make your website accessible, new and contemporary and allow you to convey this feeling to the customer if your branding is compatible with this. But one downside of white space is that it literally takes up space.

If you’re trying to get a lot of content above the fold (above the part that is immediately visible without scrolling) having too much white space might be replacing some valuable information. The key is to find the balance between what is most important to communicate at the top and surround that with some space to highlight the image and/or text.

2. Optimize your page speed.

One of the most frustrating experiences for users of the web is waiting for a page to load for too long. With the rise of mobile devices, people are accessing content all over the world on many different platforms. While browsing online at Starbucks or while watching TV on their laptop, they expect a fast result for the content that they want. They usually bounce when they don’t get it. The slow loading of a page is an interrupting experience for the user and can be a source of annoyance.

According to Section.io, an extra five seconds of page load time can increase your website’s “bounce rate” by more than 20%. So, where do you go from here? Get your score. Google offers a free service where you can get information on your page speed. Google will also offer you some suggestions for improving your load time on Mobile and Desktop.

3. Use attractive calls to action.

Your consumers are already used to visual details to evaluate the content they care about. Calls for actions (CTAs) that are clearly identified by an action word allow users to access your web sites easier and to find exactly what they want.

You should think about colour and colour psychology when making buttons for your website. In a Maxymiser report, investigators were dismayed to find that by examining colour variations and action messages he increased by 11 per cent in clicks to the check-out area of the Laura Ashley website. Different colours elicit various messages. Think of the message you wish to elicit (confidence, knowledge, intelligence) for the user and wisely choose your colours.

A second thing you should consider is the actual words that you are using for your buttons. Words should include a verb or action word that encourages the user to do something. Choosing the right words or psychological triggers is highly determined by the level of emotional identification that the word gives rise to. No emotional connection means no action at all. So make your words bold, time-sensitive and action-oriented.

 

4. Use hyperlink differentiation.

When you add a link to a page, you say you want the user to click on it. Make sure links can be easily identified by visual cues. Underlined text and different coloured text draws the reader’s attention and lets him or she know that this is a link to click on.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to distinction by hyperlinks. Here, sticking to the tradition maybe your best friend. An easy way of checking how effective the ties are is by blurring and removing the colour from the logo and seeing what stands out.

5. Segment key information with bullet points.

Bullet points will allow the customer to get all the details they want quickly: rewards, ways you can fix their dilemma, and key product/service features — all in a short time. This will make your ideas more appealing and will encourage your user to access all the details they need. You don’t have to walk the conventional route with a simple circle in addition.

You can also get imaginative with your bullet with loads of cool icons out there, and help the reader with the images that reflect your case. Why do they do that? Since it allows you to separate the most important points without getting wrapped up in jargon or nuances that you are trying to make.

6. Use images (wisely).

Before determining whether to search the site further, people across the Internet are becoming smarter and quicker at judging client websites. When they visit your site for the first time, they can easily select a generic stock picture that they have already seen somewhere or that is close to the non-personal style of stock photography. The use of stock photography will reduce trust and also stand out as common and non-unique. These connections unfortunately also carry over to your company.

Ultimately, no stock photography would be as capable of conveying the way you want your brand, services and goods. That can only be achieved by your own real photographs when speaking directly to your future customer. Use photos strategically and position them on your website to help the content and provide a visual break from the text to the users, but make sure they are specific and not generic.

7. Include well-designed and written headings.

Whatever your future customers are searching for will drive your headings and content. Also, it’s very important to include keywords in your title to focus your message and attract the right audience.

Search engines usually offer more weight to headings over other content, so you can greatly boost your search capabilities by selecting the right heading and making it stand out. But most importantly, headings lead the user around the web, making it easy to browse and find material that specifically speaks to them.

8. Keep your website pages consistent.

Consistency means doing everything that matches. Heading sizes, choices of font, shading, styles of the buttons, spacing, elements of design, types of illustration, choices of photographs — you name it. To make your template cohesive between pages and on the same page, everything should be theme-set.

In order to have a beautiful experience for your user as they click through your web, it is crucial that they know that they are still on your site. Drastic changes in design from page to page will cause your user to feel lost and confused, and lose faith in your site.

 

 

9. Catch your 404s.

Although search engines do not severely punish you for soft 404 errors (page not found), a user would be doing so. When a user encounters a link or a picture, they expect this connection to take them to the next place they want to go.

Simply put, seeing a 404 error page annoys your user and makes them think again about spending their time on your website (when they should actually look for a quicker solution elsewhere). Running into 404s is another extremely frustrating occurrence for a user next to slow page load time, and it totally disrupts their path through your website.

10. Be responsive & mobile-friendly.

Technologies have progressed to meet our mobile needs. Websites are an integral part of this evolution, too. Your website is imperative to be mobile-friendly and easy to navigate regardless of what type of device they use to access it.

Google has recently started to penalize sites that aren’t designed for mobile devices, making the need for accessibility even more important. Possibly this is the single most important way to boost the usability of your website.