User-Friendly Website

In today’s world convenience reigns supreme. People want to be able to shop from their living rooms, their offices, or their cars. Even those who prefer physical stores will begin their shopping journey with some online research. They want to compare prices, learn about available options, and save time. Planning purchases in advance gives brick-and-mortar shoppers the details to make an informed buying decision.

As a result, a user-friendly website is essential. You have about 10 seconds to convince people that your site is the answer to their prayers. If your company website isn’t user-friendly, you’re customers are going to bounce to your competitors faster than a missed free throw during a championship basketball game.

Despite almost universal awareness of technological advancements, all websites are not user-friendly. A sizable segment of business owners is not paying attention to the usability of their sites. They don’t understand that a user-friendly website improves search engine rankings, increases sales, and sets you apart from your competitors.

If you still aren’t convinced that a user-friendly site is important, the FineView Marketing team can work with you to create a website that will keep your customers happy and your business growing.

They use WordPress to create a professional and effective online presence for their clients. Its ease of use, flexibility, SEO-friendliness, and security make it a reliable and popular option for businesses of all sizes.

What Makes A User-Friendly Website

Mobile Responsiveness is Not An Option

In the current digital landscape, it’s crucial to prioritize mobile responsiveness. The statistics to back this up are staggering.

Marketpath states that “currently, more than 58% of American adults own a smartphone and almost 60% of all website traffic is from mobile devices. In fact, there are currently more mobile devices on Earth than there are people. And every month mobile usage continues to grow, so every month more and more prospects and customers will view your website from a mobile device.”

For example, this is particularly important for the self-storage industry. Self Storage customers rely heavily on mobile devices for research, rental, and online payments. If you’re not providing your customers with a mobile experience, you’re losing money.

Accessibility to All Users

A user-friendly website should be accessible to everyone, including the blind, disabled, and elderly.

The hearing impaired can use captioning while the blind use screen readers that vocalize the text that appears on the screen. Severe disabilities that interfere with the ability to grasp need voice recognition technology.

For more detailed information, check the Adults with Disabilities Act (ADA), for guidance on web accessibility.

Streamlined Information Architecture

Information architecture is simply the practice of organizing content in an effective way.

Most of today’s websites offer a wide range of information and resources to attract their target audience. A user-friendly site presents this information in an organized, systematic manner. In other words, your website should be planned carefully and presented in a way that makes it easy for users to find what they need.

Always think about your site from the perspective of the users. If they’re faced with overly complicated structures and functions, you’re sending them to your competitors.

Consistent Browser Experience

Have you ever been struck on a website where you are unable to simply download material and move on with your task? When you seek help, you’re asked to switch browsers. It’s annoying and a total waste of time. Plus, it can make plenty of people abandon your site for good.

Browsers like Chrome, Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera are supposed to be better these days, but they still continue to show inconsistencies. This not only impacts the performance of your website, but it’s bad for branding and negatively affects usability.

If you want your website to appear and behave consistently across major browsers, you need a professionally designed website.

Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Speed

Have you ever attempted to access a self storage website that takes longer than a few seconds to load? Would you patiently wait while your computer or mobile device struggles to display the desired information? Probably not. You and your clients have more important tasks than staring at a blank screen.

According to Neil Patel and Sean Work at KISSmetrics, 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% abandon a website that takes more than three seconds to load. Do you know what this means to your bottom line? A 1-second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions, which can mean hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars.

Be sure that your web developers are up to speed with optimizing page speed. (no pun intended!)

Ease of Navigation

Good navigation is critical to website usability. Simple HTML or JavaScript menus tend to be consistent on all browsers and platforms. Make sure that website navigation is clutter-free. Limit the number of menu items and use a drop-down menu or sub-navigation on a large site with many sections and pages.

At the same time, know that there is more to navigation than a menu. Other aspects to consider are:

• A good search feature
• Multiple ways to explore content
• A custom 404 page
• Good internal linking
• Informative headers and footers

The more choices people have, the longer it takes them to come to a decision. Make navigation simple by cutting back on the number of options being presented to users.

User Friendly Website: Enhanced Handling of Errors

Don’t overlook the correct handling of errors at a code level if you want a robust website that is free from problems. Displaying the correct error message improves overall usability.

Valid Mark Up

Because the web is ever-evolving, it’s important to follow benchmarks and best practices to maintain security and dependability. This helps your website to load faster and appear consistent across devices and browsers. Locating problems and troubleshooting is easier with a website that is built to web standards with valid markup early on.

A Compelling Color Scheme

Color is important because you get one chance to make a first impression. The right contrast between background colors and content is one of the most basic design principles and cannot be ignored. Colors are associated with mood and the impact you want to have on your
audience.

The right colors will make your content easily readable. Lack of contrast makes it difficult for visitors to read content and will send them to a more professional website.

Final Thoughts

User-friendliness is a critical component that can make or break your website. It boosts rankings, increases traffic, and improves your chances of success. The usability characteristics mentioned above will go a long way in enhancing your reputation and setting your business apart from the competition.