Building a website is a must for every modern business. Websites are effective business tools as they provide easy access to all the products, services, and other information related to the business.
But simply creating a website won’t cut it. You need to provide an outstanding UX to visitors and potential clients. You need to show them why you’re different from your competitors, make them come back, and/or make a purchase. In other words, you need to optimize your website with users as the main consideration.
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the most effective User Experience tips and trends.
1. Page Loading Time
When it comes to offering exceptional UX, page loading time is a crucial factor. If your site takes ages to load, visitors will leave and go to your competition. And probably never come back. On average, people will wait for about 3-4 seconds before going away.
Luckily, WordPress offers various guides to help you speed your website loading times. However, you should also know that a web hosting server can also help you with this issue. Hosting servers like Hostgator or Bluehost offer affordable and reliable hosting that will save you a lot of trouble.
2. Go Mobile Friendly
In the last few years, smartphones have been driving huge traffic to websites. People are using their phones to search and compare products, but also to shop online. That’s why you need to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. This will not only ensure better visibility but also make sure that the needs of the mobile users are served and provide exceptional UX. Try a responsive design that fits every screen size.
3. Site Security
Nothing builds trust like the assurance that your site is safe and that your consumers’ payment details are safe and protected. Great website security is the best guarantee for exceptional UX. The best way to ensure your site is secure is to use a WordPress security plugin like Sucuri or WordFence. It also helps to keep an eye on what’s happening with your site. Your analytics can provide crucial information about your website traffic. Any sudden change (especially an unexpected drop) might indicate a problem.
4. Use HD Images
People are visual creatures, so it’s safe to say that images are a great way to communicate a message. However, images are only effective if they’re high-quality and optimized. Try to use images that have high resolution and avoid cheesy stock photos. Use tools to improve your images, crop them or remove the background. Great images will contribute to the overall aesthetics of your site, make visitors spend more time on it, and add to the overall UX.
5. Add Videos
Images play a vital role in engaging visitors but videos are even more effective when it comes to keeping their attention. Use videos to showcase a new product launch or demonstrate how a product works in real life. Presenting these things through written content would be difficult, whereas videos are much more effective and attractive.
6. Choose the Right Colors
In website design, colors really matter. Research has shown that 95% of spontaneous purchase decisions are motivated solely by the perception of colors. Selecting the right color scheme is what will make your website trustworthy, memorable, profitable, and attractive. Different colors convey different messages, so you should consider carefully which colors to choose.
7. Animation and Motion
Using subtle animation throughout your website can help guide the users towards a CTA. It is also great if you want to display notifications on your site and grab the visitors’ attention.
8. Use Great CTAs
Your Call to Action (CTA) needs to be visible and easily accessible on every page of your site. In addition, make sure to place your CTA above the fold so that users can easily see it and take the desired action. It is a great way to boost conversions and add to a unique UX.
9. Hamburger Menu
Three-line menus are great for improving the user experience as they indicate that there’s something that users aren’t seeing. This creates an urge to discover more about the website they’re visiting. Having a hamburger button is also important, as it suggests that there are more hidden items for users to discover. This is an easy way to engage users, keep them on your site and, as a result, increase conversions.
10. Fix 404 Errors
When searching online, users expect to land on a specific website page and if they encounter a 404 error, they’re going to punish you by leaving your site instantly. So, if you want people to stick around, fixing these errors is crucial.
11. Listen to Your Users
When it comes to improving your website user experience, users themselves can provide you with the best guidelines. The best way to find out what users want and need is to simply ask. Use a survey template to measure the overall UX, as well as the look and feel of your site. User experience surveys will supply you with the data you need to provide a smooth and seamless user experience.
Final Thoughts
Nowadays, first impressions are everything as website visitors are becoming more and more accustomed to high levels of user experience. Luckily, the digital landscape is offering incredible opportunities to improve UX. The above-listed tips should provide you with a solid starting point.
