Helping your users to get the most out of your website doesn’t have to be difficult or costly. With a few simple steps, you can create a website that’s relevant to your users’ needs – and help turn those clicks into customers.
1. Find out what your customers want
If you want to create a site that addresses your customers’ needs – who better to ask than your customers? If you’re only just venturing online, talk to your existing customers. Take a look at the websites of other businesses in your marketplace, especially those of your competitors. Place yourself in the position of your customers, and start by asking basic questions about what they want out of your web site.
2. Keep navigation simple
Make sure it’s easy to move from place to place on your website, with intuitive menus and links to track back. Better still, build in a search facility such as Google (www.google.co.uk) – but make sure that users aren’t forced to rely on it. Don’t just trust your own instincts – ask a few friends (or, better still, strangers) to take a look at your website. Give them a list of things to locate, and see how quickly they can do it. Talk to them about how easy and intuitive they found the site, and compare results between users to identify where problems lie. Use sites such as www.browsershots.org to test your site’s appearance in different web browser programs.
Once you’ve addressed these problems and your site is working as you’d like it to – make sure it stays that way. A common problem for many websites is that when content is added or removed, internal site navigation isn’t adjusted accordingly. Few things are more frustrating to webusers than being led to broken links or receiving messages informing them that a page doesn’t exist – and if they get frustrated with your site, they might leave.
3. Remember who you’re talking to
Even if your customers are buying on behalf of a business, you still need to create a personal relationship with them. Don’t baffle them with unnecessary jargon – talk to them in friendly but knowledgeable terms. Make sure that all the information users need is available within as few clicks a possible – but don’t overload them.
Keep pages short, so that users don’t have to scroll down through reams of text to find the information they’re after. Make headlines and other navigation aids work for you – not only will these help users identify relevant content, they’ll also make it easier for your site to be indexed by search engines, increasing the chances of new users finding you in the first place. Again, ask friends to give you their impressions of your sites content, and pay careful attention to their feedback.
4. Start a conversation
Invite user input through feedback forms, and offer incentives such as news updates, blogs or web-only exclusive offers to keep them checking back regularly. Also make sure users have a range of options to contact you. Providing ‘real world’ contact details such as a postal address and telephone number on your home page provides users with a sense of reassurance – but make sure that telephone numbers will get through to someone who can actually help.
5. Build confidence
Don’t scare users off before they’ve even viewed any of your content. Many people are alarmed at the prospect of parting with information such as credit card details, and desert websites at the registration page because they’re asked for a barrage of personal information. Only ask for information when you need it - and draw their attention to features such as secure shopping facilities, providing brief, jargon-free explanations where necessary. Don’t forget to mention other confidence-building factors such as certificates or membership of professional associations.
For a free, no-obligation web review, click here.
Further reading:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030602.html
http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/730/Five-Fast-Steps-to-Improve-Website-Usability/
http://www.improvetheweb.com/create-a-small-business-website-on-a-small-budget
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