Having a website that is visually appealing is incredibly important. It gives the user an insight into the business, gives them a sense of credibility and helps to both establish and cement your brand.
This makes your business more recognisable and in turn, helps to build a sense of trust. The usability of your website, however, is equally important and it is what marks the difference between a user staying on your website and quickly jumping ship. There are many variables to consider to ensure that your website is well rounded and ticks all of the boxes. Here are a few that we believe to be crucial:
Catering to all devices.
In the past, when designing a website, the only thing you would have to worry about it how it looks on the screen in front of you. You would know that other than the size of the screen, the content would look the same. However, there is now an abundance of mobile devices all of which display content differently. Also, with Google now pushing everyone to optimise their websites for mobile devices, it is important that the usability of your website is just as good on a laptop as it is on a smartphone. To find out if your website is mobile-friendly, contact us today.
Important call to actions.
There are various types of websites that people want for varying needs or business requirements. Sometimes, it may be a simple brochure website that is there to give people an impression of the company and to offer some basic important information about the business. The call to action here may be filling in a contact form or making an enquiry. Alternatively, an e-commerce website would also have information about the business. However it would primarily be used to sell products as a call to action.
In essence, the call to action on your website is the element that would make a user want to engage with your website and to take action. Always make sure it is noticeable, clearly labelled and that it works easily and effectively. We normally operate by a three-click rule – from entering a website, a user should be able to follow your call to action with three clicks from any page.
Speed it up.
We live in an impatient era. Most people have access to a smart device of some sort and the ability to search the internet as quickly as they take their device out of their pocket. So, the speed of your website is extremely important. A study by Kissmetrics has ascertained that 47 percent of consumers expect a page to load in under two seconds. The problem is, with there being so many alternative companies offering the same thing as you, they will leave your website and go to your competition which is able to cater to them faster.
If you are having troubles with how long it takes for your website to load, there are a few ways you can solve that. First, you should start by inspecting the back-end of your website. Made in Scotland can perform a thorough report on your website to pinpoint what is slowing you down. Get in touch today to find out more about website usability.
Navigating with ease.
It is crucial that your website displays everything you need it to clear without it being too overcrowded. This distracts users and effectively divert them from your call to actions, leading them to be confused and frustrated. If your website is used to generate sales or enquiries, it is imperative that people can do just that.
Make your content manageable.
We have all been onto a website that displays all text in bulks. The lack of visual aid or structure make websites much more digestible. It can feel overwhelming and lead to difficulty concentrating and in turn loss of interest. Content is King – not only is the structuring important, but your website requires engaging content that will grab people’s attention. You need to focus on creating the desire for them to continue through the site and maintain that initial interest. Images and videos can be great aids to separate large blocks of text and forms. Furthermore, visuals help separate paragraphs into more manageable chunks.