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A beautiful site does not mean an effective site. If you’ve invested in the design but ignored its functionality for users, you can’t expect any conversions or good positions in search engines.
A user-friendly website helps users solve their “problems”. For example, with Amazon, they can buy everything you need, and with tonybet, they can enjoy their time with thousands of games. If there is no understanding, 85% of users will leave the site and 40% will never come back.
Also, the usability of the site affects search engine ranking: crawlers won’t improve the position of a platform that isn’t user-friendly. That is why it’s important to understand what can be the reason for low conversion rates and bad positions in search engines, and be able to influence the situation by paying attention to these parameters.
Loading of Pages and Site Elements
The loading speed of all page elements affects the position of the site in search results. It’s also one of the most important principles of usability, which will be appreciated by visitors to your site.
Reducing site load time by 1 second can increase conversion rate by 8%. If the loading speed is low:
- Optimize images.
- Set up file caching.
- Reduce the number of animations.
- Install a plugin to optimize loading speed.
Mobile Version of the Site
A mobile version is an important part to consider when designing a site. According to statistics, over half of Internet searches are performed from mobile devices. So, if users of your site have to manually zoom in on the font to understand anything, you lose half of your potential customers.
There are two options for optimizing your site for mobile devices:
- A separate mobile version of the site.
- Adaptive layout of the existing version.
Internal Relinking
Internal relinking are links that lead from one page to another within a single platform. This makes it easier for users to navigate the site and helps them navigate the pages better.
To make links intuitive for users, follow simple rules when placing them:
- Links should be underlined, be blue, or match the color of the clickable elements of the site.
- The link should change color after clicking.
- Use different colors to indicate visited and unvisited links.
Font and Text Size
Modern users are in a permanent information noise and have to absorb unnecessary information, so excessive content tires them and clutters the interface of the site.
Most people don’t read what is written on your landing page. On average, they will read only 30% of the text selectively.
To improve the usability of your site, pay attention to font size, shorten, and fragment information:
- Divide information into logical blocks, groups and segments so as not to overwhelm the user.
- Use lists, headings and subheadings to break up the text into more digestible parts.
- Add images, videos, and graphics to visualize the text.
- Don’t make lines too long or too short (except in situations where it’s required). Don’t use more than 2 different fonts on one page.
- Make the text size optimal for reading.
Intuitive and Simple Interface
Simplicity is one of the principles of UX design. This factor will help visitors to your site to get from point A to point B with the least difficulty.
Pages with lots of buttons, images, and blocks will confuse users and can lead to a high bounce rate. They will leave the site as soon as they go to it.
To make the site intuitive and simple:
- Use elements of the site that are familiar to people. Menus, icons and other labels should look familiar.
- Place elements in familiar places. For example, the registration button in the upper right corner, a link to the home page when you click on the logo.
Online Forms
Most users fill out at least one web form weekly. An online form is a link between the company and the client, which helps to get the necessary information to the first, and implement the purpose of the visit site the second (to buy a ticket, leave a request, subscribe for updates).
But users often leave the site because of long, confusing and extorting unnecessary information. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Add a headline and a brief description to get you up to speed.
- Logically organize the questions starting with the main ones.
- Arrange the fields in a single column. Multiple columns can be confusing.
- Add visual cues, examples, and information boxes.
- Avoid redundant questions.
- Add a confirmation at the end to reassure users that completing the form was successful. For example, “Thank you, your application has been submitted.”
Buttons
To help your users complete tasks, your website should use clear calls to action. You can make them attractive by placing them on buttons.
A button prompts the user to perform a certain action (make a payment, submit a request, or submit an online form). To perform its function, the button should be made according to certain rules:
- The button must be large enough to attract attention, but not destroy the hierarchy of the page.
- Different colors and shapes the human psyche perceives differently. It’s great if the button will be contrasting with the background color of the page, bright and in the form of a horizontal rectangle.
- Buttons should be located so that they will be noticed by the user who will visually scan the web page: the upper left corners, lower right corners and the central parts of the blocks will be a familiar and successful option.
