How to Tell If Your Website Is User-Friendly

While you’re probably hoping that your website increases sales, adds to your subscriber base, or raises awareness about your brand, ultimately you also want it to provide a positive user experience, too. Here are some ways to tell if your website is as intuitive and user-friendly as it should be:

It’s easy to navigate

You don’t want your site to look like every other site out there, but be mindful of getting too inventive and confusing your visitors. While you want your site to have some flair, its navigation should be intuitive enough that it makes sense to first-time users.

It loads quickly and completely

As much as visitors may love your brand, they’re not likely to stick around if your site loads slowly or displays broken links. For the most complete user experience and an increased chance at repeat visitors, check your site’s speed and look for any dead links.

It looks sleek on any device

The great news about today’s world is that you can land a new customer from virtually anywhere. They could be sitting on the beach or hanging out on the couch, just waiting to find your brand. But to make sure those beach bums or couch potatoes become customers, you need to verify that your site looks great on any platform. This includes tablets, smartphones, laptops, and desktops. It’s a key part of creating a positive user experience.

The content is easy to scan

You probably wrote some wonderfully compelling words to fill your site. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s likely that many of these words won’t actually get read. Your site’s visitors are looking for copy that’s easy to scan and information that’s easy to find. Save your Great American Novel for another project and instead pare down your site’s text to the absolute essentials. This includes subheadings, short titles, and plenty of relevant keywords.

You know who you’re talking to

Your website should be appealing to your target audience. If your customer base is made up of busy parents, you want to keep the text short and the contact information easy to find. Actually, this applies to basically any website, but you get the point.

If you’re hoping to sell delicious baked goods, your copy should be mouthwatering and tell us exactly how tasty those croissants are. A positive user experience happens when you know who you’re trying to talk to and what that type of person enjoys. If this is challenging, it may help to visualize one individual person. Think about their likes, dislikes, and needs, then tailor your website accordingly.

If you need help determining what kind of user experience your website offers contact me and let’s chat.