What Makes a Good Website?

 

If you want to increase the sales of your online shop or website in the long term, you cannot avoid a good user experience. We will show you which factors play a role in this.

Usability and User Experience: What’s the Difference?

There are small but significant differences between the usability and user experience of your website:

• Usability describes the usability and user-friendliness of your site. Users must be able to reach their goal (e.g. the purchase of a specific product) with as few clicks as possible. They also find the website trustworthy and pleasant.
• User experience goes one step further. The term encompasses the overall user experience with your site. Here, among other things, emotional aspects play a role: How is the address? How are the feelings when using the site?

Why is usability so important?

The fact that your visitors find what they are looking for on the website has various advantages. First and foremost, good usability increases the likelihood of conversion. The percentage of your visitors who end up taking the action you want will increase. This benefit is easy to understand. After all, good usability ensures that users find their destination faster. In addition, an optimized website creates trust and thus lowers the hurdle to order something.

In addition, usability is also important for search engine optimization. User signals on your website are a relevant ranking factor for Google. If visitors return after clicking on a search result because they did not find the answer to their question, Google evaluates this as negative – and ranks the page lower on the next search. This is another reason why you should take care of good usability.

Basic rules of usability

In this checklist you will find the most important criteria for good usability. Every website should at least respect these rules:

• Understandability: Do users understand what your site is about? Is the navigation clear and understandable?
• Readability: Are all elements (also mobile) readable and recognizable?
• Structure: Can visitors find all the important information on a topic at first glance? Is the content and the website clearly structured?
• Load time: Does the website load quickly? Are there elements that load too late?
• Accuracy: Do all links lead to the right destinations? Do the pictures work? Are the texts and information accurate and up-to-date?

improve user experience

Only when the basic rules are met should you think about the user experience. It is important to improve your site’s conversion rate. With targeted elements you influence the visitors and ensure trust. There are a handful of possibilities, but you should always compare them. Not every option is equally suitable for all websites.

• Optimize headlines: Headlines and titles are usually the first thing the user sees. Make them as clear as possible. Here it is important to get straight to the point of what the page is about and why it is good for the visitor to have landed on your page. With subheads you can also highlight other USPs of your offer.
• Images: Images convey emotions that you can use in a targeted manner. Avoid stock photos that don’t say anything. Your product should be the priority. Show people who are currently using the product – without appearing too posed.
• USPs: The advantages of your brand should always be in focus. Here, however, tact is required in the formulation. You can of course list all the nutrients and vitamins in a drinking meal. But it is much better if you consider what advantages the buyer has from this: for example, freedom from stress and time savings.
• Trust elements: So-called trust elements improve the user experience immediately. Show reviews from happy customers, a shop seal, or other ratings to inspire trust.
• Information: A good user experience is also characterized by the fact that the user no longer has any unanswered questions. Answer typical questions as clearly as possible and provide all necessary information that the user needs. This also includes objection handling. Are there typical objections to your products? Pick them up and invalidate them.
• Design: Consistency in design is important to avoid user confusion. Always work with the same colors and elements.
• Content: If visitors do not first land on the start page, but on a post or a landing page, you have to think about the content experience. This is about providing users with the right content at exactly the right time in the right form. Find out more about the content experience in our magazine .

Conclusion

Both the usability of your site and the user experience are crucial for the success of the company. The more familiar a user is and the better their experience, the more likely they are to convert. Regularly check your content, pages and links to ensure there are no mistakes. Let new people look over the page to get a different perspective. The checklists above will help you with the optimization.

Also Read : Web Design Basics: Make Websites More Target-Oriented