Your website is essentially the home of your brand on the Internet, and it’s fair to say nobody wants to stay in a house that’s too cluttered to walk through. A site can propel your brand to new heights by ensuring a great user experience that keeps people engaged and on your page. If you can’t keep visitors on your page, you can’t expect them to have faith in your business and buy or use your product. Studies show that 42% of people would leave a website because of poor functionality, so it’s critical that your site is the best version it can be!
Here are five ways to instantly improve your website.
Speed It Up
Over 53% of people will leave a mobile page if it takes more than three seconds to load! Whether it be on a phone or computer, website speed is important to users no matter what platform they’re on. Take steps like optimizing imagery, reducing plugins, using a content delivery network, optimizing your homepage, and choosing a solid site host to make your site as fast as possible. There are many factors that go into speeding your website up, and it can be a lot to take in. Check out our blog on web page speed for an explanation of how it all works.
Mobile-Friendly and Responsive
Having a mobile-friendly and responsive website (meaning it displays properly on any browser or screen) is one of the easiest ways to improve your company’s page. If you don’t, you will end up losing visitors because it’s too hard to take in your content in certain formats, and Google could drop you in their rankings. WordPress and other popular platforms usually take care of this, but for some reason, if your site isn’t fully functional, then tackling this tip can drastically improve the user experience.
Remove Distractions
People have an average attention span of eight seconds – this is stunningly shorter than that of a goldfish. If somebody can’t get the big picture of your company within that time frame, you might as well move on to the next visitor. Make it simple and convey your brand’s message as soon as possible to improve your website by eliminating unnecessary content and distractions such as text that’s too blocky and long, mismatched fonts and colors, and cluttered animations.
Use The Right Photos
While using original photography is best because it can drastically improve your site’s authenticity and aesthetics, that’s not always possible. There’s nothing wrong with implementing stock photos on your website, but they must be the proper images. Stay authentic and avoid using cliche imagery, such as a big group of people in suits jumping in the air. Improve your website by looking for realistic images that portray real life, and let your visitors know that you’re human too.
Website Navigation
If you downloaded an app but couldn’t figure out how to use it, would you keep the app or just delete it? Your website works the same way. Easy website navigation is crucial to helping your users find what they’re looking for and increasing your search engine rankings. Users should be able to access any part of your site from another one within two clicks. Stick to seven or fewer items on your main navigation menu (not including dropdowns). Ensure it’s easy to get around your website and remove any jumbled or cluttered menus, links, or other information.
There’s a lot that goes into improving a website, and some of it involves difficult programming or technical knowledge. Don’t worry, though, because our experts at Clearbridge Branding Agency know how to get the job done. Contact us today, and we’ll get right on moving your site in the right direction.
