Although your business is footing the bill, your website truly belongs to your customers. Think of it as a service, a convenient way for customers to make a purchase, perform a specific task (like download a file) or in some way interact with your business. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whose name is on the registration or whose logo is at the top of each page. It all boils down to this one simple statement — your website is not yours. You may want to think it is, but you’d be much better off thinking about your website as belonging to your users.
A good website, no matter how pretty it is or how many features it has, is successful because it works — without confusion, hiccups, or frustration for your users. Design decisions should be based on the behavior, tendencies, browsing habits, and preferences of your audience, not your own whims and fancies. Simplicity in function is the goal.
The reason for this is obvious: your business could not exist without your customers or clients. Before you get caught up in adding this fancy feature or that creative navigation to your website, ask yourself how this will impact your users’ experience. The last thing you want to do is annoy them.
At one time or another we have all encountered websites where the focus was not on ease of use. Do any of these look familiar?
And the list goes on…
User experience (UX) is its own field that, at its core, focuses on the emotional responses of users. There are even UX designers who specialize in this aspect of design only. If you are hyper-focused on user experience, you may want to hire a UX designer.
Web designers, by definition, may not have UX as a primary focus. It is important to keep in mind, though, that aesthetics are a big part of the experience, so whether you chose a UX or a web designer, you definitely want someone who can create something that looks good.
Your best bet, particularly if you aren’t in a position to hire a big agency, is to find a skilled web designer who includes UX principles and practices into the process. Any professional web designer worth her salt will always take UX into consideration when creating the visual design of a website.
When you have a website designed, you want to make absolutely certain UX is at the forefront of the process and is kept there throughout — even after (especially after) it has been launched. You never know how an idea or design will come across until it is in the hands of the end user. Ideally, you will be able to test and get feedback before the actual launch, and there are many tools you can use to evaluate your website’s UX.
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You probably noticed that most of these tools are paid solutions. For the best intel, it will generally cost you. But is it worth it? Studies have shown that for every $1 invested in user experience, you will get $2 to $100 in return. Case studies on companies such as Evernote and Zillow toss around statistics like “15% increase in user retention” and “8% increase in conversions.” User experience testing rarely has a downside because you’re getting valuable information that is often immediately actionable.
You are not the most important person in your business. (Ouch! I know that’s harsh, but it’s a necessary mindset for a business owner to adopt.) For the success of your business, at some point you’re going to have to kick your ego and preferences to the curb. It’s best to do it sooner rather than later, and especially when it comes to your website. Remember, the point of everything your business does is to delight your customers, and that includes your website.
A common tactic for businesses is to repurpose content. This gives the creator the opportunity to breathe new life into something old. Repurposing content is a smart practice, and I highly encourage it.
We have all seen one-page websites in our Internet travels, but are they a trend worth latching on to?
Have you ever wished you could accelerate your administrative tasks? Streamline your spreadsheets? Fast-track your follow-ups? Guess what — there’s a Zap for that. If you’ve never used or heard of Zapier, you may be working harder than you need to. Read on to see if Zapier is the life hack you’ve been dreaming of.
