There are many things you can do to optimize your website for functionality and findability. Making your site relevant in the Googlesphere for users to find it, and giving them the best experience when they do, is important in our digital world.
We have chosen 8 topics we consider a must-do on your website. All of them are achievable by people who don’t have a plethora of technical knowledge about the back end of your site.
1. Purpose-driven statements
At the top of your Home page, include a positioning statement that tells the user who you are, why you exist, and what you do for them. Keep this statement centered around the user so they can see the problem you are solving for them immediately.
Have a value proposition to optimize sales. Make your value clear right away on your Home page so the user understands why they should interact with you.
Create a powerful brand essence, the feeling and experience of the character and personality of your brand. This creates a connection with users that are attracted to your unique brand personality, increasing the chances they convert to a customer.
2. Call to action
Identify your call to action – what you want the user to do – and lead them to that action on every page.
Keep your call to action active using phrases like “get access now” instead of ”submit for more.” The more enticing an action sounds, the better the chances the user will do what you want them to do.
Adding contact information and social sites to static headers/footers on your website ensures that people can connect with you from every page. Don’t forget to make your email address and phone number clickable so people can call or email from their mobile devices.
If contact information is not easily accessible, 44% of visitors will leave before taking action.
3. Social proof
Video testimonials are trending, and they add trustworthiness to your brand because users don’t question if they are fake reviews.
Written testimonials, screenshots from social media, photos of customers with your products, or links to online reviews are also great ways to show visitors that your customers like you.
A press page with linked articles about your business gives you more credibility in the eyes of users.
Linking to outside sources (like articles or reviews) increases your website’s search engine optimization (SEO).
4. Compelling content
A short video about your business shows your body language, allows users to hear your voice, and gives you a platform to share your message while creating a personal connection.
Your content should answer questions that speak to your customer’s pain points. Site visitors want to know you understand their problems and that you can fix those problems.
Show your site visitors how you are different than your competitors. WHY should they choose you over them?
None of your content should be out of date. This leads to losing credibility with your user.
Give users something for free, such as a tip of the month or user guide. This builds your likability factor and creates a reciprocal relationship, keeping them coming back.
5. Multiple pages
To increase your SEO, your website should have 5-10 pages at a minimum (home, about, services, portfolio, contact, etc.). Multiple pages tells search engines that your site has something of value for people to interact with, driving more people to it.
Social icons on every page increases engagement between your website and social platforms, stimulating your site’s SEO.
Blogs are great for SEO. If you want to bring people you have not already connected with to your website, a blog is a great way to do that.
Companies with 16 blog posts a month have up to 4x the traffic as those who don’t.
6. Global optimization
Over 50% of website traffic is from mobile devices. Ensure your website is mobile responsive, meaning it automatically adjusts pages to the size of the screen the user is seeing them from.
Keep your page content to a minimum. Users on mobile devices have to scroll much more than those on a desktop computer. The more scrolling they have to do, the less of a chance they get to the end of the page.
57% of people won’t recommend a site that is not good on mobile devices.
7. Simplicity
Get to the point, cut the fluff. Time is money and everyone wants to save time.
Only ask what you need on opt-in forms. Overcomplicating forms on your site leads to people not filling them out. Asking for too much can also make users uneasy about how you will store their information in a secure manner.
White space, color spots, and visual engagement matter. Don’t be boring but don’t be too busy. Negative space (white space) and positive space (imagery) should help the user’s eyes move around the page with ease.
Make a clear site path with simple, limited navigation. Confusing your users with too many buttons and links will result in them giving up and moving on.
Most people spend 15 seconds on a page so capture and keep their attention.
8. Site speed
Your website should take no more than 4 seconds to load. Users are increasingly impatient and they will leave if they have to wait too long.
To help your site load faster, optimize your photos for speed of loading. For PDFs and other uploads, enable file compression so they are in a smaller form than if you were going to email them to someone, for example.
40% of users will leave if a site takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
Click here to learn What is SEO and Why do I Need it?