Thousands of new websites are being created and launched every day. The internet is quickly becoming a saturated market, where sites are competing for the audiences’ attention and time.
Providing them with stellar user experience is the only way to stay ahead of the competition, which is why more sites are now focusing on their UX.
There are some simple tips that can help you get started with improving user experience on your site. We are going to review some of them in this article.
Speed Matters
Speed is one of the most important aspects to tackle when you’re trying to improve the user experience. Today’s internet users have a short attention span, which is why your site needs to load – and deliver the information users are searching for – quickly.
The magic number to aim for is three; your site needs to start showing important elements within three seconds in order to retain visitors and avoid a high bounce rate. Thankfully, the technologies behind today’s websites are more efficient, allowing even the most complicated sites to remain small in size.
Images and design elements need to be optimized too. Again, there is no shortage of options when it comes to optimizing images and visual elements on websites. For WordPress users, plugins such as WP Smush can automatically compress images without lowering the quality. Similar solutions for other CMS platforms are also available.
Important Information First
The area above the fold – the viewable area at the top of the site – is another important key to focus on when trying to improve the user experience. The content you place in this area will help users decide whether they want to stay and continue browsing the site.
Top Tests’ website, where learner drivers can take practice driving theory tests, is a good example of effective above-the-fold design, focusing on key information such as “2017 DVLA Theory Test” that tells users instantly what they can find on the site. There are still colours and images above the fold, but the front-and-centre call to action helps retain the majority of visitors.
You can apply the same approach to your website. Find a unique selling proposition that you know is attractive to visitors. This optimisation alone will help boost retention and conversion rates by a substantial margin.
Use White Space
White space is one of the most underrated web elements today. A lot of site owners still try to pack as many web elements and content as they can onto a page; this isn’t the best approach to take. Instead of cramming everything in there, adding sufficient white space between elements can make a site look cleaner and more welcoming.
HubSpot recently added more space between the lines and paragraphs. This boosted the site’s readability substantially, which in turn increase users’ time on site. A more readable site creates a positive user experience that persuades visitors to read more articles and spend more time on your site.
These are just some of the most basic tips you can use to boost user experience and make your site more competitive. The tips we’ve covered in this article are very easy to implement, allowing you to improve your site in no time.