How To Design A Website With Customers In Mind
A website is the first impression you make when it comes to your business. Whether you are a start-up or already established, having an attractive and functional site can help build customer trust in your brand.
It can be hard to make decisions about website design. These days, there are a lot of templates and ideas available online ready for you to copy and paste into your site. But if you are serious about building your company’s identity, then going the template route isn’t the way to go.
Having a website that is well-designed, easy to navigate and attractive to your customers is beneficial in many ways. Firstly it allows you to have a place where people can find information about your business and what you do.
It also makes a good impression on your customers because it shows that you care enough about the quality of your product or service for others to see it online too.
Here are 5 ways to design a website with customers in mind:
#1. Understand who your target audience is
Know what they want and need from their experience on your site so that you can deliver it. Think through the personality of your brand as it relates to your site. Are you serious, playful, or trendy?
A website is an extension of your company. It should represent what you do clearly and concisely, so that visitors are informed about the services/products they want to know about.
The average person visiting your site gets distracted easily, and that can be annoying to your customers. Make navigation as simple and easy as possible for them so that they don’t get frustrated or confused with finding the content they want on your website.
#2. Create content for them
Develop the right content by understanding their needs and wants through market research, surveys, interviews, etc. Once you know what they expect from your site, develop the content that will deliver.
Ensure that the colors, fonts, images, tone of voice and other characteristics used in every department/section on your website are clearly defined so that visitors get a sense of familiarity with your brand. Consistency builds trust.
Provide additional value by creating multiple ways to find the information they are looking for. Your visitors will appreciate it if you give them multiple paths to get what they need instead of just one way of finding what they want.
#3. Build trust with them
Establish credibility in order to gain customer loyalty through quality products or services as well as transparent communication policies like clear terms of service agreements and privacy policies.
Use testimonials from customers, case studies and user-generated images to build trust. Connect with your customers on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook so that they start seeing you as a person instead of just a business.
#4. Ensure that your website is fast
The average person loses interest and clicks out of a website if more than 3-4 seconds have passed waiting for an image to load.
Avoid adding too much information to each page. Use white space to keep viewers focused, and provide links for easy navigation to other sections within the site.
Flashy animated graphics may look great, but they can be a time-suck for your visitors. Speed up your website by keeping everything simple and clean as well as avoiding using too many plugins and codes.
#5. Enable mobile device compatibility
Today, the majority of visitors come to your site on their mobile phones or tablets so make sure that your website is viewable on various devices like iPhone, Android, iPad, etc. This is something you can always opt for a web development agency to do for you.
Make it easy for your customers to take a look at your site anytime, anywhere as they will expect this from every site they visit now. Bonus points if you have an app version of your website so that people can get the info they need in less than 4 seconds!
Seek Professionals’ Help
If you are not very tech-savvy or don’t have the time to design your website, consider hiring a professional web designer. They will understand your target audience and deliver a site that loads fast and can be viewed on any mobile device.
They are also the best resource to make sure that your site follows search engine optimization techniques so that you get to top of page one on Google for your target keywords.
Even if you do opt for a professional web design, it is still important to keep an eye on their work. If they are not delivering exactly what you want within the timeframe promised, seek another professional or do it yourself.
Avoid These Mistakes While Designing A Website
You need to take the time to research and determine the best options available for your website. Choose a web design template that is relevant, fresh, simple and easy-to-use.
- Do not spend time on details that most visitors will never notice.
- Add content that will provide visitors with value instead of adding unnecessary graphics or plugins. Also, do not add extra pages that lead them nowhere – these are considered linkspam by Google Penguin and Panda algorithms.
- Establish trust with your visitors by being transparent. Provide them with an About page that introduces the company and its values as well as including full contact information like phone numbers, address, email, etc.
- Never use slow loading images or graphics. These are unnecessary and can frustrate your visitors if they have to wait for more than 3-4 seconds for an image to load.
- Make sure your website is mobile compatible to ensure that visitors can access it on their smartphones and other handheld devices easily.
Remember that your website is the first impression many people will have of you and your business, so take pride in creating a site that showcases all of your best assets, delivers valuable information and builds trust with every visitor. It will certainly pay off for you in the end!
Building customer trust through a functional and professional-looking website will increase your return on investment and enhance your brand image. So, before you start designing a website, make sure that it is designed for the end-user first.