One of the most important things you can do to make sure your website is winning in the search engines, is to focus on what your users will experience when landing on your site. Effective user experience (UX) web design practices increase the level of trust a visitor has in your website and in your business.
SEO has as much to do with how users engage on a site as it does with rankings. Creating a humanized user experience with SEO in mind will ensure that potential customers can find you online and become interested in your offerings.
Thinking beyond the keyword…
UX design includes every aspect of a website, from site navigation to individual page layout, to great customer support using Live Chat. User Experience (UX) can provide stronger ranking signals to Google.
According to Google:
“Google’s goal is to provide users with the most relevant results and a great user experience.”
Common barriers to a successful UX
Websites people love enjoy many return visitors because of great user experience, useful updates, and consistent improvements. According to Kissmetrics, as many as 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience.
Keyword-stuffed domain name for the website- Complex, busy layout
- Very small low resolution images
- Use of outdated technologies, such as Flash
- Slow load times
- Bad use of color
- Intrusive pop-up advertisements and interstitials
- Very small text or use of too many different font faces
- Not mobile-friendly or responsive for desktop users
- Boring, over-used templates
- No clear calls-to-action
- Website has not been updated in >3 years
- Non-secure website collecting sensitive information
- User generated spam in comments sections or blogs
Your website’s user experience plays a critical role in attracting new visitors and maintaining your customer base. Most visitors decide within a matter of seconds whether to continue browsing your site, or click the back button!
If you need help evaluating your current website for a great user experience, contact me.
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