Too many web designers forget that they work for the users. Web designers now seem so absorbed and obsessed with the idea of making the most beautiful site, the most modern, the most refined, the "most plus" that they forget the primary purpose of a website: the IN-FOR-MA-TION! On the Internet you can find everything and immediately, it is the golden rule. Do not deviate from it.
There is nothing more annoying than going to a website looking for a desired item, an e-mail address or the date of an event and not finding that information! If your visitors can't find what they're looking for, or have to turn into Sherlock to find it, you can be sure you won't see them again anytime soon. Efficiency of your site: zero.
So before you launch into the design and SEO of your site, it is essential to linger long on the tree and follow these tips for a site is user-friendly.
A good portion of users sometimes end up on a site "because they saw a light", by clicking randomly on an ad or an image search. This is a fact.
This does not mean that these visitors and your site have no reason to have met. There is no such thing as "destiny"; Web walk-ins are the result of search engine algorithms. Don't overlook any visitor.
Very often, this kind of user will have received from a Facebook friend a terse link like "I thought you might be interested". So the first thing to do is to introduce yourself: who are you? What do you do? Who are you for? If the user doesn't immediately understand what your site can do for them, you lose them.
Explain simply, avoiding professional jargon, what you do. This is very easy when you are selling a product, but if it is a service, it can quickly become confusing. Ethereal and conceptual phrases like "freer than ever", "enrich your life" give strictly no information. Use short, effective, descriptive text to explain your product/service/association/cause/message.
This is naturally the second question.
You most likely designed a site because you had something to sell. Whether it's a product or a message. The user then becomes a customer, who doesn't want to have to click on the three descriptive tabs of the product to find out the price.
If it's free, say so. If it's paid, say how much.
When you present a product or service with a free or premium option, you should systematically display the price of the premium option, and explain with a comparative table the differences between the 2 versions of the product.
Be precise on the price indications (exclusive of tax? Per unit? Per month? What currency?). Absolutely avoid hidden costs that act as real deterrents (delivery for example). The information on withdrawal or refund conditions must also be clear.
If your product is a free product (open source software for example), don't forget to add a mention that it is free thanks to participations or donations, and invite those who wish to contribute to it.
You can't hide anything, so you might as well be transparent on the Internet.
No matter how good your marketing team is, they will never be as effective and trustworthy to the average internet user as user reviews. If you don't have a "buyer reviews" or "customer feedback" section, you should link to or use Google, Amazon or social media reviews (Facebook allows you to leave reviews on your product page).
Social media reviews and consumer-to-consumer opinion sharing on the web have become your marketing content. It's up to you to nurture and leverage them. Whether you like it or not, they will be available on the web. You might as well take them on.
Once the visitor has the information he needs and wants to become the proud owner of your product, a subscriber to your software, or a member of your association, he must be able to take action quickly and easily.
In general, a "call-to-action" button will do the trick: "Download", "Subscribe", "Order", "Buy"... It must be very visible, very big and very obvious. And properly tagged (open the right page or the right order).
Obsolete websites still haven't understood this and force users to scroll through endless menus to get to an obscure footer with a discrete link.
The Internet makes it easier to buy and choose, but communication with a screen has its limits. Even if your FAQs are well provided, there are always complex cases or new questions that people will want answered quickly.
Don't hide behind the web, again, transparency is the golden rule to inspire trust. Nobody likes to feel like they are dealing with a robot.
Be as clear as possible about the ways to communicate directly with the sales or technical department: chat, email, phone, Facebook or Twitter messaging, Skype...
We now know that companies that are very careful with sharing their contact have something to be ashamed of, and you will only get more frustration and distrust.
So before designing your website and adding all the trendiest features of the moment, think about the content of your website before working on the form. Don't forget that what you are doing is communication on the Internet.
Respect your users and their comfort of navigation, they will be grateful. Please visit our web design page.
