Could your website have usability issues?
Website usability refers to a number of factors that make it easy for a visitor to use your website and complete their goals. In other words, good web usability means that visitors are able to complete their desired actions in as few clicks as possible. If you have poor web usability, it’s more likely for visitors to get frustrated and leave your site for a competitor.
To ensure that usability issues aren’t going undetected on your site, here are some common issues to watch for.
Bad First Impression
One of the most crucial aspects of website usability is how your website loads and the way you structure your pages. You want people to come to your site and feel good about being there. To achieve this, make sure you choose the right color scheme, use animated graphics only when necessary and optimize all visual content.
Poorly Structured Links
If you link out to other web pages, make sure you check them from time to time to ensure they are still functional. Broken links are frustrating to users, especially when that information could have helped them make a purchase decision or learn something new. Also, keep menu options limited so that users can easily find what they are looking for.
Too Much Web Text
Make sure that your website content is valuable to the user and easy to read. Keep in mind that people generally scan over content – they don’t read it all. Use short sentences, apply subheadings and place key information into a bullet list. This makes your content easy to understand and absorb.
Lack of Consistency
No matter what page a user is on (blogs, FAQs, 404s), they should never feel like they’ve left your site. Consistency is key, so make sure that you are using consistent colors, fonts and graphics throughout your site. Also, choose standard buttons and icons so that users know what to do and can complete their goals quickly.
Difficult Navigation
Lastly, your navigation should be clean and easy to follow. Ideally, users should be able to complete their desired actions in three clicks or less. Use common, familiar terms like “Contact Us” and “FAQ” to help visitors find the information they need. If there are too many steps to doing things, consider ways you can reduce them.
Good website usability helps grow your website and maintain high quality traffic. If you’re concerned that your site has too many usability issues, contact Magna Technology and we’ll be happy to take a look and offer personalized solutions.
