Setting up a website and get it running is just half the work. Attracting some traffic to it is a whole different story. Finding a way for your webpage to stand out, in a good way, among the millions of similar ones can be a tedious and stressful task. Sometimes it seems that whatever you do, it doesn’t seem to draw more people. Maybe you’re focusing on the wrong features, or the content is not very engaging to the users? Either way, there is some help coming your way. Owners of the high-traffic websites and professionals working to improve users’ experience shared their knowledge on how to make your webpages more appealing.
The content
One of the most common mistakes when creating the website is forgetting who are you creating it for. To be able to spot flaws that are causing users to skip your website, or shutting it down quickly, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Write down every question that comes to mind and then write a text regarding that particular issue. It the beginning it could be 5 or 10, but in time you’ll be able to come up with many different questions. Make answers short, sweet, and to the point. Mile-long articles are usually more overlooked than the shorter ones since many people are looking for an instant answer or the solution.
CTAs
CTA or call-to-action buttons should be clearly visible, preferably on the front page, and in a distinctive color. For example, if you have an online flower shop, “Order bouquet” should be apparent from a distance, let alone someone sitting in front of the screen. If users are unable to immediately spot call-to-action buttons, they will often move on to more transparent websites. Actually, the statistics say that each person spends less than 1 minute visiting a webpage, on average, meaning you have a very narrow window of opportunity to catch users’ attention. Because of this, CTAs like “make an order”, “talk to an expert” and so on have to be clearly noticeable on your front page. If you find it hard to manage, or you’re not sure about where to put what buttons, try hiring professionals that can help you create an inviting website. For information on how to improve your webpage look and functionality, as well as to attract more audiences, click here.
Session duration and optimization
CRO, or conversion rate optimization means increasing the volume of visitors who actually take some action, like filling in a questionnaire or becoming buyers of goods or services. Google Analytics can give you an insight on which pages are visited frequently and which ones are continuously overlooked. Once you identify the problem, it’s time to take some action. Read through the articles and see if the information provided is still valid, is the text too old and not relevant for the current situations, or whether the text is simply boring. Whatever the case, you can either fix it or delete the content altogether. Instead, come up with some more current info that users are searching for.
User testing is a service that can point out the exact faults and imperfections on your webpage. It used to be huge machinery of people collecting data and scaling the experience, but today it’s a very simple and straightforward process that doesn’t cost much. Food for thought.
Grammar and typos
You would be surprised to learn how many websites have grammar mistakes and typos on their front pages alone. If someone was to check every single text, there would be a considerable percentage of mistakes. Failing to double-check grammar, spelling or typos can significantly affect your website’s credibility. If you can’t write properly, you will give the impression of a sloppy, lazy, and uneducated person. Who would want a bit of advice from someone like that, or even worse, doing business with the sluggard? The bottom line is, it will cost you dearly. Do your due diligence ad take some time for proofing and editing before publishing it. Sometimes the image is everything, and bad grammar and misspellings can hold back your business.
Browser issues
Once people get used to using one specific web browser, they rarely make a switch. This can easily be overlooked by the site creators raising some issues. When people can’t even open a website, they won’t bother to come back. Testing the website from time to time in most used web browsers is crucial for users’ experience. Addressing any issues in a timely manner, like fixing bugs, can substantially increase the traffic. Google Analytics has the information about the browser distribution letting you know which ones to test more frequently.
Be mobile-friendly
Much of the surfing is done on cell phones, so making your website mobile-friendly is a must. If you already are there are tests online that can determine how exactly your website is seen on the phone and whether or not it keeps the quality of the desktop version. In case you haven’t thought of this in time, you can create a separate mobile version which is not the cheapest way to go. Still, whatever you choose to do, your website needs to be perfect for mobile users as well.
SEO
Search engine optimization can put your website on the map. Research which pages are the most visited and double-check their meta titles and meta descriptions. Titles should be catchy, and witty, or highly informative; something that will make people want to click. The meta description should be the crucial point of the text, in short. Writing a long description will cause some important details to be omitted and potentially steer away from the audiences.
Distinctive homepage
The homepage can make or break your online business. Confusing, bland, or congested by too much information pages will automatically be ditched by users. Keep your homepage simple headlining the main points. Sentences should be short while explaining the core of your services or goals. Use personalized photos that will paint a picture of an approachable people ready to tackle the problems. For example, if you’re a roofing company, put up the photos and first names of your employees on the front page. Smiling faces are bound to attract more sales and traffic to your website overall.