A user friendly website is easy to use, navigate and to find relevant information. It has all these concepts just as the name suggests. Users expect a lot from websites now as new trends keep emerging every day.
So it is the best choice to create a website that is user friendly in order to bring viewers to your website and to encourage them to visit again.
What is Website Usability?
Website usability is all about how easy it is to use and get the best out of the website. Marketers and businesses have to be concerned about usability because it makes a huge impact in a negative or a positive way on different marketing measures.
Why is Website Usability Important?
Users don’t mind whether you have utilized interesting and complex solutions to create a website. It might not impress them. All they care about is how usable the website is.
A convenient and an easy to use website with interesting content will get the attention of any viewer. It will encourage them to be regular clients of the site.
The content of the site must be entertaining and accurate. It is also good to have fresh content by time. This will build trust on the website among the people.
Trust affects greatly for a visitor to keep engaged or build a relationship with the business or the company through the website. This will bring more traffic to the website and generate more traction.
If the website is based on ecommerce, it is better to focus more on website usability. Ecommerce websites are directly in contact with transactions and therefore, it needs to have a smooth and a seamless running. Focusing on usability will bring more sales and more visibility to the brand.
Website usability also helps to ensure that all the data gathered from users and customers is safe. This will help the business to gain popularity among the competitors. Integrating SSL certificates and other needful conformations will give a more secure environment in the website.
Since everyone loves having a fast loading and a speedy experience with websites, make sure your website has it too.
Essential Characteristics of a User-Friendly Website
A successful website has to be user friendly. It should look good while working seamlessly. These are the main keys to being away from competitors.
There are so many ways to improve a user-friendly website. Following these can make a website more attractive among customers and make it successful.
Let’s look into some of the essential characteristics that can be seen in a user friendly website.
Easy Navigation
A better navigation system is one of the most important parts of a website. Simple HTML will work the best and it appears to be consistent in all the platforms.
Use very simplified menus. A drop down menu will work better if the website has many sections and pages. Advanced HTML has now also brought many possibilities in creating new navigation systems.
And a customized search feature is also helpful for easy navigation. Hyperlink other content on different pages for the users to find every content in the website easily.
Mobile Compatibility
Most of the internet users are having smartphones as their to go device. Therefore creating a mobile friendly website is important.
Checking the presence of the website on mobile devices is important. Every website has to have a mobile version that will adapt to different screens and resolutions.
Websites that are not optimized according to mobile devices will lead to a poor user experience and this will impact web trafficking. So it is essential to build up a website that has mobile compatibility.
Simple Forms
A user friendly website should have a clean and a simple design which can be easily navigated. The menu should be a simple one and it should be on the same spot at each page.
Using different font sizes to emphasize main topics, sub topics and the body is also easy to understand and it will grab the attention of the user. Having the content on a white background and keeping a white space between the content creates a well balanced page.
Using a modern and a limited color scheme can avoid overwhelming the viewer. Simplifying everything brings more attention to the page and people find it attractive.
Clear Call-to-Action
A clear call to action (CTA) is an essential part of a user-friendly website. It’s a prompt of a button that will encourage the users to do a specific action on the website. It can be purchasing an item or a subscription.
A CTA should be able to clearly communicate with the users and guide them on what to do. Using action oriented simple language is important here.
This should also be highlighted from the rest of the content in a page. Eye catching colors and large fonts can be used. Adding up a FOMO ( fear of missing out) will make it more attractive and users tend to react quickly.
A CTA with these characteristics will be more effective and improve the website.
Fast Loading
Ability of a website to quickly load while giving users a pleasant and an easy experience is important for a website on its search engine optimization.
The images on a website should be able to download quickly. So the file size has to be reduced without downgrading the quality. Minimized HTTP requests is another special characteristic in fast downloading. This helps to speed up the loading.
Caching data enables a website to store data in the browser of the user. This reduces the loading time. Also a reliable hosting server can be helpful in loading time.
Well-Formatted Content
A website with well formatted content uses fonts that are easy to read. It should be visible on any device. A clear layout should be presented with a clear navigation option where users are able to quickly find things.
The design of the page has to be consistent where it will be easy for the users to go through the content.
Adding images and video clips in between the content will engage the users to break and read the block of texts. These media should be relevant to the content.
A well formatted website should be visually appealing and easy to use on any device.
Tips for Creating a User-Friendly Website
The idea behind making a website that is user friendly is to keep them engaged and hang around the website for a considerable time. In order to keep them watching your website, there are ways that can be used to help create a website that is user friendly.
Here are some ultimate tips that can be utilized.
User-First Web Design
Understanding the audience and their needs is the first thing to focus on while creating a website. Do a better research on the audience and what are their needs for a better understanding.
Design the website in an easy to navigate phase. Make sure it is accessible to everyone including differently abled persons.
Choose the Right Colors
Choose the colors that are well aligned with your brand. Identify your band’s particular colors and use them consistently throughout the site.
Also consider the psychological impact of the different colors on the audience. Colors are able to bring up specific emotions and it can influence the behavior of users.
Ensure that you’re aware about people with visual impairments. Choose colors that will make the access convenient for them as well. There are tools that can be used to check on how different color combinations will look.
Always keep the colors simple. Use a maximum number of colors that will look professional.
Keep It Simple
A complex design can make it for the visitors to navigate the site and easily look for what they need. So keeping it simple is essential.
Keep the design minimal by reducing the visual elements on the website. Use simple fonts and colors. The navigation menu should be easy to understand and use. Make it easy to find anything.
Use white space where users are able to focus on different elements of the website. Avoid using complex language. Keep it concise and understandable.
Mobile-Friendly
A mobile friendly website ensures that all the content of the website is optimized for a mobile and easy to access and use on every possible device.
Use a responsive design that is adaptive to all the devices. Optimize images by compressing them so that they are able to download fast. Keep the layout as simple as possible which will make it easy to access through mobile devices.
Use readable fonts and large icons or buttons to interact easily. Make sure to get the service from a fast and a reliable hosting provider to ensure speeded loading.
A mobile friendly website can achieve higher engagement with improved website traffic.
Compressed Image
Compressing images for a website is an effective way to reduce the size of images. It will improve the performance of the site.
Compressed images download faster than other images. It also requires less bandwidth to load. That can reduce the hosting costs.
Fast loading also improves SEO where it reaches to a higher ranking and increased traffic.
It will also bring more audience that will increase the satisfaction and conversion of the website.
If all these tips could be implemented into a website, creating a user-friendly website can be guaranteed. It is an essential aspect of building an online presence that is very strong in order to enhance the credibility of the brand.
Contact Tectera who provide web design in Toronto to create user friendly website.
Editorial Staff at Tectera are experts on web design, SEO, Social media, App and Software.