Local government ordered shutdowns have caused many brick and mortar businesses to utilize and update their operations and brand presence online. This can be seen both in the form adding e-commerce capabilities as well as updating their sites with accurate business information. As web traffic rapidly surpasses physical store traffic, online users grow to expect websites to meet a certain standard. Adhering to those standards online is appealing to the overall User Experience (or UX), which is a person’s emotions and attitudes towards a service, or in this case: your website! Designing your website to have a strong UX is crucial to your success, especially today, as business performance relies so heavily on internet presence. Your website is now the first glimpse that potential customers will get of your brand and, according to iMPACT, almost 80% of online shoppers will leave if they don’t like it!
Here are some good tips to consider while updating and adjusting your business website:
Optimize Functionality
It’s important to focus on optimizing the functionality of your site rather than throwing all of your energy into creating a pleasing appearance. You can lose a potential customer due to poorly functioning website mechanics at any point during their browsing experience. Whether it be slow loading times, complicated navigation, or too much scrolling to get to what they’re looking for, users will leave your site without a second thought.
Perhaps even more important than improving your site’s overall UX is optimizing it for mobile use. iMPACT claims that users are five times more likely to abandon their task if the site they are using isn’t properly formatted for mobile use. There’s no doubting the importance of mobile site optimization, considering nearly 80% of smartphone users have made a purchase using their mobile device within the past six months according to OuterBox.
Navigation Menu
Be sure to simplify your navigation menu. For customers who come to your site in search of a specific resource or item, a complex or nonexistent navigation menu can lead to frustration that is not worth their time. In fact, unpleasant website navigation is listed as one of the top reasons users say they will not visit a website again.
Keep Checkout Simple
Now more than ever, is the time to optimize for a smooth checkout process for users looking to buy products online. For e-commerce stores, checkout functionality can be a hurdle to overcome. Long, complicated checkout processes are an obstacle that many e-commerce shoppers are not willing to conquer. Once your shopper makes it to checkout, you’re in the home stretch- don’t risk losing them due to a complex and annoying checkout process! Always allow the option to checkout as a guest; customers are increasingly skeptical in regard to which websites they can and cannot trust, so the option to skip creating an account will be a major appeal. Another option is to offer login through google or Facebook, which can additionally help speed up checkout.
Professional Online Presence Management
If your budget allows for it, utilizing professional marketing assistance to build your business’s digital presence can provide long lasting benefits. Expert web developers open the doors to higher ranking SEO, better returns on investment, and increased exposure. Web development is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to DSG’s expertise. Check out our website and give us a call to discuss what more DSG has to offer!
