A great website isn’t just about stunning visuals – it’s also about how easy your website is to navigate for its users and, most importantly, how easy it is for those users to find what they are looking for and then take action.
Creating a user-friendly website is key to making this happen.
With the increasing number of people accessing websites using their mobile devices, having a website that works well across all screens is no longer optional – it is absolutely essential!
But, if you have no experience in web design and do not have an in-house web designer, creating this seamless and user-friendly experience for your web visitors can seem like a daunting task.
In this blog, we will share some simple, actionable tips that you can use today to ensure your website is responsive, intuitive and fully optimised for both desktop and mobile devices.
Whether you’re building a brand new website or optimising your existing one, these strategies will help you create a seamless experience for all your visitors.
1. Prioritise Clean, Intuitive Navigation
Your website is quite often the first interaction a website visitor has with your business.
If their experience isn’t seamless, intuitive and engaging, they’re likely to leave your site before they even get the chance to explore further – even if you’re offering the exact product or service they are looking for.
To engage your visitors while they are on your site, your website navigation must be clear, simple, easy to use, and intuitive.
You want them to be able to find exactly what they’re looking for with just a few clicks.
Here are three quick changes you can make to your website today to improve your website navigation:
- Clear Menus and Labels: Use simple, descriptive menu items with clear terminology that matches the content users expect to find.
- Logical Content Organisation: Ensure users can easily move between sections to enhance website usability. Submenus help break up complex topics and guide website visitors smoothly to the information they need.
- Breadcrumb Navigation: Add breadcrumb trails to help users track their location and easily retrace their steps without starting over.
Source: Amberjack
2. Optimise for Mobile Usability
More users are browsing the web on their mobile devices than ever before.
If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you will miss out on a huge number of potential visitors and potential new customers.
Your website needs to be fully functional on mobile and desktop devices and have a design that adapts to any screen size.
When viewed on a mobile device, the text should be easily readable without the need for zooming, and the buttons should be large enough to be easily tapped without frustration.
Regularly testing your site across various devices ensures a smooth user experience and helps you catch potential issues before they impact your visitors.
3. Use Legible Fonts and Sufficient Contrast
When it comes to having a simple, user-friendly website, readability is key.
You should make sure that you are using fonts that are simple, clear, and stand out from the background, helping you create a more comfortable browsing experience for your users.
Text that is too small or hard to read can frustrate your visitors and may result in them leaving your website before they have found what they are looking for.
Make sure that your font size is large enough and can be easily read on any device, especially mobile.
It is also important to pay close attention to colour contrast.
If your text blends too much with the background, it can be difficult for your users to read and understand.
Having a high contrast between your text and background (e.g. black text on a white background) will make it easier for users to follow and understand.
Running regular accessibility and readability checks will help you spot any issues with fonts and contrasts before they impact your users’ experience.
Source: Power Hygiene
4. Ensure Fast Loading Times
A slow-loading website is one of the main reasons users bounce from your site.
If your pages take too long to load (usually longer than 3 seconds), website visitors are likely to bounce before they have even seen what it is you have to offer.
To help improve your website loading time and ensure you have a user-friendly website, you should focus on optimising your images for the web and minimise the amount of plugins you use on your site.
Using compressed image formats like WebP will significantly reduce the file size of your images without sacrificing the quality.
Offloading, deactivating or removing unnecessary or unused plugins will prevent your site from becoming sluggish and help create a smoother, faster experience for your users.
By making these small changes, you can significantly reduce load times and improve your overall user experience.
5. Make Actions Clear with Strong Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Clear and strong calls-to-action (CTAs) help you to guide your users to take the next desired step on your website.
Whether that’s signing up for a newsletter, downloading a lead magnet or making a purchase.
To make the action you want users to take obvious, use clear and action-oriented phrases like “Sign Up,” “Learn More,” or “Buy Now.”
Alternatively, CTAs that inspire reaction to a pain-point or an offer tend to work very well. Examples of this could be “Get your free quote” or “Under attack?”, which is one of my favourites used by Cloudflare.
Position your CTAs prominently on your website, such as at the end of text sections or in the header, for easy access.
Optimising your CTAs ensures they stand out and drive conversions, helping users easily navigate toward becoming customers.
6. Incorporate a Search Function for Quick Access
We recommend having a search bar on your website to help your users quickly find exactly what it is they are looking for.
Having this function available is extremely useful, especially if your site has lots of content or products.
You should ensure that the search bar is prominently placed, like at the top of every webpage, so that it is always easily accessible.
A search function on your website helps to improve navigation and boost overall user experience, making it faster and easier for visitors to find exactly what it is they are looking for.
7. Reduce Clutter with a Simple, Clean Design
A simple, clean design is key to creating a website that is easy to navigate and offers an enjoyable experience.
By incorporating plenty of white space, you direct your visitors’ attention to what matters most, making your content more digestible and the overall experience smoother.
Avoid overcrowding your pages with too many different colours, fonts, or pop-ups, as this can overwhelm your website users and cause them to bounce from your site.
Instead, focus on using a couple of complementary elements that work together to guide the eye of the user and help them focus on the key information.
8. Use High-Quality and Relevant Images
High-quality and relevant images can elevate your website, but they serve a greater purpose than just looking pretty.
The images on your web pages should capture the attention of your users and support the content that they are paired with.
It’s imperative that you use images that are relevant to your content and properly optimised for use on the web to improve website design.
Oversized image files will slow down your site and may cause users to bounce.
By optimising your images, you can keep your site looking great without sacrificing speed.
This will ensure a seamless user experience and boost your site’s overall performance.
Source: All Clean London
9. Make Contact Information Easy to Find
Your business contact information needs to be easy to find so your visitors can easily reach you whenever they need to.
Whether it’s a contact form, phone number or email address, your users should never feel frustrated or confused when searching for a way to get in touch with you.
Make sure your contact details are accessible from every page, or consider adding a dedicated “Contact Us” section in your top navigation so your users can access it with a single click.
10. Add Social Proof to Build Credibility
Social proof is the greatest way to build credibility with new visitors to your website.
It includes things like customer reviews, video testimonials and accreditation badges that showcase the positive experiences that your customers have had with your business.
Strategically placing this social proof in high-traffic areas, such as on your homepage or dedicated product pages, can have a big impact on building trust with potential new customers.
When visitors to your site see real feedback from other individuals, it encourages them to trust your brand and boosts their confidence in making a purchase or enquiry.
11. Use Consistent Visual Elements for Cohesive Branding
Maintaining consistent visual elements is key in making sure your website’s branding is cohesive, memorable, and instantly recognisable.
When you use the same fonts, colours, and design elements across your entire site, you create a unified look that makes your brand instantly recognisable.
This not only helps to boost your brand’s visual appeal but also prevents any confusion and overwhelm with users, as this creates a user-friendly website that is easy to navigate.
Consistent branding builds trust and ensures that your website leaves a memorable mark on visitors.
12. Incorporate Interactive Elements for Engagement
Incorporating interactive elements like videos, product reviews, and hover effects can help make your website more dynamic and engaging for your visitors.
These elements can encourage users to interact with your content in a meaningful way.
When used correctly, interactive elements can enhance the overall user experience and help keep users interested and engaged for a longer period of time.
Prioritising usability is really important, as the interactive elements you incorporate should never overwhelm or confuse the website user.
The key is to strike the right balance between enhancing functionality and not distracting from the website’s main goal.
13. Add Accessibility Features for Inclusive Design
Accessibility features, like alt text for images and video captions, are crucial for making your website inclusive and easy to use for everyone, regardless of their abilities.
Not only do these features help you meet legal requirements, but they also create a more inclusive experience for all your website visitors, which showcases your commitment to accessibility.
Designing your website with accessibility in mind will not only improve the experience for a wider audience but also demonstrate your business’s dedication to being inclusive.
14. Test, Gather Feedback, and Continuously Improve
Regularly testing your website and gathering user feedback is crucial for ensuring that it continues to meet the needs of your website visitors.
Using tools like usability tests, surveys, and heatmaps can give you valuable insights into how users interact with your site and highlight areas for improvement.
Websites aren’t something you can just “set and forget” — they require regular updates and maintenance to keep content relevant, provide a smooth user experience, and stay efficient at driving traffic.
Ongoing usability testing allows you to fine-tune the user experience, ensuring that your site remains intuitive, engaging, and aligned with your audience’s expectations.
This continuous feedback loop not only keeps your website fresh but also enhances the overall experience, leading to higher user satisfaction and better conversion rates.
Optimise Your Website for Success Today
Building a user-friendly website is a combination of thoughtful design, strategic improvements, and ongoing maintenance.
By prioritising simplicity, testing regularly, and staying adaptable to user feedback, you can create a website that enhances the experience for your visitors and helps convert them into loyal customers.
Websites are constantly evolving, so staying proactive and refining your design will keep you ahead of the competition.
Start implementing these web design best practices today, and watch your site’s performance improve!
Need expert help to optimise your website?
Get in touch with Design Box today, and let’s create a seamless, user-friendly website that drives results!
