Understanding the website usability factors your users are looking for, is crucial to delivering a great experience for all users when they visit your page.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important website usability factors.
1. Device agnosticism
This is a fancy way of saying that your site needs to be accessible across all of your users’ devices. With increasing numbers of users now accessing websites from tablets and smartphones, you need to know which devices your users are utilising, and your pages need to be able to support this. This has a huge impact on how your website should look and feel.
2. A clear and well-defined path
If your users are getting lost when they visit your webpage, this is a bad situation. Your users will get tired, bored, and leave your page, harming your conversion rate and SEO performance — if this is happening, forget about that number one Google search spot. Make sure your sitemap is easy to navigate, with a clear and intuitive pathway to all pages. What’s more, ensure your individual pages are well-ordered so that users can quickly and easily find what they need.
3. Speedy page loading
Modern users do not have time to wait around. They want to see pages loading immediately — and even a delay of just a single second can reduce page views by 11%. If your pages can load within three seconds, around 70% of visitors will stick around. With this in mind, make sure your pages load as quickly as possible, removing elements like unwieldy code and excessive flash animation that will slow the page down.
4. Information and support
Your content must meet the E.A.T. criteria of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This ensures that users get what they need when they visit your site, particularly when this is coupled with relevant and logical page titles and meta information. Be fully transparent and honest at every stage. Also, make sure that your users can access support as and when they need it through elements such as email, telephone details, and live text chat.
5. An easy-to-digest format
No one wants to be faced down by enormous chunks of text when they click on a business web page. Nor do they want to have to decipher a load of fancy, serif script. Rather than serving this up to your audience, make life easy for them by breaking up your text and using a pleasant, easy-to-digest format.
6. Immediate contact
In the same way that appearing above the fold on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) is important, you need to ensure that your key messaging also appears above the fold on your page. Above the fold means all information that is available to the user without them having to scroll down. Of course, all your content is important, but make sure you are engaging your users from the start.
Get usability right and set your website up to convert
Don’t neglect these website usability factors when you build your page. They are key to achieving a great user experience.
Is your website making it easy for your visitors to navigate and do business with you? Audit your website and find out!
