You’ve all experienced it. You visit a website you’re interested in, but once you get there you are lost. You can’t find the navigation, the page is slow loading, and is generally a mess. What happens next? You leave that website in search of one that is easier to navigate and understand.

Why the user matters

In the world of web design, making sure the user has a flawless and comfortable experience on your site is the most important thing. Sure, you can make your site as pretty as you want, with all the bells and whistles. However, if the user can’t find their way around your site, you might as well consider them lost business.  In today’s fast-paced technology-heavy world, users want total control on the internet. Being able to find what they want with as little effort/clicks as possible is key. 

2 click rule

When building a website, try to build it so you are able to access every page with a maximum of 2 clicks. If you visit one page, make sure you have navigation options that are easily visible in order to transport the user to another page they may be interested in. Your home page should feature at least one prominent navigation bar, whether it be on the side or across the top of the page, it should be one of the first things you see when you visit a site. 

Clutter encourages the bounce

It’s also important not to clutter your homepage (or any pages for that matter) with too many images or bombard the user with paragraphs of text. The content shown on your homepage should make it easy to understand what you offer, as well as how to find that on your site. Make everything to-the-point and keep it simple, use of strategically placed Calls To Action or links will draw the user further into the site as well.

While it is important for your site to look good aesthetically, keep in mind that the user is more interested in the information that is on there, as opposed to how nice it looks. Visiting your website should be a breeze for users, and not a chore. Want to know if your website makes the grade? Let us assemble a thorough website audit to identify your website weak spots and bring it back up to par.