It’s essential to have a website that looks good; however, it’s even more important to have a website that is accessible and usable for visitors. Following the six tips below will help you create a more user-friendly webpage.
1-Design a mobile-friendly/ responsive website.
In 2015, having a website that is mobile-friendly is key to a company’s success. Studies show that 80% of people access the web via mobile devices. Google has made it clear that it will penalize anyone who doesn’t have a mobile-friendly website. This week, the company sent out a warning through webmaster tools alerting anyone who doesn’t have a mobile friendly website to “fix mobile usability issues found on www.yourdomain.com”. If you would like to see if your website is mobile-friendly, click the link below: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/
2 -Design with HTML5 and CSS rather than table-based layout.
HTML5 & CSS-based layouts will make your website more accessible to a higher number of users. All internet browsers support HTML5 & CSS, and it is more flexible for various devices than table-based design. Pages designed with HTML5 & CSS will also load faster and are easier for search engines to index than table-based pages.
3- Create great content
In order for your site to stand out you will need to provide rich content. Your site must focus on the user’ interests. To accomplish this, you will need to become a story teller weather it’s about a products or services, everything has a story and you need to be the one telling it. Writing great content will be a lot of work but it will pay off in the end. It will increase your ranking on Google, Bing and Yahoo. You should decide how you are going to reach and communicate with your clients and customers: will they purchase products, read articles, subscribe to newsletters, communicate through blogs and online communities? If a business fails to provide rich content on its website expect that site’s effectiveness to greatly diminish. For example, a site that is well-designed without great content is like having a Ferrari without an engine. You will get no were and you will be penalize by search engines.
4 – Include a contact form on your site.
One of the keys to usability is allowing visitors to submit feedback. A simple contact form is an appropriate way to receive questions and comments from your visitors. At the least, your website should list a contact email address for visitors to submit comments and/or questions.
5 – Use site-wide search engines and/or sitemaps.
Larger websites can make their content easier to navigate by including a search engine. Google and Bing both provide a free service that allows you to create a specialized search engine for your site. Smaller websites may find a sitemap to be more useful and effective.
6 – Use logical and consistent navigation.
Usability is increased when visitors can quickly and easily navigate through your website. This is usually accomplished with a navigation menu that appears on every page. Changing the navigation and its location from page to page can frustrate visitors and cause them to leave your site. Consider using a similar menu design on each page to provide your visitors with logical and consistent navigation.
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Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and webpage design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.
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