In 2022, consumers demand a lot from the websites they visit. If they do not like their overall experience when navigating to a website, they will be much less likely to get a revisit or repeat custom. Poorly formatted pages or those that do not function effectively (especially for slow page loading speeds) will put off potential customers quickly. Here are some top tips to ensure that your website is fit for the modern age and is an asset rather than an outdated inconvenience.
Make your pages phone friendly
Since 2015, due to the rise of the 4G network, mobile phones have become the most popular method used to access the internet for the first time. In the seven years that have passed, mobile phones have become faster and more sophisticated. In 2022 all websites must be optimized for mobile use to ensure a consistent and pleasurable user experience.
Ensure every webpage is SEO ready
There is little point in having a great-looking website if it generates little to no web traffic. A well-designed website is one that obeys the rules of search engine optimization or SEO. If webpages load and perform quickly, have great content and a high number of backlinks, they are likely to rank higher on Google searches and generate more traffic. SEO is quite a daunting topic for the uninitiated and requires an increasing amount of expertise. SEO topics such as undertaking keyword research are a field in themselves. If you are not at this level of knowledge and understanding of web design, it makes sense to seek out professional web developers such as bluelinemedia.co.uk, who can design your site for you and ensure it is optimized for today’s web consumers.
Have a consistent style that represents your audience
Depending on what your website is selling or the service it provides, it makes perfect sense to ensure that the styles and fonts used in your text are consistent and in line with your target audience. For example, if you are selling traditional oak furniture aimed at older homeowners, traditional serif font such as Times New Roman or Baskerville gives a suitable feel to the text. If your product or service is more modern, then sans serif fonts can offer more striking designs that grab the reader’s attention, such as Caviar Dreams or Exo. Always consider the target market of your website and keep the overall design theme of the web pages consistent.
Do your potential customers trust what they see?
Even the least tech-savvy consumer is aware of the concepts of online fraud, scams, and identity theft. A customer must trust what is seen on a website before a purchase is made, and websites that look old or are not adequately encrypted at the checkout page will send serious warning bells ringing to the consumer. Ensuring that payment pages are secure is one step but also consider having web-based customer support and “contact us” pages. With these, the consumer can ask questions and be reassured by quick responses that solve any issues. An “about us” page also lets the customer see what the company stands for and who they are and can be another way of building consumer trust.
