Making the Customer Website Experience a Good One

Whether we like it or not, technology is the backbone supporting just about every business today. Your website is one of the first stops a potential customer makes when considering your services, and if the experience isn’t welcoming, then it really doesn’t do your business justice. Not only that, but a bad UX (user experience) makes a user 88% less likely to visit your website again.

So, with The IT Department’s new website reveal imminent (are you as excited as we are?!), we thought it made sense to provide a guide on how you can improve the website experience for your own customers.

1. Focus on the design

It doesn’t matter how valuable the content of your site is, if the design is lacking. People expect a sleek website experience that puts the user first. That means:

• A colour scheme that’s easy on the eyes
• Clear, high-quality images
• An easy-to-follow layout
• Contact information and calls-to-action clearly displayed
• Simple navigation
  

2. Does it render for different screens?

If a customer is browsing your site on their mobile or tablet, will it look just as good as your desktop version? More and more, a responsive site for mobile devices and different browsers is a priority. Be sure to test your site across the board before going live!

3. Keep the content fresh

How well are you using your site’s real estate? This is your dedicated space to make sure your users can find exactly what they’re looking for, so be sure to keep content updated regularly so those visitors keep on coming.

Not only will good quality content guide users around your site, but it’s great for SEO (search engine optimisation) purposes, too.

4. Get it loading quickly

Your customers don’t have time to wait around for your site to load - especially when your competitors’ render almost instantly. In fact, 40% of people will give up and abandon a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

So, what can you do to speed up the load time?

1. Reduce the number of HTTP requests it makes. In other words, cut down on elements such as images and scripts wherever possible.
2. Optimise code such as CSS, JavaScript and HTML. By removing unnecessary characters and unused code, you could dramatically improve page load time.
3. Reduce redirects. With each redirect a page makes to another page, your user has to deal with more waiting time. 
4. Improve server response time, which is impacted by your traffic levels, software and hosting solution - amongst other things. Look for bottlenecks that could be making server response time worse, keeping in mind that the optimal response time is less than 200ms.
   

5. Simplify the process

Whatever business you’re in, your first job is making your customers’ lives easier. That starts with your website. Make sure the checkout process and/or journey to contact you are streamlined. 

Not sure how yours is doing? Your website’s user path probably looks perfect in your eyes - because you know how it works. Get someone outside the business to take an objective look at the customer experience, so they can let you know if any areas could be smoothed out.

Is it time your IT strategy got a refresh?

The IT Department provides managed IT services that help businesses in Australia to meet the demands of the modern customer. With flexibility and 24/7 support at the core of our business, getting your own IT infrastructure up-to-scratch is easy. Get in touch on 1300 10 10 40.