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The success of a website depends on a lot of factors. Ultimately, though, it comes down to how comfortable visitors are while browsing it. As the internet continues to change at a rapid speed, even those who have experience can end up stumbling somewhere without realizing it. As for the ones who will be creating their very first website, the potential to end up in a failure becomes that much more likely. In order to avoid these hiccups, you need to be as familiar with what your potential visitors expect. The tips below should be of great use to everyone who wants to have a deeper understanding of how and why it is important for a website to be as user-friendly as possible.
Start with a Knowledge Base
There are a lot of tutorials out there that give you tips on how to build a website. However, some of them tend to miss one of the most important things - a knowledge base. If you are not familiar with what that is, it is more or less a place where visitors can find the information they seek. Live chats are great, but not everyone likes to spend time making a conversation or waiting for an answer when the responsible person is away. A good way to provide the answers for those that prefer to surf is by having an FAQ section. Forums are also popular if there are a lot of different questions. You can sticky the most popular threads, making them noticeable. If you happen to be running a WordPress site, check out HeroThemes WordPress Knowledge Base theme as it is one of the best in the business.
Direct Feedback
Image source: Sarah Pflug
Having a forum or a comment section is not just for providing answers. Regulars will be more than happy to provide you with their thoughts. A website cannot remain the same forever, and changes will happen sooner or later. Reaching a decision with the help of your community members sounds like a dream scenario, but there are plenty of website developers who heed the words of the visitors.
Speed
No guide in the world will help if your site takes too long to load. You need to ensure that your hosting plan is up there with the best. Of course, avoid filling the website with unnecessary stuff, and optimize content so that it is not just easy-to-read, but does not take forever to show itself.
Design
A good way to make people return is by having a design which appeals to your visitors. There are a lot of different themes out there, which give you more than enough room to test and see what works or not. Something like a minimalistic homepage would be a good starting point. Too much information on the front can be quite discouraging to those who might have thought about returning.
Mobile-Friendly
Image source: Sarah Pflug
Data shows that more and more individuals are using their smartphones or tablets to surf. Computers are still running strong in this race, but they have lost their place as the most popular. Sites that are not optimized for mobile use will suffer greatly, especially these days. If you want to make sure that you will not miss out on sales, then becoming mobile-friendly should be on your list of priorities.
Social Media and Search Buttons
Image source: Nicole de Khors
Nothing is as annoying as no search function on a website that has a lot of articles. Or lack of social media buttons if you want to share something with your friends or followers. While most default themes have these integrated, there are still plenty who do not. Therefore, do not miss out on this one.
These few tips should instantly make your website more user-friendly. The customer should come as a number one in your list of important things. And nothing screams that than a website which was built around the idea of putting the client first.
