No matter the business you are in, if you have a company website, it’s there for the purpose of making you approachable to your customers (or at least people who could be that one day), so you should make it as easy as possible for them to use it. That is where UX, short for user experience, comes into the picture. Seen as “the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a product by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction with the product”, good UX design has become the bread and butter of successful marketing strategies in those companies that care about their website users. If this is something that has intrigued your business brain, stick with us to see how it can help your conversion rates and consequently, your business however small it might be.
1) Creates a good first impression
Did you know that it takes only 0.05 seconds for a person to decide if they like your website? Less than what it takes for your brain to judge another person! If there’s any truth in the saying “There is only one chance to make a first impression”, then a website designed with the customer on the mind is a good way to make a favorable first impression on a visitor. Yes, you can send people emails, ads, and Social Media messages to get them interested in your product or service. And, the moment a potential customer comes to your website, they are already halfway there to purchasing whatever it is you are selling. But a website they cannot navigate easily can still make them run in the opposite direction. Your website can be beautiful as you wish (and it should please the eye, don’t get me wrong), but if it is not also functional, then you are gathering a lot of missed opportunities right off the bat. A missed opportunity doesn’t garner income.
Where is the value for your business in that?
2) Provides smooth sailing, pardon, browsing experience
One of the things that made online shopping so popular, aside from the fact that you can do it from the comfort from your own home, is also the option to look through the offering and check what you like and don’t like, and order items quickly. UX design covers this aspect, too, but only when done right. A good UX designer will think about loading speed and not crowd the page with too many, too big and ultimately unnecessary elements just to make it look aesthetically pleasing. People have increasingly less patience for those who do not like to at least make an effort to keep up their pace, a slow website being one of those things. Not only a slow, but also a confusing one. The clarity of picture and intention has never been more important in marketing, and this is something that website visitors need to recognize when browsing through your website.
Remember, their needs come first!
3) Engages website visitors
The end goal of every website visit is to get people to buy your products or services, sure, but that is easy only on paper. How to actually do that is something not all businesses master, but as of recently, UX design has a big part to play in that, as well. The more time you get visitors to spend on your website, the closer you get to them buying something from you. A quality UX designer will know which elements to leave out of the page and which to include to keep the visitors’ attention right where they want it. A prominent search bar that gives relevant results, a clean sidebar and the least number of links possible that can lead your customer away from the product, a quality description of your product that gives precise information on who it is intended to, how to use it and for what purposes with big, zoomable pictures portraying not only the product from all the angles, but also how it is used – these are all the things that will give your customer the proper motivation about making the purchase. Not only that, but offer limited-time, package or one-time deals for buying on your website, and make yourself more appealing than the competition. (In one of our previous blog posts, you can read more about how to boost your conversion rate with these for simple hacks.)
Visual cues for the win, people!
4) Helps retaining old customers
Did you know that it costs up to 25 times to retain an old customer than to attract a new one? Yes, a returning customer is the dream, but it’s definitely not hard to achieve, especially if you keep their user experience on your website to what they have come to expect. UX design might be new to some (small) business owners, but that doesn’t mean its novelty nature should be daunting. Quite the opposite! Look at it as a new opportunity for you to raise the bar and improve the way your customers think about you. With constant improvements, you are telling them you care about them, their opinion, and needs. This is a good way to show it – by making it easier on customers to reach you, to see what you have to offer and to buy from you than a few months ago, those that have been loyal to you will remain so. And that alone can help you attract new customers.
Not a bad deal, right?
However, before you hire a UX designer and give them the task of making your website as approachable as possible to your potential or existing customers, you need to be certain of who they are. Who is it that you want to target? What is your picture of the people who are already buying from you? That is where buyer’s persona can help you immensely – a clear image of your perfect customer. When you have that kind of insight into your own business affinities and capabilities, you can start working on making your own image and tone of voice aligned with them.
If you are not sure how to go about becoming your best business self, we can help you and your company. Contact us today!
