There is a strong link between your website’s user experience and amount of traffic. User experience (UX) is how users behave and feel when they’re using your site. For 83 percent of consumers, a seamless experience across all devices is important. Considering the UX should be one of your main goals when developing your site. If you’re unable to provide a positive journey for users, you will not retain your existing customers or bring in new users.
Here is how you can enhance the user experience on your WordPress site:
Make your navigation easy to use
People who navigate through your site appreciate when their journey is made easy and effortless. You should divide the categories clearly and keep the design consistent. Make sure that your navigation titles are accurate and all navigation elements are clickable links. Put search at the top and make sure it can be discovered by screen readers.
Focus on functional design
Functionality should be your priority when it comes to design. Of course, this doesn’t mean that visitors don’t value beautiful design. But functionality ranks higher than form. Also keep in mind that users have some expectations about design, for example, certain elements should be in their usual places. Otherwise, you risk confusing your audience. If you’re looking for a tool to optimize your design, you can check WPExplorer.
Utilize relevant icons
You can use custom icons for different types of posts. Your goal should be that visitors can find the section they’re looking for without even reading its title. Relevant icons enable your visitors to create associations in their heads and determine the purpose of your post at a simple glance.
Ensure a seamless experience across devices
Using your site should be smooth across all devices, from desktop to mobile. The number of people who consume content on mobile devices has increased substantially in the past few years. Now, more than half of the global web traffic is on mobile devices.
What makes the mobile user experience different from the web experience? Well, mobile users have to fill in their information, read content, and click links on a much smaller screen. Because of this, there is a strong need for your mobile version to be both functional and comfortable to use. If you want to check how mobile-friendly your site actually is, you can take Google’s mobile-friendly test.
Take advantage of high-quality images
You want to provide a professional impression on your visitors. That means no low-quality images on your landing pages. Instead, use high-resolution images that will convince visitors to stay and see the value in your content.
Remember, however, that high-resolution images can use up your storage space. This can mean slow loading speeds for your website. How to solve this issue? You can use image compression tools such as TinyJPG.
Invest in your homepage
Because your homepage is your most visited page, it functions as an entry point. This means that it’s linked to from other sites more than any of your other pages. If visitors enter your website through landing pages, they will most likely check your homepage as well.
Optimize your homepage by showing to your visitors how they can benefit from your site. Instead of just listing the topics of your most recent blog posts, explain the features of your site and how visitors can benefit from them. For example, you can include a Start Here page where you explain these benefits. This way, you can engage your visitors by encouraging them to explore your other pages.
Inspect your 404 errors
Everyone feels the same way about 404 error pages. They’re also bad for your business, as they result in poor user experience. Visitors who arrive on a 404 page will leave and never come back to that same page. To improve your user experience, you need to inspect whether your site has any pages with the 404 error and fix the problem. You can use tools such as Dead Link Checker.
Don’t forget formatting
Improving your formatting is another way to engage users. It’s not trivial how you present your information. And it’s possible to make this information more compelling without any actual changes to the content itself. For example, by:
- Using short sentences and paragraphs
- Stressing important parts in bold
- Utilizing headlines and bulleted lists
- Favoring simple terms instead of jargon
- Taking advantage of graphical elements
These techniques help you bring color and variety to your content and improve its readability. As a result, you will improve your user experience.
Use Admin Pointers
With the Admin Pointers plugin, you can create custom pointers and add them to any screen in your admin area. You’re able to save new pointers as a custom post type. These pointers are good for catching your users’ attention to relevant features. But use them sparingly to avoid confusing your users. You can build Admin Pointers with your own code or plugins such as Better Admin Pointers.
Remember to edit
The final stage in the UX improvement process is to focus on the content itself. When your content is polished, it provides a better overall experience for your users. In case you need help with editing your content, there are tools and services that can help you. For example, you can take a look at the following: Handmade Writing, Hemingway App, or Slick Write.
By following these guidelines, you can build a smooth and seamless user experience for your visitors. Test it yourself to attract new visitors and retain the interest of your existing customers. If you want to read more about how to improve the user experience, you can check our earlier post about the best practices for improving your user experience.
Josh Carlyle
Josh Carlyle is a business developer and writing expert Write my essay today, who is experienced in content management and copywriting. Working atWriting Guru, Josh is aware of the latest trends in the digital marketing industry as well as online business. He is always willing to share his knowledge and ideas with entrepreneurs and write for the blogs from the insights of a professional businessperson.
Josh Carlyle is a business developer and writing expert Write my essay today, who is experienced in content management and copywriting. Working at Writing Guru, Josh is aware of the latest trends in the digital marketing industry as well as online business. He is always willing to share his knowledge and ideas with entrepreneurs and write for the blogs from the insights of a professional businessperson.
The post How to Quickly Improve the User Experience (UX) on WordPress? appeared first on Torque.
