User experience is at the core of website functionality. While we definitely want our websites to convey the right tone and meet business objectives, we have to keep in mind the customer or user! Specifically, their experience while using and navigating through the site. 

Website user experience considers everything from how the website looks to what is available on it to what actions can be taken... and much more. A good user experience directly influences how customers perceive and interact with a brand while also guiding them through the conversion funnel.

Think about the websites you recently visited. Chances are that the ones that make it easy to find what you need, checkout, or provide you with the information you're seeking leave you with a good impression and you revisit them the next time you need those products or services. The better able these sites are at guiding you to what you need, keeping you on the site, and removing obstacles to conversion, the better the user experience.

Improving your website's user experience can feel daunting, but with just a few tweaks, your site can be made more compelling to visitors. Here are 3 simple ways you can improve your website user experience in 2022.

Three Ways to Improve Website User Experience

1. Clear Website Navigation.

One of the most effective ways to improve user experience is to provide clear navigation. Website users are increasingly savvy and decreasingly patient. They want to find what they need quickly and easily. If they don't, they have no problem bouncing and visiting a competing site. Clear navigation helps prevent this outcome by shepherding visitors to the pages they need to see quickly. This keeps visitors on your site, engaged, and moving through the conversion funnel.

Site navigation is how visitors find what they need. No one wants to click through multiple pages or jump through numerous hoops to accomplish their task. Visitors should not have to guess where to find product information or make a purchase. So don't make them do it. Organize your pages in a logical manner and provide clear and distinct navigation options on every page, including the home page. Make sure to include contact information on every page too, even if it's just in the footer. 

2. Add Video Content to your Website.

Video is more popular than ever, which is terrific news because there are so many ways to use it on a website. Take the home page. From the very first moment, a visitor opens your page, you can grab their attention and convey a brand aesthetic. This is immensely important because you have a very short amount of time to make a good impression, literally seconds. Use those critical seconds to lock visitors in and keep them engaged. Any additional amount of time that you can keep a visitor lingering on your site is good for you. The longer they stay on your site and the more engaged they are, the higher your chances of making a conversion.

Videos can be used on just about any page. They can be used to supplement static content and even have a positive impact on search rankings. We've seen them on about and career pages, product and service pages, resource hubs, blogs, and more. We're not saying you need to load up your site with TikToks, but adding a few videos on select pages can transform your website user experience and boost conversions. Focus on creating videos that inform, educate, or entertain (or if possible, all three!) and be selective. You don't want your website to start looking like YouTube and you don't want to overload it with videos to the point that it impacts load speed.

3. The predictability of Next Steps.

As we mentioned above, website visitors want things to be quick and easy. Do this for them by laying out the next steps in a simple 1-2-3 format. It sounds too simple to work, but it's one of our most proven effective design techniques. In fact, it's so effective that we use it on our own website! Check out our 3-step approach to working with HeiPro Digital here. You'll find a short and sweet explanation for each step of the process.

Why does this technique work so well? It eliminates uncertainty. Visitors know exactly what they need to do and what to expect once they do it. Tell your visitors in plain and simple language what you want them to do, make it obvious how to do it, and make sure they know the next steps to encourage them to take an action on your website.

Wondering if your website has a good user experience?

Contact HeiPro Digital for a FREE mini website audit. Use the code GIVE22 to get it for free. Either Alex or I (Elizabeth) will take a look at your site and make recommendations to improve your website’s user experience in 2022.