Search Engine Optimization is a large umbrella under which many strategies are covered. Sales related websites rely on SEO to attract customers, but SEO means nothing if the customer is not easily able to navigate the site and place an order. Also, many search engines are relying more on user experience to rank relevant web pages. Creating a seamless user experience is the key to converting a search into a sale, and also for improving SEO.
How can you enhance the user’s experience? Two ways, actually—put yourself in their shoes, and then get two steps ahead of them. A good sales driven site gives the customer just what they want, along with just what they didn’t know they wanted. If you are stumped as to where to begin, some companies are making it easier than ever to connect with customers for site feedback.
The following are some elements to be mindful of when designing the user’s experience, and great areas to ask customers for feedback to further hone your design.
Device Continuity
Nearly 80% of mobile phone searches result in a mobile purchase. The need for a properly functioning, easy to read mobile site is imperative these days. An area of increasing interest, though, is continuity between devices. Close to 90% of users visit your page from multiple devices before making a purchase.
Users are now valuing the ability to begin a task on one device, resume work on another, and complete the task on yet another. Consider strengthening your site log-in process to make it easier for users to pick up on their iPad where they left off on their desktop.
Personalization
Another benefit to encouraging more site log-ins is the ability to personalize the shopping experience. Shoppers are nearly always open to suggestion, so highlighting some products related to the original search or linking to relevant content will enhance the user’s shopping experience—so long as they can easily resume their original mission.
Visual Design
Making a visually pleasant design is a no-brainer, but to be truly useful, readability is key. You’ll want to use bright, clear images and easy to read font with high contrast against the background. Avoid crowding the page with too many images or too much text.
Content Organization
Try to think of your business’s niche from brand new eyes. You may assume that your way of organizing the content makes the most sense, but a newbie to the subject may disagree. Getting user feedback can be most helpful in this area.
Be sure to use consistent terminology for links and headers. If you click on a tab called “Purple” the landing page should be headed with the word “Purple”, not “Violet” or “Lilac”. The same goes for logos and icons. Creating consistency will make it easier for users to navigate.
Originally posted on February 25, 2016 @ 9:04 am