When a customer arrives at your website, their journey should be so smooth they don’t need to think about what they’re looking for. All the information leading them to a buying decision should be readily available – that’s why they came to you! They want your services.
Slow loading times, poor web design, and counterintuitive navigation are great ways to send your customers straight back to Google. Here are some tips for improving customer experience.
1. Network Performance Monitoring
Your site needs to be ready to scale for traffic. High-traffic periods are good news – it means more people are discovering you. However, if that results in slower loading times for your customers, those numbers won’t translate into sales.
Network performance monitoring tools are a great way of tracking your site’s technical performance. They let you automatically identify anomalies, rectify problems before they become major issues, and scale your cloud servers according to traffic.
This means a better all-around experience for your customers, which means more people will click through to your sales page. Network performance monitoring is a no-brainer for any online business.
2. Better Site Navigation
Many online businesses offer multiple services. This is all well and good until a customer arrives and finds that your website doesn’t connect them easily to the service they need.
For example, you may run a contractor business offering roofing, siding, window installation, and paving. However, perhaps paving is a recent addition, and you haven’t yet included it in your drop-down menus. Or perhaps your menu includes the additional service but doesn’t say much about it.
Or, worst of all, perhaps your drop-down menus flicker out of existence every time the customer moves their cursor.
Intuitive site navigation lets customers find whatever they’re looking for with minimal fuss. It ensures that when they click through, they find the information they’re looking for. And it ensures that customers don’t experience technical frustrations while trying to find their way around your site.
It’s worth trial-running your customer’s buying journey regularly. This ensures they’re able to find what they want when they need it.
3. Improved User Interface
Web design is worth investing in. Many business owners aren’t digital natives and underestimate the importance of an attractive user interface. There’s an old cliche about “I’m not pretty, but I’m effective” that may be true but doesn’t help you attract new customers. That’s what your website is there for.
Having someone overhaul your website’s interface isn’t too expensive and can remove features that put your customers off. Awful color combinations are regular offenders. Large chunks of unbroken text are also a turn-off. Don’t put your clients off before they’ve walked through the door; have someone look over your website’s interface and show you where you’re missing out.
4. More Intuitive Payment Screens
Losing customers at the checkout is extremely frustrating. It’s also extremely common – online shopping means that people can fill their baskets without feeling rude when they ditch it all and walk out of the store. One reason your clients do this is that the payment screen looks amateurish or even shifty.
Professional payment screens that encourage your customers to click through are so important. Including information about deals and discounts they’ll have access to after they make a purchase is a great idea. Help them make up their minds – make your payment interface professional, accessible, and encouraging.
Final Thoughts
Take care of your website as if it was your storefront display. It is your storefront display. A few small upgrades and good maintenance practices will keep your customers flowing in and buying your product – don’t miss out.