Top Ten Key Usability Issues in Web Design
Whether you have a WordPress Website or are looking to start a web presence around the globe, you will need to consider these top ten web design usability issues:
Good Impressions Last
Studies have shown that the human eye reads a webpage in an “F” pattern, from top left to right. Then, the hottest real estate on your business website locates at the top left area.
Post your essential information there, especially your corporate logo. The only exception to this may be to center the logo in the top area if the logo is symmetrical.
Your WordPress website requires to make a great first impression and establish confidence and trust in your visitor. Your web design should not hinder or overwhelm website content or branding on any page, including the homepage.
Keep Navigation Clean & Consistent
The best way is to have logical and universal navigation on your website. This means having a main menu that can access all pages at any time. It makes it easier for viewers to find the information they need.
It also maintains confidence in users’ experience with your company. Having supporting navigation such as breadcrumbs or contextual “previous” and “next” buttons or links to related items.
They will reinforce your web presence’s overall usability. Consistency is key in web design. Thus, remember that navigation, such as text links and a sitemap, is also crawled by search engine robots when indexing your website pages for their search results.
Make it Easy to Contact You
Make it easy for possible customers to contact you by displaying your office address or phone number on all website pages or at least on your important pages.
You also need to have a “Contact us page” that has details, such as different branches, key contacts or a contact us form. On today’s websites, it is also popular to see live chat options so a visitor can connect with your staff as they surf!
Call to Action
Even if it is just to lead a visitor to call your office, a website needs a “Call to Action” – this is an action that is determined by site navigation, content generation and site functionality, including e-commerce processing.
What would you like that visitors do on your site? Where would you like that they go? What is the next step once they have found your site? Is it to call you?
Source a product online or educate them? Or perhaps share information with a co-worker in the form of an e-book or pre-recorded video.
Write down effective CTA that will help your customer to act that is to buy your goods or services. Between that, if you have any problems with writing tasks fell free to ask free essays online service to provide you with high quality help.
Keeping Above the “Fold Focus”
Keep the key information you NEED them to see in the top area of your Wordpress web site, or wherever you are, above the fold, which is the bottom of the browser window, where someone needs to scroll down to read more.
It explains why logos, menus and the main calls to action should be located in the top part of the site design. Because they require being top of mind and easy to see, without the person having to scroll down the page to find the web content they want.
It is essential that detailed information requires longer pages, however, through using a PDF document for more passive content, it will keep the actual Web page shorter and more manageable. Consider implementing a PDF separator to organize and streamline access to extended information.
Additionally, you can brand your PDFs as a source of viral marketing, with Web links back to your homepage on your website.
Google and other search engines also index PDFs similar to Web pages, so your PDFs will also turn up in the search engine results.
Web Content as a Relationship Builder
A relationship is an ongoing commitment from both sides; it is not a one-way street. While the visitor is seeking for a product or information, your business is looking for that potential lead and the sale they bring– and as it has been said, it is so much easier to make a sale to a person who has already bought some your product before.
So, when I say “offers a return” I mean it returns to both sides. The returning customer finds continual value in your offers, and you retain them as a loyal customer or client. So keep content timely, updated and consider creating WordPress website for your business.
Clear Content Layout
Organize your web content, so your viewer can go from one web page to the next. Make sure that information is prioritized in a hierarchy of need (both for them and you) and provide the information or product to them as efficiently as possible.
Consider the home pageas the gateway to the Web site’s key areas and lead the visitor to what you can offer them (e.g., latest deals, latest information package, latest blog entry, etc.) and then give it to them.
Ensure that every web page follows a consistent layout for navigation and branding. Then check that the content area is organized cleanly, so the design elements of the site do not interfere with content delivery.
Appearance Matters
A web presence’s impression is made not only by what is included on the website, but what is left out. Bypass banner ads, third-party advertising, non-interactive flash media and overt color schemes that blatantly fight for the visitor’s attention.
Your viewers are looking for one thing on your site, so make it easy to find by keeping the structure and layout of the site simple, clean and direct.
Secure Your Site to Ensure Trust
With huge numbers of web pages online these days, visitors have to know, more than ever, that they can trust their valuable time and money to what your site has to offer.
Get security seals and trusted third party endorsements. A 256-bit SSL Certificate tells your visitor that you have planned to secure your WordPress web site properly.
Besides, there are subtle, yet effective, methods to ensure your visitor that they can trust your site:
- Appropriately written privacy policy
- Terms of use
- Shipping and returns policy
- Unique logins for their registration
- Guarantee you will never sell or share your information with a third party excepting they have agreed and only email them to that limit to which they have accepted.
A sure way to ensure trust is to have your web presence professionally developed by a local design company as this will create a professional site that is visually unique and properly organized and functions to your specific needs.
Triple Check Every Web Page
Errors often happen, and while we all want to believe that technology can deliver 100%, 24/7 – is that possible? The reality is knowing that accidents happen, temporary glitches can happen, and once in a while, things need to be fixed.
The fact of the Web is that technology has to keep expanding and those tools made to make your life easier still take time to learn and use.
As technology progresses we must be prepared to update, upgrade and expand along with it. By fixing even simple errors such as broken links(this requires ongoing maintenance), spelling errors, broken images, browser inconsistencies, etc.
You can present a well-polished gem to your website visitors. It will return the investment in maintenance in its visual appeal, optimum functionality and delivery of relevant, needed content.