Having a website and having an effective website are two very different things. Many people in business don’t understand this fundamental difference and, most importantly, don’t see their website as an important business tool to increase revenue and build authority. So how does a small business owner, who is occupied with many other aspects of running a business, understand if their current website is doing its job?
It’s not always easy to work out so I’ve put together a simple list that can help you determine how effective your website is and what you can do to change it.
Web Traffic
Your website’s traffic is a great indication of how well it’s working. You’ve probably heard about this many times and may be familiar with the term, but do you know how to check the traffic on your own website? If you’ve hired a good website developer to create your website, then they have most likely set up Google Analytics for your site. With this free and easy tool, you can gauge how many potential customers are visiting your website, whether they come back, and how they are finding you online (Google Search, Social Media etc).
Your website is effective if your customers are staying on your website and also returning to your website. The ultimate purpose of a website is to build your customer base and sell your products or services. This happens if your customers are engaged in your site and there is good website traffic – staying on it for longer because they are enjoying it. The longer a potential customer stays on your website, the higher the chances are for conversion. Having said this, if the visits are all worryingly long, you may find it’s a user experience issue including lack of clarity or poor navigation. Website developers can give you comprehensive advice on this and help you decide what needs to be fixed.
I’d highly encourage you to check your Google Analytics statistics. With Google Analytics, you have access to all your website data, helping you determine whether your website is successful or not. A user whose attention you did not manage to capture will leave your website within the first 10 seconds of his/her visit.
First impressions count – how does your homepage look? You have to grab the viewer’s attention immediately with your design and value proposition. Similarly to what happens in real life, our first impressions of a store lay the foundations for our overall experience. What is your Google Analytics data showing you? Remember to educate yourself on the expected timings within your industry as they may vary significantly.
User Behaviour
What are the behaviour trends for your customers? This can help guide you through your website design process. Once again, our amazing free tool Google Analytics is quite savvy when it comes to measuring how people navigate our website. It gives you an overall view of your user behaviour and also tracks how well each page does – which one is most visited and which one is the least effective. Tracking your customer’s behaviour allows you to adjust and tweak your website as you go, improving your customer’s journey and making sure that they stay on your website for longer. This will help you wow them with your content and design.
User Experience and Design
Keep your navigation easy and simple. Some time ago, I landed on a well-designed website. My designer eyes shone at the look of it. I was in an awe of the layout and unique design…until…well, until I started navigating the site. Buttons were flying here and there, lots of animated elements, the navigation menu was so modern and stylish that even I didn’t even know how to use it! Can you guess what happened? I gave up. I left. Yes, it’s our job to make the website look visually appealing, but it’s also our job to make sure it works. Your customers don’t want to have to struggle to find what they need on your site, they want the information fast, easy and straightforward. It’s in our best interest to make our websites as user friendly as possible, ensuring that it’s accessible to everyone and that it doesn’t require a degree in physics to navigate. The pages should be easy to find and the text should be a readable size and format. Keep your style consistent across your website and it will improve the overall experience.
Improve your site today
These basic factors will help you determine how effective your website is and give you information on how to improve your user experience.
Are you ready for your effectiveness’ analysis or do you need help with Google Analytics? Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your current website’s performance and possible future improvements.
