5 Ways to Make Your Website More User-Friendly and Build Consumer Trust
Research indicates visual attractiveness and usability of a website have a significant relationship with people’s trust in the company. Not only should your website be beautiful, it is also important for your website to be easy to use. I’ve put together a list of 5 tips to make your website more user-friendly and to help build trust in your company.
#1 - Add Navigation Links to Your Footer
It’s common for website visitors to land on your website and scroll straight to the bottom looking for a site navigation menu so they can easily find the page they’re looking for. Don’t disappoint! Make it as easy as possible for users to find what they’re looking for so they stay on your site as long as possible and don’t leave in frustration. Include navigation links in your footer and keep users happy.
#2 - Limit Top Navigation Links
The most important element in your top navigation should be a clear call to action. What is the main action you want website visitors to take on your website? Want people to make an appointment? Buy your product or service? Follow you on social media? Book a Call? Whatever action you want website visitors to take should be clearly visible in the top navigation.
Something as simple as a “Book Now” or “Shop” button works great. The important thing is to keep the most important call to action as accessible and visible as possible. Everything else is secondary. Keep the options at the top limited and simple so as not to distract from that main call to action. I’d keep your navigation links at the top limited to no more than six, everything else can go in the footer. People are required to make a million choices a day and these website visitors have already made the choice to visit your website. Don’t overwhelm them with more choices! Keep their options at the top limited and specific to the journey you want them to take on your website.
To illustrate what this could look like, I’ll use the example of a doctor’s office website. Let’s say the most important action for their website visitors is to book an appointment. The website could have a clear “Book an Appointment” button at the top right where people can’t miss it. Now, people may be hesitant to book an appointment right away, before learning more about the doctor and their methods. Therefore, I’ll also include a link to the “About” page right there at the top, in the main navigation. Another hesitation may be anxiety about going to a new office and not knowing what it will be like. So the main navigation will also include a link to a “What to Expect” page. Finally, they may have specific questions about their health insurance or unique condition, so I’ll also include a link to the “Contact” page in the main navigation so they can easily have their specific questions answered. Links to other pages such as a privacy page or health forms can go in the footer.
To streamline the main navigation even further, I usually leave off the “Home” link, as most people know that clicking on the logo will take them back to the home page. I would also avoid drop-down menus in your main navigation. It’s one less decision your visitors have to make! Remember, keep their options limited and specific to your main call to action.
#3 Break Up Your Blog Text with Headings, Bullets, and Well-Formatted Images
Ain’t nobody reading one big long body of text-it’s hard to read and stay engaged with a never-ending paragraph. Headings break up the text into bite-sized pieces and ensure the most important points are visible at a glance.
I like to use three-level headings-H1, H2, and H3-to break up the text. Search engines actually recognize heading levels, so it’s important that H1 is reserved for the most important headings, H2 is the next-level of importance and H3 is the last level of importance.
I also like to break up the text using bullet points or numbered lists when appropriate and format important quotes in their own way, for emphasis.
Images and graphics can also help break up the text, but they must be relevant and high-quality! Relevant, well-formatted images make the post more engaging to read, but if the images are irrelevant or low quality {link to last blog post} it will distract from the content, rather than add any value.
For example, check out this before and after (used with permission):
BEFORE - The blog post has a poorly formatted picture and one long, seemingly endless body of text. It is unattractive and hard to read, which can affect consumer’s trust in the content.
AFTER - Level 1 and Level 2 Headings break up the text in more approachable sections. The layout of the image and text is visually-appealing. This post is easier to read and build the brands credibility and consumer trust.
#4 Break up Your Process into 3 Easy Steps
As an anxious person, I love when companies provide information on what I can expect. However, sometimes, they give too much information too soon and it can be overwhelming. At an innate level, humans are driven to survive and conserve calories. So, make the process simple and easy to understand!
Break it down into three easy steps. Give people just enough information to move to the next step. And, use icons or other graphics to visually illustrate the simple process.
#5 Pepper Testimonials Throughout Your Website
Instead of having one page (that people may or may not see) where you dump all your testimonials, spread the love around your website! Slap those kind words from your customers on every page so that no one can miss them! We know how powerful social proof can be in persuading others to become customers themselves, so make sure those emotional, positive customer experiences do not get lost on one page. Instead, pepper them throughout your site-building trust and credibility on every page!