Website users & visitors behaviors change and evolve and it’s up to website owners to adapt. Constant attention must be given to how users and search engines interact with your site to ensure that you not only attract visitors, but give them reasons to come back. Because as every web professional knows, the more users interact with your site, the better the odds they convert.
Taking 15-30 minutes a day to make changes, tweeks, and improvements to your site will convince visitors to re-visit and stick around. With any website that we own or develop we want the site visitors to complete the tasks we designate for them. In most cases we want to persuade them to even do something beyond what they came for, or maybe tell someone they know what we offer. Here are some ways you can take a fresh look at your website every day to ensure maximum usability:
1) Give someone not familiar with your website a task to complete on your site. Observe how they navigate your site and go about completing that task. Note any issues, or difficulty the user may have.
2) Write a document that details the site’s purpose, intended audience, how it will generate revenue and current information architecture.
3) Create guidelines for each page based on this document, so that no matter who touches a page, the site remains consistent.
4) Write text cases, and test repeatedly to be sure that any changes didn’t upset a requirement.
5) Experiment with Google website optimizer and analyzer free tools. You can find something to do every day. Simple testing can help you determine if a button works better than a text link for example.
6) Run link and spell checks. Nothing kills a “professional” look faster than misspelled words and pages with broken links.
7) Work to update your code to make it accessibility compliant, per section 508. You can find more information out at section508.gov.
8 ) Change up your content and keep it fresh. This not only helps your site visitors interested, but it is good for fresh search engine indexing.
9) If you sell products, change the images. This is not the same as rotating them. If you showcase four items on the homepage, then switch them out with something different occasionally. This keeps things fresh and showcases more of your products.
10) Be sure to invite feedback with an e-mail survey or on-site form. Changing the questions periodically is a good way to get different types of feedback about different areas of your site.
11) Perform functional testing and check error messages. Enter bad data into your forms to see what happens. Users often have difficulties with forms, so you need to be sure they get what they need in the event of a hang-up, whether it be a new form, or an administrator’s contact information.
12) Stay current on form design standards and update accordingly.
13) Keep updating your unique selling proposition and expertise. This might include showcasing price comparison charts and publishing third-party feedback and testimonials.
Although you may think your website is superb, there will always be problems and your work will never be done. However, committing to keeping your site up to date, fresh, and staying on top of bugs will pay off and be appreciated by your site users. Show you care about the usability of your site, and used it shall be!
