If you want more traffic, make your site more user friendly

Good web design and search engine optimisation (SEO) are gradually becoming more and more closely linked. Search engines such as Google are now taking great interest in the way your site is laid out, and what it can offer their users.

Of course, designing your site to be intuitive and user friendly should be a top priority anyway, but this shift further emphasises the benefits that you can reap by ensuring that your site offers the best possible experience to web users. At the most basic level, by providing your site visitors with an attractive yet easily navigable experience you will encourage them to stay for longer, come back more frequently, and even share it with their friends.

So what can you do to make your site more user-friendly?

Simplify your navigation

Are your buttons and menus ‘snazzy’, or are they user friendly? A website’s navigation should leave the casual visitor in no doubt about what they should click on to reach the desired part of your website. Most importantly, your navigation links should be the same on every page to avoid confusion. Smaller internal links at the end of individual pieces of web content are useful in guiding users to other content that may interest them.

Eliminate clutter

Computer screens have improved greatly over the years, but they can still be a strain on the eye. By making your site as tidy and clutter-free as possible you can help your visitors to find what they are looking for and avoid them clicking the back button because the design is hurting their eyes (or brain).

Improve load times

Not all web users have a super-duper, uber-fast broadband connection. By using restraint on the inclusion of demanding graphics, java apps etc, you can ensure that as many people as possible are able to experience your website the way you intended. It’s also worth remembering that the longer a user has to wait for your site to load, the more likely they are to click away, so minimise and even avoid entirely the use of Flash, which can delay download speeds to a crawl.

Break up your content

Long chunks of unbroken text can be hard to read on a computer screen, and are generally a no-no. Break up your content by using relatively short paragraphs and sub-headers.

Is your website design a help or a hindrance to your SEO? Talk to an expert to find out how you can make the most of modern web design techniques.