A website’s UX is an underutilised aspect of site design that can have a significant impact on performance. We’ve put together a list of UX tips and tricks that will really help to retain visitors to your site and keep them coming back for more!
1. Straightforward Navigation (UX Hack: Intuitive Flow)
One of the most effective UX hacks is to simplify navigation. What this means in practice is to streamline your links, making the user journey logical and intuitive. The aim here is to ensure there is a path of least resistance to the good stuff. You can begin this task by drawing up a site hierarchy list and then labelling descriptions in your menu.
2. Speed Up Page Loading Times (UX Hack: The Need for Speed!)
You may not have thought of it as such, but speed is a critical component of UX. Reduce your website's load time by ensuring your images and videos are sufficiently compressed. Also, enable browser caching and minimise HTTP requests. These three measures alone will go a very long way towards speeding up your site and increasing the user experience you’re offering.
3. Responsive Design (UX Hack: Don't Forget Mobile)
Remember that most users visiting your site will be doing so via a mobile device. Ensure that your site has a responsive design that adapts to the device being used. Forget mobile, and you risk losing a substantial percentage of your audience.
4. Crafting Engaging Content (UX Hack: Make Great Content)
When relocating content be sure to redirect it. A 301 redirect permanently moves a URL's authority to a new URL. A 302 redirect on the other hand, is only temporary and therefore won’t make the cut when it comes to link equity.
If you have an internal link you should update it yourself, and if the content it refers to is no longer relevant, or you have an external link that’s permanently broken and you can’t find a suitable alternative, the best course of action is to remove the link entirely or find a suitable alternative.
5. Interactivity (UX Hack: Gamify Your Content)
Incorporating gamification into your site in the form of puzzles and quizzes will give users a reason to choose your offering over that of your competitors.
6. Ask Questions of Your Audience (UX Hack: Encourage Feedback)
Remember to ask for user feedback. This can be in the form of surveys or comment posts. This feedback will demonstrate to your customers that you value their input and that you are focused on catering to their needs.
7. Accessible Design (UX Hack: Be Inclusive)
Don’t forget that your audience is likely to cover a wide demographic. Be inclusive, and make your website accessible to everyone. You can choose larger text sizes or incorporate audio in an effort to reach a wider audience.
Be sure to implement the above UX hacks to increase user engagement and improve the value of your offering. If you follow through with them, your site will be engaging, easy to use, and, above all, a valuable place to visit for your audience.
