Over the last several years of building websites, we’ve noticed a few action steps that you can do that will provide a massive improvement in your website performance.
Here are 3 BIG OPPORTUNITIES you have to make massive improvements.
We sincerely hope these are helpful to you no matter where you are in your online journey!
Number 3
Elevate the looks (beauty, gusto, attractiveness, authority) of your site.
Yeah, we know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all of that fun stuff, but in the world of websites, what ugly really means is that the user doesn’t know how to interact with it.
Take a look at your text.
Is it big enough? Is it the right color against the background? Do you have background images that make your text hard to read? Can you read it on desktop and on your phone? All of these things can make your users move away from your site due to unreadable content.
Your buttons should ask your users to take action.
Are your buttons big enough? Are they in a bold enough color to stand out? Do they use action words like “Click Here”? Do you have too many buttons that are distracting? Buttons that don’t give a clear direction can lead to confusion and ultimately a user leaving your site.
Is there too much going on?
Do you have more than 6 colors used in one space? Are your images blurry or not on brand? Is it too complicated to see what’s really going on?
Take a look at the overall appearance of your website in comparison with 2-3 of your competitors. Is its appearance dissuading your clients from connecting with you?
Number 2
Show users how to engage with your site.
Have you ever been to a restaurant to order take-out, and there are four lines, but none of them are labeled “take-out?” You end up waiting in line for 30 minutes only to find you could have been in the faster lane?
That’s what a bad website flow does to your users. Your website should GUIDE them through a journey to ultimately purchase or connect with you.
Take a look at your navigation to make sure you are CLEARLY communicating what your pages are. Can the visitor quickly find the information they’re looking for by the name of the page?
Also, is it obvious how they are to contact you? If you don’t have a Contact Us button in your main navigation, and the goal is for your users to contact you, they are likely missing it. If you want them to call you, can they easily find your number on their mobile device? Does touching that number allow them to call you directly from your site?
Small changes here can make a HUGE impact!
Number 1
Optimize your site speed.
A slow website is a literal killer to your online presence. It’s a killer with Google and Bing because the slower your site is, the harder it is to get ranked well. It’s also a killer with your users. Ever sit there waiting for a website to load? No? We don’t sit around waiting either 🙂
The reality is that you have less than 8 seconds from start to finish to:
- Load your page
- Tell people how you can help them
- How they can get your product or service.
So, if you spend 5 of those seconds loading a massive video or you have a slow server, you’re in big trouble. Not sure how your site is performing? You can test it here with this free tool: https://website.grader.com/
Our website currently scores 94. While you don’t need to have a perfect score (100), if you’re in the 70s and/or your speed time is more than 4s to load a page, you need to seriously consider addressing the issues with your site in order to not lose users/potential clients before they have had a chance to engage with you!
We hope this has been helpful information for you. To recap:
3. Ensure your site hasn’t been hit with the ugly stick without you knowing it.
2. Clearly direct your users through your content by giving them actionable buttons, readable text, and the BEST ways to reach your business.
1. Make sure your website is well above turtle speeds. We love Ford Mustangs over here – make sure your site is working as a high-performance car and not a bicycle 🙂
PS. As always, if you need a hand, you can connect with us by emailing [email protected] or filling out OUR CONTACT FORM online.
We wish you the best on your website and in your business success!!
Muletown Digital offer Web Design services to businesses throughout Tennessee, including Columbia, Nashville, Spring Hill, Brentwood and Franklin.
