For business executives today, customer experience is the “modern competitive battlefield,” according to Gartner. In fact, 89 percent of marketers compete mainly in the realm of customer experience, which Gartner defines as moments that come together to either bolster or weaken a customer’s loyalty to and preference for a company or brand.
The rising emphasis on the customer’s experience in the marketing world combined with the huge amounts of time that many people spend online today (whether they’re surfing on a laptop or looking something up on their smartphone) means that businesses looking to stay competitive must consider how current and prospective customers experience their websites. Can consumers find the information they want and need quickly and easily on your site? If not, a frustrating or confusing Web presence could put your company at a big disadvantage.
Luckily, if you feel your website might be lacking, there are ways to improve your online visitors’ experience. The following four tips can help make your website more user friendly, boosting customer satisfaction and giving your business a competitive edge.
1. Understand who your customers are and what they want. The first step to making your customers happy is to try to see things from their perspective, according to the Entrepreneur article “Create an Unforgettable Customer Experience With These 5 Tips.” Consider the type of experience they’re looking for and plot out their journey from when they first engage with your business to when the interaction ends.
You should also observe visitors’ behavior on your site to figure out what types of content engages them the most, according to the HubSpot article “How to Make Customer Experience the Heart of Your Internet Marketing Strategy.” For example, check analytics to find out how and when people visit your site, which pages they look at the most, and how often they visit. This information can guide your future content creation efforts.
2. Don’t make them wait. Many people won’t want to stick around and wait for a website that’s loading at a snail’s pace, according to the CIO article “12 Ways to Improve the Customer Experience for Online Shoppers.” If your site is slow, potential customers will opt for the back button and turn to someone else for the products or services they need. Make sure your site loads fast on all devices, including smartphones.
3. Deliver a consistent experience. Consistency is a key part of creating great experiences for people who visit your website, according to HubSpot. That means keeping your site in sync with other marketing tools such as email and social media. Make sure you coordinate the messages you send using all of those channels.
4. Make it easy to navigate. If users find it difficult to navigate your site, they’ll quickly lose interest, according to CIO. Ensure that your website makes it easy to find important information, minimizing the number of clicks and amount of scrolling needed. It’s also important to make sure your site has properly functioning search technology.
Ultimately, making sure that visiting your website is an excellent experience for current and potential customers is crucial if you want to stay competitive and grow your business. If you need help improving your website, our expert team at Traffic Jams can provide professional Web design services optimized for user experience and customized to meet your unique needs. To learn more, contact us today at sales@trafficjams.com or (855) 599-9998.
