There are a few factors and functions of a website that cannot be overlooked if the site is to be a successful interest-grabber for your visitors. Functional elements allow the site to work as it was designed to and make the user experience a pleasant one.
– User interaction. There are a number of ways for users to interact with the site and navigate it. The best sites are sites that work to make the interaction as simple as possible and frustration free when possible. Good sites are also those that keep things simple regardless of the device they are using, whether that is on a computer, tablet or phone. It is important that the user feels in control of the experience and does not feel like they are constantly getting lost.
Some of the most important aspects of seamless user interaction are as follows:
- Making all of the forms mobile friendly
- Not autoplaying the videos, as this can be frustrating for the visitor
- Not adding any popup ads
- Not putting any underlined text in the content unless it is a clickable hyperlink
– Navigation. If a customer cannot navigate the site easily, they are likely to leave. Seamless, easy navigation is especially important for those who have never been on the site. Even so, it is just as necessary for returning visitors to be able to get to the pages they are familiar with. Generally speaking, this is an important element for visitors to your site.
Animations
Having animations on the site can keep your visitors engaged. With them, you can grab and hold onto the attention of your customers, direct them to different aspects of the site and help keep them on the page for a longer visit.
Site Structure
A nice layout is important both in terms of the user experience and for SEO. The site not only needs to be easy to navigate, but the structure of the site itself should be stable–no broken links or photos that have expired on an image hosting site. If users are unable to navigate the site or unable to interact with the elements, it won’t be as engaging.
Speed
Few things are more universally frustrating than waiting around for a slow website. If you don’t have a quick-loading site, visitors are likely to leave and not want to return. A good web designer will usually compress the site to ensure it opens and runs more quickly, enhancing the visitor’s experience.
Device compatibility
More and more people are using the internet through mobile methods such as a smartphone and tablets. For this reason, a quality website needs to be compatible for use with mobile devices as well as a computer. The site should be as easy to read and navigate on a small phone screen as it is on the computer; if a visitor has to use a desktop version on their phone, it may be too time consuming and frustrating for them to want to bother.