If you have a website for your business, it’s super important to remember that your website is not for you.
It’s for your website visitors or your potential customers…and the experience they have on the website is critical in terms of how they engage with and perceive your business.
Because of this, web design trends are shifting to focus on customer experience.
Customer experience or CX refers to understanding the overall customer journey and all their digital interactions with your business. Businesses that can offer an outstanding online experience can expect to see more growth & a better competitive edge.
From UX to Customer Experience (CX)
Years ago, digital marketing and websites were focused on what is called user interface or UI. This refers to the layout and interactivity of a single web page.
Then there was a shift to user experience (UX), which focuses on how users navigate across your entire site and whether they convert into a potential client.
Customer experience can be thought of as the umbrella term that transcends UI and UX.
With a customer-centric approach, a business can consider all of the different digital interactions customers are having with their business.
How to Integrate CX Strategies into Your Site
There are numerous ways to integrate CX strategies into your website design. In order to create successful CX strategies, a business needs to understand the bigger picture of a customer’s entire journey.
1. Customer Journey Mapping
Creating a custom journey map is one of the first exercises that you can complete to better understand your customers. At the beginning of new website projects, we’ll typically help clients create a customer journey map, along with identifying the different types of visitors to their site.
A customer journey map is a visual representation of the decision making process and what customers are thinking, feeling and doing at different stages as they look for and consider a service or product.
Your website will play a part in every part of the customer’s journey, so these insights can guide your website messaging, calls to action and offerings.
2. Offer Consistent Messaging
All of the information that you’ve gathered in the customer journey map should guide your messaging & content on the site, especially on the home page.
We work with clients to create what is called a web based value proposition. This consists typically of a headline, sub headline and call to action, and the messaging conveys what sets your business apart, what you offer in terms of services or products, and the next step customers should take.
Once you identify this key messaging, make sure the same values and differentiators are being communicated to customers at all stages. For instance, consider what you are saying to clients during the sales process, what your onboarding experience looks like, and how your team speaks to customers via phone or email. It should all be in sync.
3. Create a Digital Brand & Personality
Consider also the brand personality and emotional values that you are conveying through your website design.
Most customers are having multiple interactions with a business and this may include multiple visits to your website and reviewing the business on third party directory sites and social media.
In such a crowded Internet space, you have to find a way to stand out and make your brand memorable. When we’re designing a new website, we provide a web style guide to clients, which includes the color palette, font selections, and iconography for the site.
This can integrate and supplement a brand style guide. Many clients utilize the style guide going forward to present a consistent visual brand everywhere that their business appears online.
4. Simplicity and Ease of Use
Offering a user-friendly experience on your website and in your everyday operations with customers is another CX strategy.
One of the best ways to improve the usability of your site is to review the navigation, page structure and calls to action and consider how different visitors may be looking for different information on your site.
For instance, your site may play a role in recruitment and attracting top talent. Potential employees will be searching for a career page and will have a unique experience on the site.
Many business websites also serve as a resource and knowledge center for existing clients, in addition to converting new business. If you haven’t leveraged your website in those areas, take advantage of those opportunities and make it simple and easy for all different visitors to engage with your business online.
