What are users looking for in websites this year? You know, users have less time than ever! You know we’re online all day, every day. Think about your own search habits. First, users are looking for clarity – don’t waste their time. From the moment somebody opens the page, can they tell what you do? Have they even reached the right page?
Take a look at your website. If someone didn’t know you personally, or hadn’t interacted or been referred to you, would they know what you’re doing in just an instant? That’s important. The second thing that users are looking for in a website is understanding. They want to see if you understand their pain points. A lot of companies get really excited about telling people about their capabilities or about their products, and really pushing information out. As you’re writing your website content, think about – from the customers perspective – what’s in it for me? So if your service or product solves a problem, what I would ask you to think about is how you can speak to that. What is the typical situation when a customer starts looking for you? What are they experiencing? Make that emotional connection and help them understand that you get it.
The third thing that users are looking for right now is a clear call to action. Be as direct as possible. When they open the page, I want them to know what you do, but I also want them to know what you want them to do. Can they easily contact you? Maybe you offer a phone number, an email address, or there’s another button they click. I would tell you to think about whether that is the way that they are most likely to get a response from you. A lot of businesses feel like they should put their phone number or email up there, but they don’t actually monitor them regularly, so make sure it’s a clear call to action, and make sure that it’s one that you’re likely to respond to in the time that we expect nowadays.
When it comes down to it, what website users are looking for these days are clear designs, clear messaging, clear calls to action and with that you’re going to have a winning website.
