4-tips-to-make-sure-your-website-is-user-friendlyFor a modern business a website is like a virtual version of their physical business, or in some cases it is the entire business. One of the most important keys to success on the Internet and in e-business is building a user-friendly website. This means that users can find the content they are looking for quickly and be easily-guided towards the purchase by effective sales copy. It also means internal users and fellow employees can easily add content, update the site and keep it current leaving the major design work to their hired web developers.

1. Use a CMS System – A CMS system, or content management system, is a way of organising your website on both the front and back ends. Even if you and your business working with a website designer, similar to Cocoonfxmedia, one of the leading web design Birmingham firms, it is important to ensure an easy to use CMS is deployed. This will make it easy for your customers to find content on the site, and easy for you and your staff to update and make minor changes. Hiring a website designer to post to your blog is an expensive proposition.

2. 3-Clicks – On the customer-facing side of your website or online presence it should be possible to find any information you need or want within 3 clicks. While it is technically possible to bury aspects of the website deep in layers, research has shown that when it takes more than 3 clicks to find what they are looking for a user is likely to head back to the search engine and start looking again.

Some evidence does show it is possible to hold users beyond three clicks. In order to do this content needs to be really engaging. Working with your web designer to find a good content writer is a great way to ensure you cover this off.

3. Listen – While you are an expert in your business, its products, and services, the chances are that like most of us you are far from expert in web development. Even if you are skilled at web development, the industry is changing so quickly it is very easy for your skills to fall out-of-date. This makes it important to lean on the skills of your web developers, and allow them to institute a best-in-class user interface.

4. Mobile Usability – These days more people are using tablets and smartphones to access their favourite websites. This makes it important to ensure your website can easily be used in a mobile environment.

It is also important to ensure mobile usability because Google will penalize your site in its rankings if it has not been properly optimized for the mobile environment. This is another area a web developer can help you in; ensuring that your website is mobile compliant.