What is the first thing that you need to pay attention to when designing a website? The answer is most likely its usability. You have to think about the website features that your visitors like and what would make them stay longer on your pages, and more importantly – come back again.
Having a user-friendly website means that your visitors will feel at ease when navigating through it – whether it’s reading your content, browsing for something, clicking on buttons, filling out forms, or something else.
The performance of all of these is an important component of usability and can affect the way users perceive your website and by extension, your brand and your business. There is a higher chance of user engagement if your website provides a superb customer experience.
You have to analyze your website’s performance to make sure that your visitors like what they see. Watch how they interact with your website – which are “hot” and “cold” areas on your website, where they are clicking, how long they are staying on your pages. This will give you an idea of what features they like the most.
There are different tools that you can use to monitor your website’s performance. Hotjar is one of the most useful sessions recording and tracking tools on the market. It helps reveal your visitors’ online behavior and can also help you improve your website’s conversion rates, user experience, and performance rates.
Two of its most valuable tools include the following:
- Heatmaps – This helps you understand where your users click the most and which are the hot spots on your website
- Session Recordings – You can activate visitor recordings to record your visitors’ real-time activities. This helps you see their clicks and taps so you know how they are engaging with your website.
Another way to get insights into your audience is by doing on-site surveys. This will help you understand what your visitors want from your website. You can target questions to your visitors to better understand what they’d want to see on your site.
Adding a “Send your feedback” option on your website is another good feature that can help you understand user preferences and what they dislike and can warn you about performance issues that you need to resolve.
Useful Stats on Customer Behavior When Looking at Websites
To better understand what customers want to see when visiting websites, let us take a look at these different statistics:
- According to neilpatel.com, 47% of website visitors expect that the websites that they visit to load in just 2 seconds or less.
- Clutch found that 67% of people like it when websites have links to the brand’s social media profiles
- According to this article by TIME magazine, the attention of the average reader is just 15 seconds.
- 46% of online shoppers are solely dedicated to shopping from just one shop if they are using their mobile app.
- In Vision reports that over 88% of website visitors are not inclined to return to a website after they’ve had a bad experience while navigating through it.
- According to this report from Hubspot, 38% of web users will leave the website if the layout and content are unattractive.
- Over 69% of website visitors said that reviews and testimonials are vital when viewing a website.
- 88% of people who are on-the-go choose their smartphones as their main choice of device when searching for websites to view and buy from.
Website Features Visitors Like
There are many ways you can improve your website to attract more visitors and retain your current ones. Below, we will discuss the website features visitors like what is their importance for your business success.
1. Easy Navigation and Quick Loading
Some of the first things that you should pay attention to are the menu and layout structure. As they are usually the first point of interaction for users, they should be intuitive and easily accessible.
According to this 2018 Consumer UX Survey by Clutch.com, 94% of website visitors consider “Easy Navigation” as the most important website feature. Pages that have clear menu options and structure attract customers as they can easily find what they need in just a matter of seconds.
For example, a website that has simple and well-thought navigation is Hubspot . It is designed so it reflects the products and services. When you enter the website, you can easily jump to the over the section you are looking for – Software, Pricing, Resources. The other option provided to users or learn more about the company the About section.
The top part of the layout also features a CTA button that invites users to get Hubspot for free, which is a good way to engage new visitors, because people love free stuff. The rest of the menu provides language options, contacts page, login, and chat with customer support – just basic stuff. This is a good example of simplistic menu navigation and layout.
You can easily explore Hubspot’s different options and pages in just a few clicks without getting lost on the site.
2. Beautiful and Responsive Design
Website aesthetics can greatly affect the number of visitors since most people are drawn to a beautiful website design. It not only enhances your brand’s reputation but it helps your website visitors decide if they would want to do business with you or not.
You should always look for current trends and updates regarding website designs so you can always attract new customers to visit your site.
Take this trendy example from Jazzfm.ro:
Having a responsive design is also vital to your website. Your visitors use different devices to view and navigate your website – which is why it should be responsive whether the visitor is using a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Additionally, it should also be compatible with different web browsers, as not everyone uses the same.
3. Visible and Accurate Contact Information
Most of your customers would want to know how to reach you if they ever need to communicate with you. Detailed contact information is a must for any website. According to Hubspot, about 44% of users will exit a business website if there’s no contact information provided.
You need to give visitors an easy way to reach you. It´s advisable to put your contact info in the header or footer of the website so it is available to users while browsing different pages.
You can also create a dedicated contact page with even more details about your company and a contact form.
Depending on the type of business, another good idea is to also add clickable call-to-action buttons with a short and easy-to-read caption such as “Talk to Us” or “Email Us”.
Here is an example from DevriX’s contact page:
4. Authentic Client Testimonials
Testimonials can give your customers a sense of trust and connection with your business. They will most likely choose a brand that has been tried and tested by other users.
It’s a good practice to include a few top reviews on a section of the homepage. This captures people’s attention and is something they are likely to look for.
It’s also worth creating a separate testimonials page with reviews from past customers that you’ve had a good partnership with. This adds to your profile and shows a successful track record with clients. This is an important website feature that can help customers decide whether they would want to work with you or not.
However, you should always ask your customers first if it is okay with them for you to use their real names and organizations that they are connected with. Testimonials with real names and even a picture of the client will help boost both the authenticity of the feedback and your company’s credibility.
You can implement this feature on your website via a plugin that is supported by your website and theme or custom-built. Another option is to use a widget by an external platform like TrustPilot, Shopper Approved or Clutch. Most of the review websites provide different options for embedding customer reviews on the website that you can customize based on the place of the website where you want to put them
Take this example from DevriX’s homepage where there is a section with a review from Clutch.co:
5. Convenient Search Functionality
Your customers won’t go through every page of your website to find what they are looking for. Make it easier for them by putting a good search functionality at the top of every page on your website.
According to this research by Moz, about 30% of website users will use the search bar on a website. The same report also states that visitors who use the search bar are twice as likely to convert into sales. They are also inclined to return to the site with the intent to purchase a product or use a business’ services.
Make sure you also apply the proper keywords and relevancy settings to this functionality, so the search results match closely the user intention.
6. High-Quality Images and Clear Descriptions
Images on a site can easily capture your customer’s attention, but they have to be beautiful and high-quality. According to usabilla.com, 90% of the information that people see and absorb is usually through visuals. With this being said, you will most likely attract new visitors by using high-quality images on your website.
People would want to see actual photos of the products that you are selling or how they can use your services. This is quite important since they can´t touch or feel what you’re offering. So make sure you prioritize the quality and meaning of the photos on your website. The images should contribute to recreating the real experience.
Hire a professional photographer, have the images edited by a professional designer, and then upload them to your site. Keep the images large enough so people can easily see the details of every product.
Take this example from Amazon, where customers can view and enlarge every product’s photo. They even have the option to zoom it in so the buyer can see the product in perfect detail:
Descriptions should also be accurate and clear, and your claims should be true. False advertisements can turn your customers off, so make the descriptions as precise as possible.
7. Friendly and Easy Access to Social Media Profiles
If people like what they see on your website, then they’d most likely want to follow you on your social media pages as well. Make it easier for them by adding these to your website, but you have to make sure that it can easily be seen and found by guests.
According to the Marketing Insider Group, about 52% of social media marketers believe that social media platforms can positively give traction to businesses’ sales and revenue. They also believe that people gravitate towards social media pages because of its convenience, since most of them have these apps on their phone.
Social media and website integrations can also prove legitimacy and social proof, which leads to trust between the consumers and the company. Make sure to integrate your social media links into your website by including the icons on your homepage or contact us page.
8. A Content-Rich Blog
Aside from SEO benefits, a content-rich blog can attract the right target market. All forms of marketing – including social and digital – require high-quality content that readers can gain valuable information from.
Some of the benefits that you can get from putting up a blog page include the following:
- Usable content that can be shared with your audience on your social media pages.
- Higher SEO rankings for specific target keywords
- Establishing and building a name for your brand and being a leader in your industry.
- Connection with your readers and website visitors.
Take this blog page from DevriX, where people can find hundreds of valuable and high-quality articles about tech, business, social media, and digital marketing. It also has a search bar where you can search for specific keywords so you can easily find related articles that you might be interested in reading.
Conclusion
Working on a website with features that your visitors will love should be one of your main goals when it comes to putting up a design. Not only will it help with your sales and revenue, but it will also help build trust between you and your customers.
Team DevriX
This article is crafted by DevriX's seasoned marketing team, boasting over four decades of collective expertise in crafting sophisticated marketing funnels, devising comprehensive content frameworks and pillars, implementing engaging email campaigns, and creating impactful social media content designed for scalability.
Our marketing experts specialize in the complete spectrum of inbound marketing strategies. As an accredited HubSpot Agency Partner and a Semrush Partner, we engage in meticulous research, blending our extensive experience with the unique insights of our highly skilled team.
We set benchmarks in content creation by incorporating cutting-edge marketing trends, leveraging in-depth industry research, and utilizing state-of-the-art AI tools for data segmentation and captivating content hooks. Our proficiency extends across a diverse range of sectors, including working with SMEs, Fortune 1000 companies, global B2B brands, major publishing entities, WooCommerce platforms, business directories, and affiliate networks.