1st tip: Meaningful headlines
Companies often invest a lot of money in advertisements without being clear about how they affect their target group. Advertisements are often placed without users knowing what added value they will receive. „A ‚welcome‘ is meant to be friendly, but it doesn’t give short-attention-span visitors any information about what to expect on the website.“ In a fast-paced world where attention spans are shrinking, a clear message right at the start of the visitor journey is critical to success.
Tip 2: Short texts and clear benefits
Companies often emphasize detailed descriptions, making it unnecessarily complicated for the reader. No one feels like reading a lot and dwelling on long texts. You have to keep it short and to the point. Especially on the smartphone, texts appear longer and can ensure higher bounce rates. Instead, it’s recommended to provide easily digestible information that clearly communicates customer benefits.
Tip 3: Put customers at the center
Many companies focus too much on themselves. Instead, however, the focus should always be on the customers. After all, they are primarily interested in a solution to their needs. So instead of focusing on your own company, avoid „we“ phrases and replace them with „you“ and „you’re“ phrases. In this way, readers can better identify with the offer – which, especially in the case of services, is often decisive for whether or not they become a customer.
Tip 4: Avoid empty phrases, filler words and technical terms
In addition to a modern design and a clear message, it is also important to use interesting language that explains the offer to the customer in a way that is understandable without being too demanding. In this context, phrases such as „customer-oriented“, „professional“ or „service-oriented“ are meaningless and interchangeable, as they can be found on almost every company website. Customers need to recognize the difference to other providers and understand exactly what the added value is for them. Instead of describing yourself as service-oriented, it is advisable to go into more detail and name concrete advantages. An example: „We are available for you 24 hours a day without waiting times“.
Tip 5: A clear call to action
Another tip is to have clear calls to action. However, companies either don’t have any or they have too many. Customers are often presented with numerous possible options, such as „Visit our social media channels!“, „Read our blog!“ or „Make an appointment here“. As a result, customers end up not knowing which step is the right one, and so they opt for another provider. To avoid this, websites should follow a clear structure that clearly tells visitors what to expect next. Potential customers should have the feeling that they are being guided and the security of knowing exactly what is happening.
Tip 6: Responsive design for all devices
80 percent of people use the Internet via their smartphone. Consequently, one’s website should be adapted not only for the desktop view, but also for all other devices. Responsiveness should not only be tested on your own cell phone: Android works differently than IOS – and Safari, in turn, differently than Firefox. It is therefore recommended to test and optimize the display of the website on different devices and browsers to ensure optimal user-friendliness.
7th tip: A good loading speed
If a website takes longer than three seconds to load, you lose around 40 percent of your visitors. Nowadays, users simply don’t feel like waiting – if a website takes too long, they simply close the window. This is particularly serious when companies also place expensive advertisements. Yet it is so easy to optimize a website: With the Pagespeed Insight Tool from Google, you can test free of charge how fast your own website is and where there is a need for optimization. At best, companies should seek the support of an experienced expert.
(Text: Dominique Rademacher)
