How do you know if your website is effective?

How​ ​do​ ​you​ ​know​ ​if​ ​your​ ​website​ ​is​ ​effective?

By​ ​Jenna​ ​Erickson,​ ​Codal​ ​Inc

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Essentially,​ ​your​ ​website​ ​works​ ​as​ ​you​ ​virtual​ ​landscape.​ ​Your​ ​website​ ​visitors​ ​want your​ ​website​ ​to​ ​be​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​find,​ ​engaging,​ ​and​ ​informational.​ ​Don’t​ ​you​ ​want​ ​users​ ​to return​ ​to​ ​your​ ​website,​ ​for​ ​some​ ​reason​ ​or​ ​another?​ ​Without​ ​having​ ​purpose​ ​behind your​ ​website,​ ​it​ ​can​ ​be​ ​quite​ ​useless​ ​to​ ​a​ ​consumer.​ ​As​ ​a​ w ​ eb​ ​development​ ​agency​ ​in Chicago​,​ ​we​ ​know​ ​what​ ​you​ ​should​ ​be​ ​evaluating​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​the​ ​effectiveness​ ​of your​ ​website.

Do​ ​people​ ​know​ ​what​ ​you​ ​do?

If​ ​a​ ​user​ ​cannot​ ​tell​ ​what​ ​products​ ​or​ ​services​ ​the​ ​company​ ​offers​ ​within​ ​the​ ​first​ ​few seconds​ ​of​ ​being​ ​on​ ​the​ ​website,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​probably​ ​not​ ​effective.​ ​Users​ ​do​ ​not​ ​want​ ​to navigate​ ​through​ ​multiple​ ​pages​ ​to​ ​find​ ​out​ ​what​ ​the​ ​company​ ​does.​ ​Using​ ​Codal,​ ​UX Design​ ​Agency’s​ ​website​ ​as​ ​an​ ​example:

As​ ​soon​ ​as​ ​you​ ​land​ ​on​ ​the​ ​homepage,​ ​it​ ​tells​ ​you​ ​exactly​ ​what​ ​Codal​ ​does;​ ​UX​ ​+​ ​UI design​,​ ​and​ ​mobile​ ​app​ ​development​.

Can​ ​users​ ​find​ ​what​ ​they​ ​need?

If​ ​a​ ​user​ ​cannot​ ​find​ ​it,​ ​they​ ​cannot​ ​buy​ ​it.​ ​Your​ ​navigation​ ​should​ ​be​ ​clear​ ​and concise,​ ​and​ ​should​ ​know​ ​exactly​ ​what​ ​they​ ​are​ ​going​ ​to​ ​get​ ​when​ ​they​ ​click​ ​on​ ​a menu​ ​item.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​an​ ​easy​ ​thing​ ​to​ ​test;​ ​sit​ ​down​ ​with​ ​a​ ​few​ ​friends​ ​or​ ​coworkers, and​ ​ask​ ​them​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​a​ ​task.​ ​It​ ​can​ ​be​ ​as​ ​simple​ ​as​ ​“Change​ ​your​ ​account settings​ ​to​ ​private.”

Watch​ ​how​ ​the​ ​user​ ​interacts​ ​with​ ​the​ ​platform.​ ​Did​ ​they​ ​easily​ ​find​ ​their​ ​account settings?​ ​Could​ ​they​ ​easily​ ​change​ ​them?​ ​Observing​ ​how​ ​users​ ​interact​ ​with​ ​your digital​ ​product​ ​will​ ​ensure​ ​that​ ​all​ ​user​ ​types​ ​will​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​find​ ​what​ ​they​ ​are looking​ ​for.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​hire​ ​a​ ​company​ ​that​ ​specializes​ ​in​ ​UX​ ​design​ ​services​,​ ​they​ ​should be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​hand​ ​this​ ​for​ ​you.

Is​ ​your​ ​website​ ​visually​ ​pleasing​ ​to​ ​the​ ​eye?

While​ ​user​ ​experience​ ​and​ ​user-centered​ ​design​​ ​is​ ​absolutely​ ​critical,​ ​the​ ​graphical and​ ​visual​ ​design​ ​has​ ​to​ ​also​ ​be​ ​aesthetically​ ​pleasing​ ​as​ ​well.​ ​The​ ​look​ ​and​ ​feel​ ​of​ ​a website​ ​is​ ​just​ ​as​ ​important,​ ​as​ ​if​ ​a​ ​user​ ​lands​ ​on​ ​the​ ​page​ ​and​ ​it’s​ ​extremely outdated,​ ​chances​ ​are​ ​they​ ​will​ ​consider​ ​your​ ​website​ ​to​ ​be​ ​untrustable,​ ​and​ ​bounce off​ ​the​ ​site.

Are​ ​you​ ​keeping​ ​your​ ​CTA’s​ ​Straight​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Point?

Great​ ​websites​ ​need​ ​solid​ ​call-to-actions.​ ​Even​ ​if​ ​you​ ​have​ ​amazing​ ​content,​ ​you need​ ​to​ ​tell​ ​the​ ​user​ ​what​ ​their​ ​next​ ​steps​ ​should​ ​be.The​ ​call-to-actions​ ​should​ ​also reflect​ ​the​ ​content​ ​on​ ​the​ ​page.​ ​If​ ​the​ ​content​ ​is​ ​about​ ​mobile​ ​app​ ​design​ ​and development,​​ ​than​ ​the​ ​CTA​ ​about​ ​that,​ ​and​ ​not​ ​UX​ ​design​ ​services​.

Just​ ​these​ ​four​ ​steps​ ​alone,​ ​should​ ​allow​ ​you​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​how​ ​effective​ ​your website​ ​is.​ ​The​ ​more​ ​effective​ ​your​ ​website​ ​is,​ ​the​ ​more​ ​visitors​ ​you​ ​can​ ​attract,​ ​and convert​ ​to​ ​help​ ​build​ ​up​ ​your​ ​business.​ ​Need​ ​help​ ​with​ ​the​ ​design​ ​of​ ​your​ ​website?

Check​ ​out​ ​Codal’s​ ​website,​ ​an​ ​agency​ ​that​ ​can​ ​help​ ​you​ ​with​ ​UX​ ​,​ ​UI​ ​design​ ​services​, or​ ​mobile​ ​application​ ​development​.