Web template development may look like a that’s-way-too-techy kind of job for growth hackers. Getting a website up-and-running is no big deal as it once was. But optimising the site for an optimum user experience continues to be a challenge what with most of the agencies identifying poor UX as the most detrimental factor for engagement and conversions.
For growth hackers looking to generate a higher ROI via the website, there is more to consider than merely the looks of the website as they need to ensure that visitors get a satisfying experience that leads to more conversions. We have here created a list of helpful guidelines that all growth hackers should consider while communicating their needs with the web designer.
Design and content
The placement of your copy, fonts, colors, images, calls-to-action and videos, all play an important role to create a rich experience for users. Here are a few elements where design and content will go hand in hand.
a) Headline: Since you rely on click-throughs from social, search or email, it is a good practice that the headline delivers exactly what is promised to the user.
b) Responsive hero images: If you provide a strong visual experience without even content or CTA, visitors might get tempted to scroll down further to read more. More businesses are displaying large pictures of their products via the hero shot.
c) Navigation: Usability and searchability get a big boost when the information architecture (IA) is organised and perfectly labeled. They should be intuitive and visually guide the user where they could find the required information.
d) Hamburger menus: It is likely that websites have a long menu that eats up screen space. The Hamburger menu brings together all the options on a single drop down menu for easy-scanning and provides attractive looks to the site.
e) Copy: Identify the user’s goals and challenges. These are the major pre-requisites for creating a visitor-centric copy that helps in converting.
f) Web fonts: There are no restrictions on fonts any more as web fonts give designers an opportunity to be more creative and present text that is user-friendly.
g) Visual hierarchy: Readers mostly scan through the content. It is vital to arrange and organise elements so that visitor gravitates towards vital elements first. Follow the “F” reading pattern of the users discussed in a report by Nielsen and Norman.
h) Consistency: The overall look and tone of the website should be consistent. Backgrounds, color schemes, tone of writing and typefaces are all the areas where consistency will enhance usability and UX.
i) Responsive: In order to cater a truly wonderful user experience, your site should be compatible with different devices.
j) Images: High-quality visuals increase engagement and conversions. It’s twice as important to work hard on them along with the copy. Here are some of the best practices for using images:
- Images shown in different angles
- Context of the image to the user
- Zoomable images of jewelry and related products
- 360-degree automatic rotating images for a holistic view of the product
- Images showing real people to create an empathetic feel.
k) Videos: Videos are often used for storytelling and describing the features and benefits of a product or displaying customer reviews. They act as an essential trust factor for the visitors. Videos also form the part of an above-the-fold content strategy where it is presented on the hero image to boost engagement.
l) Awards and recognition: Inspire a good impression by showing your certifications, awards and other recognitions that your business or professionals might have received. It reinforces the trust factor.
m) Reviews: Reviews are the best trust indicators for your visitors. Nothing raises the bar as better as finding reviews on a website from real-life people like us.
n) Breadcrumbs: These are small elements, but play a significant role to inform the users where they are in the browsing journey with complete URL mapping to enable jump back to previous sections.
o) Footer: Users expect to find information about you and your contact details from the footer. If users have scrolled down the length of the page, they are highly engaged. It is a good practice to include a call-to-action here such as a subscription form.
Call-to-Action
A click on the call-to-action will turn your visitors into leads or customers. The effectiveness of a CTA could be measured with A/B testing. The most common practices of creating enticing calls-to-action are given here:
- Actionable copy
- Enticing button and complementary text color
- Size
- Shape
We will now discuss the kinds of CTA that could be placed at various locations.
a) Main call-to-action: This is probably your lead generator and you want to make it prominent across the website to boost submissions.
b) Social sharing buttons: Social sharing buttons remind the users to share and spread your message. Social shares count also plays a psychological factor that boosts shares.
c) Secondary CTA: These are CTAs that don’t convert immediately but make the visitors an integral part of the buyer’s journey. A downloadable guide is one example of a secondary CTA.
d) Cross-selling or up-selling: These are products or services that are related to what you are currently viewing and asks you to check out other options.
Forms
While designing forms, it is strongly recommended to build a bridge between growth hacking and user experience. That is because, growth hackers might be tempted to acquire maximum information, but that could be devastating for UX. So, how do you create a form for your users to increase conversions?
- Every form should be scannable that defines the labels and group various sections to make sense. If there are many fields required in the same form, create sections for users to understand.
- The forms should guide users at the appropriate places so that they enter the correct information. Tooltips work big time as when clicked, they tell users about the requirements of a particular field.
- Form validation is an inevitable element as they validate the data entered by users and prompt in case any data is incorrect.
- Accessibility is a major factor as your forms should be available to users accessing your webpage from various devices.
A growth hacker thinks about how every element will add a value and create a positive impression on the visitor’s mind. With every section, try answering the following two questions:
- Is the section and its elements suitable to my target audience?
- What will they do on each particular section?
Answers to this question will put you way ahead of the competition as you will be optimising every element to provide a great user experience that boosts conversions.
