Having just any website isn’t enough because it may or may not give good results or outcome to your business. It is mandatory to make sure your website is user-friendly. No doubt you need new visitors everyday and you expect them to enter your funnel and bring you some business. If you want your visitors to stay with you, they should be able to draw some benefit out of your website. This is possible only if it is user-friendly. Here we give 10 guidelines for creating a user-friendly website for your business or services.
Why Is A User-Friendly Website Necessary?
Here are some potential reasons:
1. A user-friendly website improves the overall user experience. This makes it more likely that users will stay on the site and engage with the content.
2. It makes it easier for users to find the information they are looking for. This can lead to increased conversions and sales.
3. A user-friendly website is more likely to be shared and linked to by other websites. This can improve search engine rankings and increase traffic.
4. It allows users with disabilities to access the site. This is not only important for legal compliance but also for ethical reasons.
5. A user-friendly website is more likely to be recommended by its users which can increase brand loyalty and customer retention.
6. It helps to reduce bounce rates and increase time spent on the website. This is an important metric for SEO and online marketing.
7. It allows for easy navigation and interaction on different devices which is important in the era of multi-device usage.
Top 10 Guidelines for Creating A User-Friendly Website
Design for Accessibility
When designing a user-friendly website, accessibility should be a top priority from the start. It is essential to consider the needs of users with disabilities and design the website in a way that it can be fully utilized by them. This includes features such as providing alternative text for images. This allows visually impaired users to understand the content of images using screen readers. It also includes using proper heading structure. This makes it easier for users to navigate the website and for search engines to understand the content.
Furthermore, it is important to ensure that the website is keyboard navigable. This is because many users with disabilities rely on keyboard navigation to access the website. This means that all the functionality on the website should be accessible through the keyboard, including links, buttons, and forms.
Use Clear and Simple Language
The language used on a website plays a crucial role in making it user-friendly. It is important that the language is clear and easy to understand for all users including those with limited reading skills. This means avoiding the use of jargon or technical terms that may be confusing for some users. The use of simple language ensures that the website is accessible to a wider range of users making it more inclusive.
In addition to using clear and simple language it is important to maintain consistency in the language used throughout the website. Consistency in language helps users navigate the website easily and understand the content. For example, using the same terms and phrases throughout the website. This is to ensure that users do not get confused or lost while trying to find the information they need.
Provide Alternative Text for Images
Providing alternative text (alt text) for images on a website is an essential aspect of web accessibility. Alt text is a brief description of an image that is read out loud by screen readers. These are devices used by visually impaired individuals to navigate the web. This allows users to understand the content of images on a website even if they are unable to see them.
For example, an image of a cat might have an alt text that reads “a black and white cat sitting on a windowsill.” This provides the user with a clear understanding of the image, even if they are unable to see it. Without alt text, the user would be unable to understand the content of the image. It would make it difficult for them to navigate the website.
In addition to providing accessibility for visually impaired users, alt text is also beneficial for search engine optimization. Search engines use alt text to understand the content of images and can use it to rank a website in search results. This can help to increase the visibility of a website and attract more users.
Make Sure Your Website Is Responsive
A responsive website is a must-have in today’s digital age. With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet it is important. This will ensure that a website can adapt to different screen sizes and devices. A responsive website automatically adjusts its layout and design to fit the screen it is being viewed on. This means that users can easily navigate the website, read the content and interact with the elements on the website regardless of the device they are using.
Responsive design is not just about making a website look good on different devices. It is also about providing a seamless user experience. With the rise of mobile devices, users expect to have the same experience on their mobile devices as they do on their desktop computers. A responsive website ensures that users can easily access the content and features of the website regardless of the device they are using.
Use Proper Heading Structure
The heading structure of a website is crucial for both accessibility and search engine optimization. It provides a clear and organized layout of the content on the website making it easy for users to quickly understand the main topics and subtopics of the page. By breaking up the content into different levels of headings, users are able to scan the page and find the information they are looking for more efficiently.
Proper heading structure also helps search engines understand the content of the website. Search engines use the headings to determine the main topics of the page and to understand how the content is organized. This can help improve the website’s search engine rankings and make it more likely that users will find the website when they are searching for information on a specific topic.
The use of H1, H2, H3 tags, etc. are important in this context. H1 tags are used for the main title of the page while H2 tags are used for subheadings and H3 tags for sub-subheadings. This way search engines can easily understand the hierarchy of the content and the main subjects of the pages. The use of these tags also makes it easier for users to scan the page and find the information they need.
Make Sure Your Website Is Keyboard Navigable
Keyboard accessibility is an important aspect of creating a user-friendly website for users with disabilities, particularly those with motor impairments. These users may not be able to use a mouse or other pointing device to navigate a website. Instead, rely on keyboard shortcuts to access and interact with the website’s content and functionality.
To ensure that all functionality on a website is accessible through the keyboard, it is important to provide keyboard shortcuts for all links, buttons, and forms. For example, users should be able to use the tab key to move between links and buttons, and the enter key to activate them. Form controls, such as text fields and checkboxes should also be able to be accessed and interacted with using the keyboard.
Test Your Website for Accessibility
Testing your website for accessibility is an important step in ensuring that it is fully usable for users with disabilities. This process helps to identify any accessibility issues that may be present on the website and to make necessary changes to improve the user experience for all users.
Manual testing by a person with disabilities is one way to test a website for accessibility. This involves having a person with a disability navigate the website and provide feedback on any issues they encounter. This can include things like difficulty using the keyboard to navigate the site, difficulty reading the text on the page, or difficulty understanding the content of the website.
Automated testing using tools such as aXe, WAVE, and JAWS is another way to test a website for accessibility. These tools are designed to scan the website and identify any accessibility issues such as missing alternative text for images, poor color contrast, or issues with the website’s code. They also provide suggestions on how to fix these issues.
Use Proper Color Contrast
Good color contrast is a critical aspect of web design when it comes to accessibility. Color contrast refers to the difference in lightness between the text and its background. This is important because it makes the text more legible and easier to read for users with visual impairments, such as those with low vision or color blindness. When text and background have low contrast, it makes it harder to read and understand the content which can be frustrating and even impossible for some users.
To ensure good color contrast, web designers and developers must follow the guidelines set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines specify the minimum contrast ratio between text and background that is required for text to be considered legible. The recommended ratio for body text is 4.5:1, and for larger text, such as headings, it’s 3:1. This means that the difference in lightness between the text and background must be at least 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for larger text.
It’s also important to note that good color contrast is not limited to text and background but also to other interactive elements such as buttons, links, and form fields. Ensuring good color contrast in these elements allows users to easily identify and interact with them.
Allow Users to Adjust Font Size
Allowing users to adjust the font size on a website is a crucial aspect of accessibility for users with visual impairments. People with visual impairments such as low vision or color blindness often require larger text sizes to be able to read the content on a website. Without the ability to adjust the font size, they may struggle to read the text or may have to zoom in on the page which can be time-consuming and frustrating.
Providing an option for users to adjust the font size is a simple but effective way to improve the accessibility of a website. This can be done by including a font size toggle button on the website, or by using a browser extension that allows users to adjust the font size. In addition, it is important to ensure that the font size can be adjusted to a large enough size that users can comfortably read the text.
Moreover, in addition to giving the users the ability to adjust the font size, the website should be designed in such a way that the text is readable even at small sizes; this can be achieved by using a font that is easy to read and has good contrast with the background.
Provide Closed Captioning for Videos
Closed captioning is a critical aspect of creating a user-friendly website that is accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Closed captions provide a written transcript of the audio content in a video, allowing users who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand the content of the video. This is particularly important for users who may rely on lip-reading or sign language to understand spoken content.
Adding closed captions to videos on a website is also beneficial for users who are in a noisy environment and need to turn off the sound. For example, users in a public place such as a library or coffee shop may need to turn off the sound on their device to avoid disturbing others. Closed captions provide an alternative way for users to understand the content of the video even when the sound is turned off.
Furthermore, closed captions are not only useful for users with hearing impairments but also for users who may be non-native speakers of the language used in the video or for users with cognitive or learning disabilities. It helps them to understand the content better and to follow along.
Create A User-Friendly Website With The Help of Isacme Web Development Services
Isacme Services helps its clients create user-friendly websites for their businesses and professional services with all the above things in mind. Whether you need a website for food industry, health industry, IT industry, or even to provide your freelance or professional services, Isacme professionals can help you with that. Get web development services from Isacme Services.
Do you need just some guidance to create it yourself? Isacme can provide you with all the guidelines for creating a user-friendly website you need for your services. Get web development consultation services from Isacme Services.
Not to forget, social media marketing is also very important to promote your business. Here are some social media trends you should try in 2023. Also make sure to work on your social media marketing strategy for your business growth. But if you’re not sure where to get started with social media marketing, read how to get started with social media marketing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creating a user-friendly website requires attention to accessibility and usability for all users including those with disabilities. It’s important to consider accessibility from the beginning of the design process and to test the website for accessibility. Some key guidelines to follow include designing for accessibility using clear and simple language, providing alternative text for images, making sure the website is responsive and keyboard navigable, using proper heading structure, and providing closed captioning for videos. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your website is truly user-friendly for all users.
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3 responses to “Top 10 Guidelines for Creating A User-Friendly Website”
[…] to forget, a website is also very important to promote your business. Here are some user-friendly website creation guidelines. Work on your social media marketing strategy for your business growth. But if you’re not sure […]
[…] to forget, a website is also very important to promote your business. Here are some user-friendly website creation guidelines. Work on your social media marketing strategy for your business growth. But if you’re not sure […]
[…] to forget, a website is also very important to promote your business. Here are some user-friendly website creation guidelines. Work on your social media marketing strategy for your business growth. But if you’re not sure […]