How to make a User-Friendly Website?

Keeping users interested in a website isn’t easy with depleting attention spans. To maximize the chances of getting high traffic and high revenue, a user-friendly website is non-negotiable.

Few key stats for the average web developer, UI/UX designer, and marketer:

• On average, visitors to a web page will read 28% of the words on the page.
• On average, a visit to a web page lasts less than a minute, and visitors usually bounce in 10 to 20 seconds.

At first thought, user-friendliness may be subjective, but certain features ensure a better user experience. If you’re wondering how to make a user-friendly website, let’s get into 6 factors that are mandatory for any website to be considered worthy of visitors’ attention. In other words, don’t release a website that does not include the following qualities.

How to make a User-Friendly Website?

Now, let’s begin with the list of must-have elements to make a website user-friendly:

Intuitive Navigation

After landing on a homepage, a user will naturally look to the navigation to get a sense of the site structure. A good website ensures that it is structured for easy navigation and gives users a clear sense of what they can access and from where.

• The navigation bar should be constant throughout the site on every page. Ensure that it serves as a tool that guides the user’s journey through the site.
• Don’t clutter the navigation bar with many categories or items.
• An overly bulky bar is harder to operate and doesn’t look too great.
• Also, the bar should be in the exact location on every page to minimize user effort.

The best way to implement user-friendly navigation is to conduct A/B testing with different menu locations, tab arrangements, and content. Find out which version users prefer and implement that in the final release.

Mobile Compatibility

The lack of a mobile-friendly site could negatively impact site rankings. Any site offering a better mobile experience would potentially receive a rankings boost even for people searching from a desktop device.

• There are currently 4.28 billion unique mobile internet users worldwide, which is 51% of the global population.
• More people use their mobile devices to access the internet than desktop devices.
• Additionally, Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means that the mobile version of a website becomes the starting point for what Google includes in its index.
• It is also the baseline for determining SEO.

Once a mobile-friendly version of a site has been designed, it needs to be tested for bugs when accessed via real mobile devices under real user conditions.

Cross-Device Compatibility

More than 4 billion people access the web through combinations of:

• 9000+ distinct devices
• 21 different OS (vendor + version), along with
• 8 major browser engines that power hundreds of browsers

To maximize its chance of success, a website should be optimized for access from as many unique devices as possible. This can be challenging since new devices are being released with increasing frequency. Unless testers have access to a constantly updated device lab, it is best to go for a cloud-based testing offering real browsers and devices on demand.

BrowserStack does precisely this by providing real browsers and devices available for testing via a functioning internet connection. Sign up, log in, pick the device-browser combination required, and start testing for free. This applies to both manual and automated testing.

Start Testing on BrowserStack

Fast Load Times

• 53% of website visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
• 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in two seconds or less.
• 40% of consumers will wait no more than three seconds for a web page to load before abandoning it.

Increasing website speed is a significant factor in user-friendliness. The faster the web page loads, the more it contributes to user satisfaction. And there is plenty one can do for website speed optimization.

• After implementing measures for website speed optimization, one has to check on website speed to ensure that it is working as desired.
• Furthermore, a website might not load at the same speed on different device-browser combinations.
• To determine accurate website speed on different devices and browsers, use a tool that accurately measures the same using real browsers and devices.

BrowserStack SpeedLab allows users to measure website page speed with a single click. Enter the relevant URL, click Start, and get a detailed report of how the page renders across many devices. Run a Free Website Speed Test on SpeedLab to evaluate how a website performs in real user conditions.

Try SpeedLab for Free

Responsive Design

A website should render perfectly and function flawlessly, regardless of the screen size or viewport of the device accessing it. This calls for responsive design, which ensures that the website reorients itself to adapt to the current screen size – text and images automatically reformat and resize themselves so that they are easily viewed and spaced correctly.

• By implementing responsive design, developers ensure that users can view a site in optimal conditions, no matter what device or browser they use to view it.
• BrowserStack’s responsive design checker allows them to monitor how a website renders across the screens of the latest and most frequently used devices. Enter the relevant URL, click Check, and check how a website’s responsive design fares across viewports.

Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)

Actionable websites are the most powerful. CTAs should be upfront, combining a clear point with the right link.

Watch WWF’s page on “Why should we save the tigers?” The CTA (Donate) is placed in three locations on the page, one of which moves as the user scrolls. However, none of the CTAs are obtrusive, and they do not disrupt the flow of content or try to divert the user’s attention away from the content.

• CTAs should be easy to find, well-placed on every page (as necessary), and be part of an easily executable end-to-end user action.
• A CTA must set clear expectations. No one should find themselves on an event registration page when the CTA might have led them to believe they would be donating.
• The text should be readable and in a contrasting color as opposed to the button.
• Don’t overwhelm visitors with multiple CTAs on a single page.

A website cannot keep users happy without the articles above. User-friendliness is non-negotiable because no matter what it offers, it will have thousands of competitors offering the same product or service. Each site has to strive to provide the best possible user experience, and this article offers five pillars that would help developers, designers and testers offer the same.