How to create an outstanding user experience on your website

Why does your company’s website exist? The question might sound trivial at first, as it’s clear in today’s world that if a business isn’t online, it might as well not exist. Consumers are online, and online interactions are only increasing. But is your web service truly customer-centric? Does it serve your customers more than it serves your business?

Most companies believe they offer a good customer experience, but rarely is the perspective genuinely customer-focused.

If you want your site to be more than just a mundane business card with basic info, promotional talk, and contact details, it must deliver value to your customers. And to provide value, you need to understand what your target audience values and needs.

From the company’s perspective, a good web service reaches the right people, and visitors find what they’re looking for and perform the desired actions.

From the visitor’s perspective, however, it’s more emotional: a good web service not only provides value but also feels pleasant and effortless to use. If it doesn’t, the customer is easily lost.

So how is a good user experience created online? These five steps will take you a long way.

1. Involve the users in the designing process

Too often, user needs are overlooked when building web services. It’s essential to utilize user testing and surveys during the design process. This ensures that the information is presented to users in the way they expect to receive it.

2. Ensure good usability

Users appreciate quick and effortless transactions. At its best, a web service is so easy to use that navigation is intuitive.

The service’s functionalities are clarified with visual elements, and users are gently but clearly guided along the path towards the desired action.

3. Provide truly useful content

It’s important to consider the entire customer journey rather than just a single purchase event. How can you help the visitor when they are just beginning to look for a solution to their problem? How can you serve the customer after the purchase? How can you encourage the customer to return?

Forget about your product and focus on solving the problems users face at different stages of their journey. Meaningful content that engages the customer is key here, whether it’s a thought-provoking blog post, guide, video, discussion forum, or even a recipe bank.

4. Make an impact with visuality

The appearance of the site should reflect your company’s message. A significant part of the first impression is formed based on the visual style of the site. The visual style is one of the most important tools a company has to convince the customer and build trust.

5. Invest in scalability

As your business grows, the user experience of the web service must scale smoothly with it. For the user, it’s important that the service operates consistently and that they don’t have to learn new things as the system expands.

A good user experience is a significant competitive advantage, and its importance for business success is constantly growing. It’s about serving customers and creating customer satisfaction.

Your website should be seen as a tool for building and maintaining customer relationships. At its best, your service not only supports your business but becomes a profitable business model in itself, delighting customers—so much so that they keep coming back and recommend it to others.

If you want to improve your website or have questions about its user experience, feel free to get in touch.