If you don’t have experience as a professional website designer, chances are the website you built might not be keeping visitors on your site as long as you’d like. Never fear – optimizing your website for a happy user experience can come down to just a few simple steps! Read further along in this post for 5 easy website tips you can do right now to keep visitors on your site for longer and make more conversions!

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#1 – Make sure visitors know who you are and what you do

Have you ever come to a business’s website, only to leave confused about what it is they actually do? For a business-owner, that’s a recipe for disaster. As soon as a visitor enters your home page, they should immediately be able to find who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. 

In order to keep visitors on your site for longer, you’ll need to convince them that you have something that they want or need. That can be education or knowledge, like a blog, services, or products. An easy website tip is putting an eye-catching header at the top of your homepage that introduces what you offer .

Your next step:

Take a look at your homepage. As a visitor, would you be able to clearly tell what this business offers and why you need it? If the answer is yes – great! If not, then it’s time to make some tweaks.

In the very top section of your home page (aka: the hero section), craft an attention-getting primary headline. This will be your largest headline for the page. Make sure to include SEO-optimized keywords that clearly describe what you do and who you help. For example: “Branding and website design for creatives and entrepreneurs.”

Next up, I also recommend supplementing this header with a supportive statement or paragraph. This is where you get more specific on what you do and how you can help your visitor. Bonus top: It helps to write this section like you’re speaking to a specific person. That way, you have a clearer image of who you are speaking to and therefore will resonate more with your visitor. For example: “Ready to be unforgettable? All you need is a strategic, energetic brand that steps up and keeps them thinking about you!”

PRO TIP:

Crafting the copywriting (aka wording) for your website can be an intimidating task. There are so many factors that come into play with copywriting to determine the success of your website, that I highly recommend working with a professional copywriter if you can afford it. They will be able to take a deep dive into the values and vision of your business, what makes it stand out, and how to speak towards your specific audience. They are also professionally knowledgeable in optimizing your website for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Meaning, they craft your website wording and SEO so that your site will pop up on Google search results. Some copywriters take this knowledge and use it to even offer blog post writing services, or maybe just blog post titles. If you’re in the market for a phenomenal website copywriter, I highly recommend Kaylan at Bushel and Bunch – she wrote my website!

#2 – Make your website header easy to navigate

If the goal is to keep your visitors on your website for longer, thus creating more conversions, another easy website tip you want to do is make sure your website header is easy to navigate. Too many times, I see websites that have an overcrowded header, filled with overwhelming amounts of drop-downs, or confusing and lengthy tab titles. If you want visitors to move on from your home page to find whatever it is they are looking for, you’ll want to make that next click as easy as possible. One of the easiest ways to do this is making your header navigation bar as simple and easy to read as possible. 

Your next step:

Is your navigation bar easy to navigate? If not, try simplifying it a bit! Try to pick your six most important website pages, and only include those in the navigation bar. If you have more than six overall pages, feel free to add the rest in your footer and / or underneath a separate menu button.

Next, give these pages clear and easy-to-read names in the navigation bar. Try to keep the page names preferably around 1-2 words, but no more than three. For example, my website’s navigation bar includes “Home,” “My work,” “About me,” “Services,” “Template shop,” “The blog,” and “Get in touch.” 

PRO TIP:

Decide what the main task is that you want your visitor to complete, and highlight that page in your navigation bar. For example, the primary thing I want my website visitors to do when viewing my website is to submit an inquiry form on my contact page. Therefore, I have the “Get in touch” button in the navigation bar designed in a different style than the rest of the pages. This guides the viewer to that button, increasing the likelihood that they’ll visit that page – one step closer to working with me!

#3 – Have clear call-to-actions

Call to action (aka CTA) buttons are words or phrases in the form of links or buttons that guide your website visitor toward their next step in your website. This is an excellent way to keep visitors engaged with your website for longer. As a user scrolls through your homepage, providing well-crafted CTA buttons will be able to easily prompt them wherever you’d like them to go next. 

Your next step:

Look through your website and make sure you’re providing plenty of call-to-actions. There should always be one included in the hero section of the homepage, as well as plenty throughout the rest of the page and website.

If you don’t know what CTA’s to use on your website, feel free to take a look at the list below. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it should give you a good idea on where to start.

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PRO TIP:

I know I have already recommended looking into professional copywriting services, but I’d like to mention it for CTA’s, as well. Most copywriters, when handing over your website copy, will provide you with pre-written and researched call-to-action phrases. If you are struggling with finding the right ones for your business, that’s a copywriter’s specialty! They’ll be able to craft CTA phrases for you that speak to your audience and get you the most conversions possible.

#4 – Optimize your website for mobile viewing

It’s no secret that viewing websites on our phones is becoming more and more popular. That’s why it’s just as important, and maybe even more important, to optimize your website for mobile viewing. If you only design your website to look good on desktop, then you’re missing the mark on half your audience! 

Your next step:

Get out your phone and take a look at how your website looks on the mobile version. Is everything just as easy to navigate? Does the layout make sure that everything is easy to digest? Are the font sizes legible? If not, make sure to make those changes ASAP!

PRO TIP:

I’ve used just about every website builder out there, and there’s a reason I’ve stuck with Showit. While builders like Squarespace and Wix allow for mobile versions of your website, they are not as near as customizable as Showit. With Showit, you have 100% drag-and-drop creative freedom – both on the desktop and mobile. That way, if something looks great in one layout on desktop, you aren’t restricted to that same layout on mobile. If you want to try out Showit, click here to get your first month free after your free trial!

#5 – Make your images web-friendly

There’s almost nothing that will deter your visitor from staying on your website than when a page takes forever to load. One study found that just a two-second delay in load time caused users to abandon the page up to 87% of the time! (Hobo SEO Consultancy) If we want visitors to stay on our site, this might be the most important easy website tip!

The number one culprit for a slow load time for a website almost always comes down to your images. While you always want high quality photos, you’ll also want to make sure that they are optimized for a fast load time. 

Your next step:

Take a look at the file sizes of the photos you have on your website. The best file size for optimal loading speed is no more than 200 KB. This will ensure that all of your images load fast, therefore keeping your users engaged for longer. If you need help with this, there are plenty of image file compressor websites available. All you have to do is upload your images, and it will compress them for you to make them website-friendly. My favorite to use is Optimizilla (I just love the little dino!).

PRO TIP:

While we’re on the subject of website photos, one of the biggest differences you can make to the quality of your website, as well as user experience, is investing in professional brand photos. This is something that is often overlooked, since stock photos are so readily available, and often free. However, if you can afford the investment, I highly recommend it. This can make a huge difference on whether your website stands out. Working with a brand photographer will also let your business’s unique personality and style shine through! Why would you want to use the same stock photos that are found on everyone else’s website?

Looking for web design help?

I understand that website design can sometimes be overwhelming. I believe you deserve a brand and website that makes connections, relationships, and sales for you. This is why my passion, purpose, and promise is to create a brand of your dreams and a website that steps up with strategy – so you can spend less time selling and more time working with dream clients.

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