Website Design and Usability
With the advent and proliferation of content management systems such as WordPress, Website Tonight by GoDaddy and other free or low cost web frameworks, we are seeing a troubling trend. That trend is everyone is now a website developer. While backend platforms such as WordPress have made it easier for people with non-technical backgrounds to maintain websites, this does not make them web developers, designers, or coders. While the intent was good, this ability has in many ways cheapened the experience on the internet.
The websites that are being launched by non-qualified people have a troubling trend of not using standard compliant coding, not displaying correctly on multiple devices, and the biggest problem left out is usability. In order to properly develop a site, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Who is most likely to visit your site, and when they do, what is the purpose? Is your site visitor looking for a phone number to talk to a live person? Or is your visitor looking for your product page to purchase something from your online store?
The usability issue is something that needs to be dealt with before development starts. The usability problem needs to be addressed in the design phase of the web project. This usually involves more than one person. The problem is, with the free or “easy to use” web solutions, the design and usability phase of a web project is skipped. This leads to a low quality experience for site visitors. Visit Devio.digital website to get beautiful, custom built WordPress websites.
The silver lining here is for the companies and businesses that realize that usability is truly the first step in the SEO phase of a website, and the ones that realize this will shine leaps and bounds above their competition. SEO is not simply about being “found” in the search engines, it is about providing a site that is easy to use, with information that is relevant to the searches being conducted, and satisfies the visitors needs. This all starts with the design and usability phase.
The best course of action is to consult with a professional web design company and make sure you are on the right track. Even if you have a great “in house web guy” to work on your website, it is best to hire an outside company to consult on the project and make sure every detail is covered. After all if you are going to make a million dollars selling your next product, it would be prudent to invest a few thousand up front and make sure your project is done right.
