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When trying to build a website that your visitors will love, it’s important to focus on certain elements to improve their experience on your pages. Otherwise, it will be easy for your new site to get lost in the crowd, as nearly every business has their own website these days. Or, your customers will find your design confusing, distracting or difficult to navigate – which could cause them to go elsewhere.

Fortunately, there are some straightforward ways you can build a solid web presence, so you don’t turn off visitors and end up losing potential sales. These tips include taking the time to compare website builders, create an intuitive website layout, take advantage of mobile optimization and solicit feedback regularly.

Tip #1: Check Into Different Website Builders

Likely the most important pointer on this list, it’s critical that you shop around for a robust website builder before getting started. The best intentions won’t be much help if the tools that you use to craft your site are subpar or incomplete. Working with an outdated or insubstantial program, won’t allow you to bring your true creative vision to life. Take the time to check out the various online services available today, which offer different building tools with their monthly packages. You can quickly compare website builders here, to discover which option is right for your specific needs.

Tip #2: Create an Intuitive Layout

Carefully organizing the layout of your website is essential, if you’re going to build pages which place a strong emphasis on user experience. Try to imagine what potential customers would like to see, and where each element can best be placed on the page. High-end design firms create routes that customers are likely to travel, which is why their projects end up feeling extremely intuitive and easy-to-use. Take a lesson from their tactics, and create a logical flow from the landing page design all the way to the product checkout.

Tip #3: Be Sure to Include a Mobile Version

The best website builders will allow you to either create a separate mobile version of your site or optimize the pages for viewing on a mobile device. Either option will make it far more enjoyable for your users when they visit your site from their phone or even tablet. With mobile surfing and shopping sharply rising in recent years, you can’t afford to ignore this segment of your customer base. By providing mobile-friendly pages, your visitors won’t have to deal with disjointed formatting or long loading times – leading to higher satisfaction (and hopefully more sales).

Tip #4: Solicit Feedback Often

Your website doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and you can’t always predict how customers will respond to your design. It’s best to solicit feedback regularly, so you can continuously improve the experience on your site. This is especially true in the beginning, right after your new site has gone live – as working out the bugs can take some time. If you’re having trouble getting visitors to respond to your requests for feedback, offer a free informational product (a “how to” list pertaining to your market niche is an excellent choice) or place the name of people who respond in a drawing for a prize.

Tip #5: Orientation and Structure

Simple navigation is just as important as a clear identity for a website. A well-structured web page begins with a navigation constructed with meaning. It should be asked whether all the buttons, symbols and navigation elements used are clear and comprehensible in themselves. The visitor must always be able to anticipate what awaits him if he clicks on a navigation element. The number of parts of the menu must be meticulously thought out and the main navigation bar should be as clear as possible. All subparts of a menu must also be short and concise.

It is advantageous to work with classic navigation symbols that users automatically recognize (such as a shopping cart or magnifying glass for the search function). The most important elements of orientation are the logo with a link to the home page, a search box, and a menu bar. Signaling of the site (logo) has a high recognition value and is, therefore, a key element.

Using these tips will help you create a site that’s a joy to use, which can increase the average time of each visit and improve overall customer satisfaction. This is important, especially if a good portion of your company’s income is likely to be generated from your website. Just remember to use the best website building program, give great care and attention to the page layout, offer a mobile-friendly version and ask for feedback often.

These tips will hold you in good stead, in your quest to build a quality site. Finally, the best advice is to design your pages with your customers always in mind – so you end up with a website that receives top marks for providing a seamless user experience.