Is Your Website User Friendly?
By James Cannon
One of the hardest design feats to accomplish when building your website is making sure that it is user friendly. Here is a handy check-list that you can use to determine whether or not your site could use a little help.
1. How long does it take each page to load? Your pages should be loading in less than 3 to 5 seconds. Any longer and you could be losing visitors. Todays web viewers want their information quickly and although most are using high speed internet, some web pages still take far too long to load. There are several ways to optimize your site to ensure that your pages load much more quickly.
2. How many navigation options do you have? Some viewers prefer to click on graphical buttons, some prefer text links. If youre not offering both, you could be losing out on a big segment of your online audience. The best sites offer a few modes of navigation in order to appeal to everyone. Thats not to say that your site should be dripping with navigation options, but you should offer at least two methods of navigation on every page.
3. Is your site viewable in all browsers? A few years ago, it was acceptable to design for one browser, but now there are several on the market and each has a sizeable market share. You will need to make sure that your site loads properly in each one. This will require different coding in some cases, especially if you want the site to appear properly in browsers such as Safari and Opera. Its easy to say that your visitors should just use the browser that you cater to, but in todays market, that is just not feasible.
4. Is your site accessible to disabled surfers? Many site owners neglect to cater to the non-sighted and this can hurt their business. While these people may make up a small percentage of the web audience, it is important that you do not shut them out. By using the right image tags and site layouts you can ensure that everyone, regardless of their capabilities, will be able to enjoy and use your site.
5. Are you utilizing new technologies? Web design has jumped forward light years from where it was just a few years ago. These new technologies make it easier to keep your site updated and they make it easier for your visitors to browse your website. If you are not utilizing at least a few of these new technologies, you could be missing out on a lot of different benefits.
These are just a few indicators that you can use to determine how user friendly your site is. In many cases, you may need a little extra help to implement these changes.
About The Author
Founded in April 2004, royalatlantisgroup.com is a privately held established ecommerce firm specializing in online website design, website development, website branding, graphic design, web programming and custom application development.
http://www.royalatlantisgroup.com