Having a user-friendly website is of the utmost importance in online marketing. Attracting consumers and ending up in the first results of search engines depend on it for a great part. So, how do you define good website usability? Providing features that your target audience looks for and making them easy to use. With our checklist, you will pinpoint attention areas in just four steps.

Step 1: is your navigation clear and concise?

Simplicity is the central topic for website usability. Your navigation bar needs to be visible and consistent on all pages. Your audience does not want to go on a quest for the website menu. So, have it placed in an intuitive location – most often being the top header of your page.

Step 2: does your website structure have a logical flow?

Again: clarity is key. Your website structure and content should match your target audiences’ preferences. Do your research on how easily your visitors navigate through the website – set up a small focus group, asking participants to find certain subjects on your website. Monitor how quickly they do (or do not) find the information they are looking for. This will indicate which issues need to be resolved to improve your website structure.

Step 3: are you using clear calls-to-action?

Take your visitors by the hand and guide them through your website and the pages you want them to read. You ensure that your visitors follow the path that you envision for them by setting up call-to-action buttons that clearly communicate their purpose. Examples of subjects for these call-to-action buttons are: ‘Download brochure’, ‘Ask for quotation’, ‘Contact us’ or ‘Subscribe to our newsletter’. The buttons need to stand out from your regular website buttons. Give them bright, eye-catching colors to ensure that the call-to-actions draw attention.

Step 4: make sure your pages have no dead ends

Always offer links or calls-to-actions at the end of your pages. By implementing the aforementioned in step 3, this can easily be realized by linking to related items or a contact page. Make things clear. The chance that visitors leave your website increases rapidly when they cannot figure out what else there is to do on your page. Examples of themes to link to are related services, related news or popular items.

This blog is part of a series about online marketing. Read more on how to improve your SEO and keywords, question-driven content, social media and the need for speed and security.