How to Create a "User-Friendly" Website for Visitors
In this post, we will explore the main question of website creation – usability. In other words, we will explain how to avoid mistakes that could hinder the use of your page and lose visitors.
By properly using the space on the page and paying attention to the details, you will not only avoid disappointing your site’s visitors, but you will actually make them more engaged.
Of course, those who understand this will never ignore the issue of usability.
Contents
The success of your project is determined not only by the quality of the content, but also by the way it is presented to users. If less than 25% of the page contains useful information, or if the user needs to constantly scroll to find interesting content that is divided into sections, this can scare away visitors.
The goal is not only to keep the user engaged but to build their desire to return again.
It is important to clearly divide the page into areas: for useful information, navigation, and, if necessary, advertising. Ideally, the advertising section should be minimal, or the area for it should not exceed 10% of the page area. The navigation area should not overlap with the content area, and vice versa. This helps users easily understand where to find the necessary information and creates comfort when browsing your website.
Size
The most effective websites are those that have fast loading speeds. In other words, the number of visitors to your website directly depends on how quickly they can view the pages. Reducing the size of graphics (within reasonable limits) will increase traffic. This principle has been confirmed by scientific research in the USA. Don’t overcomplicate the graphics. The longer the page takes to load, the more users will abandon it and go elsewhere.
The ideal limit for the size of a single page is 100 kilobytes, but the most effective is within 60-70 kilobytes. For example, a 34-kilobyte page will load in about one second on a fast T1 connection or about 10 seconds on a good dial-up connection.
Our advice is to stick to a reasonable limit of 60-70 kilobytes and not exceed the 100 kilobyte limit. If your page sizes exceed these limits, do not expect significant traffic and long session times on your site.
In conclusion, it should be said that usability, i.e., the convenience of the website, largely depends on the simplicity of the site itself.
Avoid creating complex navigation schemes and information layouts.