The Impact of Your Website on Customer Experience (CX)

Today’s customers have plenty of digital platforms vying for their attention. Each channel must deliver a cohesive experience or risk alienating its audience. The best way to ensure a satisfying user journey is through thoughtful website design that puts customer experience first.

Consider the fact that 94% of people judge websites on responsive design. Then ask yourself how your website’s look, feel, and function affects your audience. Each issue, from a slow response on mobile to a 404 error page, impacts the consumer’s impression of your company. In return, a customer experience that’s lacking results in fewer opportunities.

WEBSITE DESIGN AFFECTS YOUR COMPANY’S REPUTATION

48% of people cited a website’s design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business, according to Blue Corona. A poorly designed website instantly turns off potential customers and prompts distrust. Plus, each design flaw dampens the customer experience causing users to click away and engage with a competitor.

POOR MOBILE RESPONSE IMPACTS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Mobile is officially mainstream. So, what does the mobile-first movement mean for your business? Your customers want access to your website from a variety of devices and expect the transition to be smooth and functional. However, if your website design isn’t responsive across all devices, not only will you lose your customer, but search engines will punish you. As a result, you’ll see a drop in ranking on the search engine results page.

YOUR WEBSITE INFLUENCES CUSTOMER RETENTION RATES

Customer experience on your website affects your future business. For instance, if you offer more of what your customers want in a friendly, easy-to-use space, then they’ll keep coming back. On the other hand, disappoint prospects, and they’ll turn to a competitor. For example, data shows that “70% of consumers expect a company’s website to include a self-service application.” Therefore, if your site is challenging to navigate, both for customer support issues and for additional guides or tutorials, then customers will move on.

SITE FEEDBACK ENHANCES THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

A well-built website provides companies with tons of information on the user journey. In addition, companies use site analytics to determine where they can improve the customer experience to increase conversion rates. Furthermore, without feedback, it’s difficult to identify problems and make positive changes.

WELL-DESIGNED WEBSITES TRANSFORM THE USER JOURNEY

From smooth integrations to ease-of-use, a minor issue on your website may slow response times or misdirect users. Both of these issues may result in a lost sale when the user clicks away from your site. Here’s the thing, “39% of the people across the world will stop engaging with a website if images won’t load or take too long to load,” according to Adobe. In other words, slow sites can stop the user journey before it even begins.

UX RESEARCH IMPROVES CX

Performing UX research is crucial to site design. Business owners must consider how customers navigate their website and ensure that each click takes them closer to a conversion. For example, “36% of website visitors click on your logo to reach your homepage from other pages.”

A winning website is about more than appearance. It sets the stage for your relationship with your client. Above all, by starting with a cohesive design focused on top-notch customer experience, you’ll delight your customers and satisfy their need for credibility and content. And, ultimately, you will boost your conversion rate and sales.