Top Tips from Google on Enriching User Experience on Your Site

by Divya Fernando - 12/21/2011 7973 Views

Google comes up with some unsurprising, down to earth website optimization tips that most of us usually ignore

User focus is the coveted agenda of effective online marketing of your web business in 2012. How useful or user-friendly is your website?... asks Google in its ever popular Google Webmastercentral blogspot.

We spend loads of time and money over marketing tactics and attracting web visitors to our site, however, what really matters is how much of these efforts actually convert visitors into buyers. How often do we test our sites for factors that bring in conversions and factors that bring in bounce rates? Our website content as well as graphics must have a good blend of smart tectonics that does not develop cracks leading to quick escape of a potential lead. Google now reveals a few website optimization tips and logically approved formats that will help you test the pulse of your potential market out there at homes and offices who happen to visit your website in various ways on various digital devices.

Tip #1

Test Usage of Your Site:

Testing your site performance may be of primary importance but testing it according to the web browsing tastes of your target internet user is what makes it reach a huge audience in the right manner. Test it on various browsing devices like mobile, pc, laptop, ipad and so on. Grab attention of your site users with what they want to see, at the first sight. Do not make them scroll further down, as they are unlikely to come back to the original content again and it remains lost. Do not make them navigate to multiple pages to get something they could have got at the first page. Check your site analytics to analyze the bounce rates every now and then and work them accordingly to the preferences of your target users

Tip #2

Step into Your Website User's Shoes:

Ask yourself questions pertaining to what your target users on the web are looking for. Depending on the niche market you target, you must make visible, information on your site accordingly and completely hide those that are of least importance to your user. These updates must be made on your site every now and then and to know what exactly goes on the minds of an average web user who visits your site, try and interview some of them in their homes and offices. Do not hesitate to ask your friends or neighbours for an unbiased user-opinion. Google also advices doing a remote testing with people you know around the world with the very useful Google+ feature Google+ Hangouts . Just remember 'Functionality' comes first than 'Eye-catching Graphic Design Elements' on a website in the users point of view.

Tip #3

Take Care of what you Show and what you Hide:

More often than not, users seem to overlook the hidden elaborative content that is either linked at the end of a certain information on the web page. Sometimes these links describe words like the much cliched 'learn more' or 'know more' which are known to put off users these days as not all sites link it to the actual learning area. It has become more of a promotional tactic to get users to click through a certain page and users are not to be taken for granted. If you are among those few who genuinely offer more information, i mean more 'useful' information, then you are better served when you link the hidden text with a snippet of what is to be discovered inside. This way your user knows a little more of what he/she is going to find by clicking the link. Connect with the users as if they are humans just like you and me and not bots that blindly follow your text commands.

Tip #4

Optimize your Website Page Speed:

The significance of page speed is reiterated every now and then by the Google search team and now it is a well known fact that Page Speed Optimization is the only logical way to keep your target users hooked to your website. A good page speed can be defined by a 90+ score and you may check what your website page speed is at the Google online page speed check tool. Also, test out your pages in different networks like wifi networks at a mall or a coffee shop. Test the time taken for your web pages to load. If you were a user of your website and pre-occupied with multiple tasks in a distracting environment, would you choose to wait for a slow loading page to retreive the information you need or would you simply click onto the next feasible search result that offers similar information but at a faster rate?

Take some time out this holiday season and go out and explore into some real-time user testing and user research. It does not hurt to interact with layman users of your website and learn a lot more from real people rather than webmasters or SEO Gods on the internet.

Category :

Google

Tags :

website optimization tips, Google SEO tips, SEO tips, Page Speed Optimization, Top SEO tips

About Divya Fernando

I am Divi Fernando and I am an expert SEO author who is also into Business Development at Submitinme.com. I have loads of energy and I disperse it in varied tasks that involve writing, dancing, singing, strumming my guitar, drawing, photography, travel and adventure. I believe that 'You must take pleasure in what you do, or simply don't do it'. I take immense pleasure in my work as well as off-work activities and I'm always open to learn new things in life. My strengths are my positive attitude, confidence, innovative thinking and creativity. I also happen to talk too much about myself at times and never know where to stop. Thank goodness for the limited space, you must think .... more info