An average user spends 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) forming an opinion about your website. The decision to stay or to leave gets affected by numerous factors: layout, design, content etc. You might think that comparing an Ecommerce website to an educational one doesn't make sense, these are polar industries with their specific business models, and that's fair. But any successful website should meet certain criteria regardless of their industry. In this blog, you'll learn what modules you should have if you want to build strong relationships with your clients and boost lead generation.
1. Pillar Content Links
Yes, you got it right – pillar links, not the pillar page. The concept is clear: you need to have a central topic that you cover in-depth, and you have some content related to it. The specific thing here is that pillar page links should be attractive and enticing.
Put pillar links front and center on your website, make sure they all function correctly so that no one's going to feel the frustration of being redirected to a 404 page. Keep the idea of why you want your visitors to click the link top of your mind. It will help you create the smooth experience they'll want to repeat.
2. Social Proof
We all love numbers and tend to trust them. But every time I see a new coffee shop sign saying "EST. 2019," I hear the voice inside my head say, "No, I'm not gonna fall for that." Statistics should be impressive AND valuable, not OR. Include something meaningful, something that brings value to people, and something that shows the essence of your business.
3. Testimonials
The third module is all about testimonials and has three reasons why it must be on your website. Firstly, people shop by reviews. Every time I need to buy a birthday gift or choose a new restaurant to order from, I google and read what other people's experiences were. I look for the satisfaction rate – in other words, how happy people were using the service I'm interested in.
Secondly, you want to show your best reviews on the website. There is no need to put dozens of them; choose the most specific ones and let them speak for themselves.
And last but not least, testimonials representing your service from the other–customers'–side can be a great ice breaker to get the users to click or fill a form.
4. Navigation Menu
"That's nothing new, I know it," you might tell the screen, but did you know you need two menus? Sounds silly, but desktop and mobile menus are different things. On desktop, you have all the space, and you know exactly how everything will look like. You have the power to include all relevant links.
Mobile menus, on the other hand, should be hidden and expand only when clicked on. If a desktop menu is a full-length essay, a mobile one is the blurb in bullet points. Besides, if a user can't easily find the page they need, something is off and needs fixing.
5. Social Links
Whether you prefer listing them in the footer or on the "Contact Us" page, links to other platforms you use should be accessible. The reason? Your online presence consists of various elements. While your website makes up the biggest portion of your web existence, your activity on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., also matters.
Having these five modules on the website will give you a chance to create seamless user experience and make the right first impression to cross the 50 milliseconds threshold. If you want to find out how these modules can improve your conversion rates, let's talk!