Did you know that almost 90% of people said that they aren’t very likely to return to a website if they had a bad experience?

One of the most important things for your business is making sure that potential clients have a good experience when coming to your site for the first time.

So, what can you do to improve your website’s UX?

Here’s a list of 11 things every successful business website must-have.

1. User-Friendly Structure

If visitors have a hard time finding what they’re looking for on your website, they’ll probably leave and take their business to your competitors. Make sure that your site is easy to navigate by making improvements in the site’s menu, dividing all content into categories, removing old content, etc. In addition, ensure that there’s an easy way back to your homepage no matter which page the visitor has arrived on so that they stay a little longer and explore.

2. Great Design

No matter how good your product or service is, you won’t be able to convince people to buy it if your site looks cheap or outdated.

When it comes to effective website design, simplicity always works best. A clean, minimalistic, clutter-free design will not only make your website appealing but also help users to navigate from one page to another seamlessly.

3. CDN (Content Delivery Network)

A large portion of the work for your website is happening behind the scenes. You may have a good hosting company but still not be fully satisfied with your site’s security, SEO, and speed.

However, having a great CDN (content delivery network) will definitely help your website perform better and in a more optimized way. It will save server resources and allow your site to handle larger amounts of traffic with ease.

4. Mobile-Friendly Design

Research has demonstrated that about 50% of all web traffic comes from smartphones. In addition, nearly 90% of people think that a site’s mobile version should be as good as the desktop version.

If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, the odds are visitors will simply return to search results and go to one of your competitors who do have a mobile-friendly site. Combine this with the fact that not having a mobile-friendly layout will reflect negatively on your SERP rankings, and it’s safe to say that now is the perfect time to get serious about responsive design.

5. Awesome Content

In today’s digital space saturated with companies and products similar to yours, it’s no longer enough to build a company and invest a certain amount of money into marketing. Providing valuable and useful content has become an imperative over the last decade.

Having a company blog is a must. A quality blog can drive visitors to your site, strengthen your branding, and establish you as an expert in your industry.

6. About Us Page

Having an “About Us” page is a great way to consolidate your company’s branding. When creating this page, bear in mind that people’s attention span is getting shorter. Make sure to keep the info short and clear so that visitors are able to scan the information and pick up the most important points.

7. Clear Contact Information

Ensure that your site contains all the essential information including opening hours, directions, email, and phone number. If you want to keep up with the newest trends, offer additional ways for interaction, such as live chat or Facebook Messenger.

This info should be very easy to find (it is usually at the bottom of the page and most people expect to find it there) and convenient. For instance, make the phone number clickable so that people can call you directly from their mobile phones.

8. Testimonials

When trying to determine whether your business is trustworthy, potential customers will most likely turn to reviews and testimonials. For this reason, it might be wise to create a dedicated page where you’ll display customer testimonials, positive reviews, and success stories.

When it comes to your testimonial page design, you have multiple options – you can use videos, feature plain text or combine it with images, add links, quotes, etc.

9. Social Media Buttons

Do we really need to discuss the importance of being present on social media? Almost 45% of local businesses said they depend on social media to generate brand awareness, and more than 40% depend on social media to drive revenue. Nearly 90% of marketers said that their social marketing efforts have improved exposure for their business, and 75% said that they have improved traffic.

Similar to having a blog, a solid social media strategy will improve your branding and provide you with a means to communicate with your clients. Make sure to provide social media buttons or links on your site.

10. CTAs

Every piece of content needs a call-to-action (or a CTA) to tell visitors what action you want them to take next. Make sure that your CTA stands out from the rest of the page and that it sends a clear message about the benefits people will get when they act.

If your CTA is a form, ensure that it is short and concise – asking for two pieces of information (a name and email for instance) should be enough.

11. Security

Having a secure site is imperative. In today’s digital world, your site is your storefront, your brand, and your initial contact with potential customers. An unprotected website is a security risk to customers, other businesses, and even to the public or government sites as it allows for the spread of malware and attacks on other sites. That’s why you need to take safety very seriously.

Does your business site have the 11 things that made our list? If not, perhaps it is time for an update or a redesign.