When running a business in 2022, there is no substitute for a well-designed website. Buyers everywhere are flocking to online storefronts and search engines to find solutions to their needs, and every company that intends to grow has to be on board with this shift over the last decade.

However, a website in and of itself is relatively useless. Anyone can set up a website and purchase a domain. What really makes a difference for your website is the user experience, or UI.

UI is a crucial aspect of building a website. To leave a lasting impression with your visitors, there must be features and functionality that convinces the user of your site’s reliability, as well as your product/service’s ability to fulfill their needs. So what are some things that consumers want to see on your business’s website that will convince them to trust your brand?

Customization

The ability to customize their own experience can be a huge benefit in the minds of consumers. Many of the largest and most successful companies are innovating ways to allow personal customization by the user on their websites. Google is constantly being redesigned, opening up customizable options for desktop users and mobile users alike.

There are several ways to give your website customizable flexibility for users. You can give them the freedom to choose overall themes for the site, topics or products that they are interested in viewing, or ways for them to determine what they see when visiting your website. All of these features can be selected by the user, allowing them to build their own experience. More options could lead to more time spent on the page and increased trust in your brand.

Personalization

Similar to customization, personalization helps to adjust the user experience to their specific needs or interests. However, all of the work is done without actual input from the user in this circumstance.

Your website could be personalized to suit the specific location of the user. For example, using weather API software, you could display local weather at the top of a product page to show that you care about where your potential customers live. Sometimes, weather can affect the buyer’s journey, so this feature could even help guide them toward making a purchase. Personalization is becoming more and more relevant for online shoppers who do not want to be inundated with information and content that does not matter to them.

Less is More

Don’t oversaturate your webpages with tons of content. Simplicity goes a long way toward making your site scannable and therefore understandable in a short amount of time. Too much information can overwhelm potential customers and cause them to leave the page and seek easier options to address their needs.

Use headings and subheadings effectively. Incorporate graphics or images where you can, as well as some dynamic aspects such as hover reveals or slideshows. The more you can do to engage the user immediately and pique their curiosity, the better chance you will have of converting them.

Share What Makes You Unique

Through your mission statement, value proposition, and history, you can demonstrate to consumers what makes your business uniquely equipped to solve their problems. This is not an excuse to wax poetic about every detail of the business’s founding, but rather an opportunity to connect with potential customers and share why your solution is the best one.

If your company is a family business passed down through generations, talk about how loyalty and community is important to you. Are you running a marketing brand after working at an agency for over a decade? Share how you learned best practices for communicating with clients and achieving their growth goals. Your website is an opportunity to show customers what you bring to the table, so plan your content around unique selling points.

Invest Time and Resources into the Site

A poorly designed website can immediately convince consumers to seek out better options for their purchases. So too can a poorly planned website. Your business’s online presence requires investment to leave a lasting impression on your target audience.

Do not assume that you can manage the task on your own. It may be wise to hire a website-building firm to design the best user experience that will lead to sales conversions from online traffic. There are many digital marketing agencies that specialize in helping their clients optimize a website for better results.

It is far more effective to do the website correctly than to do it quickly. Use your resources wisely to build an experience that shows consumers what they want to see as they interact with your business from their phones and computers.