Step One: Evalute
As a marine retailer, you know that digital marketing is one of the fastest changing areas of your business. You have heard that your website is now your business’ “virtual storefront.” So with that understanding, it is key that your website not only provides its users with great content, BUT it also needs to provide them with a stellar user experience.
As discussed as part of the digital publication, “Evaluate Your Website’s Domain, Design and Digital Content”, the first (and arguably the most important) purpose of a website’s design is to prevent a bounce. If you can convince your users to stay on your page for 30 seconds, you have a solid chance that they will stay much longer.
Use the following checklist, that is presented and explained in the whitepaper, to evaluate the USABILITY of your website:
How much time does it take to load the homepage? _________________
Can a visitor find information easily? YES or NO
Is there a search button for visitors? YES or NO
Do all the links work? YES or NO
Is my site mobile friendly? YES or NO
Is my site compatible with multiple browsers? YES or NO
Are visitors able to navigate between different webpages in a simple an hassle-free manner? YES or NO
Are all clickable items and navigation buttons clearly marked and easy to identify? YES or NO
Are all the images clear and easy to see? YES or NO
Are there options for providing me feedback? YES or NO
Is the overall performance of my site acceptable? YES or NO
Now that you made it through the checklist, what are you doing well? And what did you identify as an opportunity to better your website’s usability? Even one small change can dramatically advance the user experience of your website.
For two more guided checklists and additional guidance on auditing your website’s domain, design, and digital content, MRAA members can login and download the full white paper here.
The digital publication, “Evaluate Your Website’s Domain, Design and Digital Content” is the first in a three-part series, “The 3Ds of Effective Website Marketing,” created through a partnership between MRAA and Dominion Domains.
