If you want to keep visitors on your website, you’ll discover that it’s a bit of a balancing act.  You want to present information that is dynamic and engaging.  You also don’t want to overdo it so your site seems overwhelming or cluttered.  In this article we are going to discuss what is often referred to as “user flow.”

You don’t want visitors to lose interest until they schedule an appointment or purchase a product.  You want to make every effort to guide a customer on such a compelling journey through your site that they want to spend more time taking in all you have to offer.

Have you every been to a restaurant to offered a few too many good things to choose from on their menu.  Too many good options all at once make it nearly impossible to decide!  When I visit a restaurant, I want to have enough good choices to keep my interest, but not so many choices that I suffer from paralysis by analysis.  Your website should follow the same principle.  If you give people too many options all at one time, they will feel overwhelmed and click away.  Give them just a few options at a time and guide them through the journey.

The answer isn’t less content.  In fact some studies are showing that you need to add at least 2 posts per month on your blog and the best results often are found between 10-15 posts per month.  That’s a lot of content!  However, without a good “user flow,” a visitor can easily get lost in your content.

So here are 3 tweaks you can make to your site to help organize your pages and to create a good “user flow.”

3 Keys for Good User Flow

Tap into the psychology of internet browsing.

Ok, the psychology here is be simpler than it seems.  Take a minute to think about why they might stop and read a page.  Something drew them there and a clean layout will help keep them there.

Simply put, write interesting headlines that help draw a readers eye down the page and that re-engage them as they read.  A site with good user flow continually draws the reader from one section to the next.  Then use front-facing pictures that feature interesting people.  For example, a smiling electrician at work is more engaging that a picture of the electrician’s truck.  Make the site uncluttered and easy to read.

Then use social proof to your advantage.  Testimonies of satisfied customers are really compelling.  Add testimonies onto your pages and posts.  Happy customers help to inspire trust in those who are coming to you for the first time.

Drive action forward

Keep people clicking.  You can’t get someone to click to buy a product or to schedule an appointment until you get them clicking on your site.

Always give your user the next step you want them to take.  Don’t lead them to a dead end.  Good user-flow means that every page should lead to the next.  Keep your visitors engaged by giving them a teaser for another article on every page.

Website readers enjoy reading posts that are simple and easy to understand.  When you offer a next step to take, it’s not confusing to the reader where they should go next.  If you use a button to lead them to the next step, some studies are now suggesting that red buttons attract more clicks than, say, green buttons do.

Need some ideas on content?  Here is a popular article on our site about the 4 U’s of Content Marketing.

Use Widgets Effectively

Word Press offers a huge array of widgets that help with everything from navigation to embedding YouTube videos to posting advertisements.  Utilizing widgets, you can make useful footers, you can update areas throughout the site, or your can promote a latest article site-wide with just a few clicks.

Learn user flow as you go

At the end of the day, if you only see visitor visiting 1 or 2 pages, don’t panic.  That is normal.  You can start to battle those trends through excellent content, excellent navigation, eye-catching layout and good user-flow.

 

Read on!  Here is a great article about how to guide real people through your website effectively