The internet has hundreds of millions of websites. The digital space has only grown in leaps and bounds since it was first introduced. Today, it's so prevalent that even day-to-day life involves the internet somehow. Practically everyone has smartphones, and there are also Amazon's Alexa and other smart speakers.

Websites are the first point of contact for many potential clients have with a service provider or business. It goes without saying that good web design is one of the key elements of any successful website. UX, or the user experience, is equally crucial. Ultimately, if a visitor doesn't find the website usable or useful, they will leave and likely not return.

Read on to learn about the foundation of a website's good usability:

Good Website Usability Means Being Available and Accessible

There's no worth to be derived from a website that can't be accessed in the first place. Imagine you're trying to get yourself an iced drink, but the ice tray in your freezer is empty. You don't get ice at that moment; you end up not having an iced drink at all. It's the same principle with websites, except that there's likely a website or three from your competitors that the potential client can bounce off to.

Frustration will set in on many of the visitors hoping to access your website. It will likely leave a proverbial bad taste in their mouth about your company or organization. Take the following into consideration:

• 
  Broken links
• Mobile responsiveness
• Server uptime

Of the three, mobile responsiveness should be particularly paid attention to. It's important that your website is able to adjust to various screen sizes as well as connections that may be slower than usual. Take note, too, that Google's index is now set to "mobile-first.” It simply means what they index is websites in their mobile versions.

Good Website Usability Means Being Relevant

Content has to be relevant at all times to your target demographic. To begin with, you should have a proper picture of your audience. Make sure you know what they're looking for and the reasons for clicking through your website in the first place. 

Good Website Usability Means Trusting Intuition

It's important that website visitors don't have to go through a prolonged trial and error process or too many instructions. Issues with navigation or digesting content will not allow for a pleasant user experience, likely raising your bounce rate. If the website design has a new concept of some sort involved, it should be used consistently. There should be a learning phase of sorts which you should be able to guide people through at least for a certain period of time.

Conclusion

Good usability is a key element of websites—no matter what industry is involved. The UX (user experience) as a whole can make a difference in terms of bounce rates and leads becoming paying customers. Good website usability means being available and accessible, being relevant, and trusting intuition. 

Need to work with a digital marketing agency you can trust? Reach out to Social Call today! Aside from website design, our full-service digital marketing agency also does marketing for social media and content, SEO, and ads for Google or Facebook.