UI/UX Design Strategies That Are Sure To Keep Users On Your Site

UI/UX is a critical component of website design. Very simply put, it is how the site looks and feels to a user. A well-planned UI/UX is not just beneficial to your visitors-it is integral to your site’s success. You want to design a site that is easy to use, pleasant to look at, and gets people the information they want with as little hassle as possible. But how, exactly, do you achieve this? What things make or break a site from a user standpoint? To make it easy, we’ve narrowed it down to the most important design elements that should be part of every UI/UX.

What Is UI/UX Design?

Let’s get started by reviewing what UI/UX means. UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) design are two interconnected aspects of website development that determine how users will interact with a site:

• User Interface (UI) refers to the visual elements of a website, including layout, colors, buttons, typography, and interactive components. The goal of UI design is to create an aesthetically pleasing and intuitive interface.
• User Experience (UX) focuses on the overall feel of the website, ensuring it is functional, accessible, and provides a seamless journey for users. There should be no barriers between the user and the information they want to access. 

Why Is UI/UX Important for a Website?

Think of a site’s UI/UX as a form of virtual hospitality. How do users feel when they get there? Do they feel welcome and want to stay? Or is it confusing and unhelpful? Just like you would with guests in your home, you want visitors to your site to be as comfortable as possible. 

Prioritizing the UI/UX is as important for you as it is for your users for the following reasons: 

It Enhances User Satisfaction 

A structured, visually appealing website makes it easier for visitors to find what they need, reducing frustration and increasing the likelihood that they will stay on your site and/or return to it in the future.

It Boosts Engagement & Retention

An intuitive UI/UX keeps users on your site longer, which means they are more likely to engage with your content. They might be encouraged to share a blog post, for example, or click one of your social icons. 

It Improves Conversion Rates

A seamless, enjoyable experience increases the likelihood of users completing desired actions, such as purchasing a product, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. In fact, according to research done by Forrester, a good UX/UI can increase visit-to-order conversion rates by 200%, and visit-to-lead conversion rates by 400%!

Think about when you go shopping at a brick-and-mortar: a bright, inviting atmosphere with helpful (but not pushy) sales staff greatly increases the chance that you’ll hang out long enough to find something you want to buy. 

On the other hand, a store that is dimly lit, overly noisy, or overly crowded with product or shelving will drive most people away. (We say “most,” because there are a few well-known stores out there that are dark, noisy, and crowded, and they do very well with teenagers. But we will never understand teenagers.) 

It Strengthens Brand Credibility

Taking the time to build a cohesive, intuitive site that you, yourself, would enjoy visiting goes a long way in building trust with potential customers. It signifies that you appreciate them stopping by, even if they don’t buy anything. 

It Improves SEO Performance

Importantly, search engines prioritize websites with a superior UI/UX. A few key aspects are especially important to Google when ranking sites: fast loading speeds, mobile responsiveness, and clear navigation and descriptions. If Google can’t tell what your site is about, then it’s not going to market it to users. Likewise, if it takes too long and/or can’t be viewed on a smartphone (where 70 percent of US traffic comes from), you won’t show up on the first or even second page. 

Increases Accessibility 

A well-designed UI/UX ensures inclusivity for all users, including those with disabilities. Over 7 million people in the United States are visually impaired, and around 11 million experience some type of hearing loss. Simply adding alt-attributes to images and transcriptions of your video content can mean you will reach millions more potential customers. It is also a requirement that sites take such steps to remain ADA- compliant. 

What Should Developers Consider When Designing UI/UX?

When designing a website, remember the Golden Rule. Treat your site users as you would wish to be treated.

Of course, we understand there are, literally, hundreds of ways to design a site, so we’ll offer a few actionable steps as well to take to improve your site’s UI/UX. 

1. Do Your Research 

Remember the teenagers somehow liking the dark and noisy vibe of certain stores? Who are your customers, and what do they like? What do they strongly dislike?

If you have an existing site, this is where your analytics will come in handy. Use Google Analytics (or whatever platform you use) to monitor metrics like page views, session duration, and bounce rates. Identify high-exit pages and determine why users leave before completing a desired action. It may be a quick fix, like compressing a few images or fixing a broken link. 

On the other hand, you can analyze click maps and heatmaps to see which areas are performing well. Try to see what these pages have that sets them apart from less frequented pages, and implement changes accordingly. 

2. Be Consistent

A cohesive look is important for the user experience and also for your brand:

• Keep colors and page layouts consistent. 
• Make sure you’re using the same font for your headings and text. Keep the sizing and weight consistent. 
• Shapes, fonts, and colors for clickables should all be the same as well. For example, if the “schedule now” button on your home page has rounded edges, make sure it has them everywhere else it appears.
  

3. Make It Mobile Friendly

Again, the vast majority of visitors to your site will get there on a mobile device. Prioritize mobile-friendliness and continually check that your site’s responsiveness is working, especially on smartphones. 

This site has been optimized for mobile views, which is important for the UI/UX. That being said, you  don’t want to forget about laptop and desktop views. This same site’s main banner is awkwardly cropped on laptop view, cutting off one of the firm’s partners!  

4. Make It Fast

Your site should load in less than 3 seconds. If it doesn’t, forget everything else. Run a site audit through Lighthouse Metrics or another site speed analyzer and see where improvements can be made. Optimizing images (there are plugins for this), minimizing scripts, leveraging caching, and using content delivery networks (CDNs) are all ways to quickly improve site speed.  

An audit through Lighthouse Analytics shows that something is taking over 17 seconds to load fully on this website. It should be immediately addressed to avoid SEO penalties from bounce rates.

5. Make It Accessible 

Remember that ADA compliance is not just a requirement, it is beneficial to you! Making your site usable for individuals with disabilities, including proper color contrast, keyboard navigation, transcripts, and alt text for images automatically puts you in front of tens of millions of additional customers.

6. Make It Intuitive 

Don’t overthink your navigation. Make it easy, relevant, and intuitive. Limit menu items to the basics (home, about, contact, etc.) You can always add submenu items for additional landing pages, just make sure the flow makes sense.  

Another little thing that can make exploring your site all the easier is breadcrumb navigation. There is nothing more frustrating than clicking through multiple pages to get to an area you want, only to have no idea how you got there or how to get back to a previous page. Breadcrumbs let you easily retrace your steps.

Breadcrumb navigation, as shown here, is especially helpful on retail sites that have a lot of different categories. 

7. Make It Fun!

A static page is okay, but you can drive a lot more engagement with things like animations, hover effects, sliders, and transitions. Just be sure they don’t bog down your site speed!

8. Ask For (and Listen!) to Feedback

When in doubt, ask your users what they like and do not like on your site. Send out email surveys or create onsite forms that allow them to easily submit anonymous feedback. The customer is always right, and the UI/UX is no exception! 

Let Us Help You Design A UI/UX That Will Skyrocket Your Sales! 

UI/UX design is not just about aesthetics—it is fundamental to a website’s success. A well-structured, user-friendly interface enhances engagement, increases conversions, and strengthens brand credibility. Businesses that invest in good UI/UX benefit from improved SEO, higher customer satisfaction, and increased sales.

At RCG, we understand that a good UI/UX is easier said than done for many busy business owners. We are here to help! Our experts can shoulder part or all of that burden for you and design a website that attracts new users while retaining loyal ones. Call or go online today to discuss your project with us-we can’t wait to build something great with you!