Professional web design and SEO are the keys to attracting users to your web site. But how to you keep them there? This is where user experience, or UX design, comes in. By designing your website to be as user-friendly and intuitive as possible, you can encourage users to not only navigate around your site, but also to come back. Follow these tips for optimizing your web design for a better user experience.

1. Quick Loading Time: Most users will click away from your site if your home page takes more than a few seconds to load. Make sure that your entire site is loading quickly. In some cases, this could mean sacrificing interactive graphics and other tech features. Troubleshoot your loading time until your reach an optimal number.
2. Organized Content: Be sure that your website’s layout is easy to follow. Include clearly labeled navigation menu and strong content headings to clearly state what the user can expect from different sections of the site. Use white space to let the site content breathe, allowing the user to digest all of the site’s information.
3. Design For Mobile: Forgetting to design a mobile site is one of the biggest mistakes that businesses make. People are using their smart phones more than ever, so make sure you are meeting them there. You may need to include fewer elements on this version, since you will have less width to work with.
4. Include Social Buttons: Make sure that a user can easily navigate to your social media accounts by adding social buttons to all of your site’s pages. These buttons should be in an obvious place while remaining integrated into your overall web design.
5. Multimedia: Online videos are receiving 50 billion views per month in total, showing that users enjoy a mix of content. Embed high quality photos, videos, and graphics to your site, engaging visitors in an interactive UX design.

Once you have designed your website to include these elements, be sure to troubleshoot. User testing is the best way to achieve a truly responsive website. Take detailed notes about what users do and do not enjoy, making adjustments as necessary. As technology and user needs change, so should your website.