In the digital age, enhancing the user experience is paramount for small business success, so we’ve gathered insights from founders and co-founders on this crucial topic. From revamping for mobile responsiveness to adopting a simple and clean landing page design, discover fifteen innovative strategies that have transformed their business websites. Here are 15 user experience improvements for small business websites:
LEARN MORE: Here’s how Buckeye leads the West Valley as a hot spot for development
- Revamped for Mobile Responsiveness
- Upselling with Complementary Pop-Ups
- AI Chatbot Improves Navigation
- Simplified Online Bakery Ordering
- Fixed Broken Links for Smoother Navigation
- Intuitive Checkout Reduces Cart Abandonment
- Streamlined Customer Support Portal
- Free Resources Enhance User Experience
- Interactive 3-D Models for Product Viewing
- Interactive Itinerary Planner Boosts Engagement
- Welcoming Design with Clear Communication
- User-Generated Content Fosters Community
- Social Login Streamlines Account Creation
- Infinite Scroll with Masonry-Grid Layout
- Simple and Clean Landing Page Design
Revamped for Mobile Responsiveness
One of our clients was grappling with a website that was not only outdated and rigid—requiring developer intervention for updates—but also suffered from poor mobile responsiveness and a sluggish booking process.
Our team executed a comprehensive revamp focused on enhancing the user journey and optimizing for all devices and screen sizes. The overhaul included a modern, clean design; a simplified and interactive booking process; and performance optimizations to ensure fast loading times for a great user experience. This transformation resulted in a user-friendly, mobile-responsive web app, leading to a 162% increase in conversions and a 12.5-fold improvement in site performance.
David Stellini, Co-Founder, All Front
Upselling with Complementary Pop-Ups
One strategy that we implemented to enhance our business-user experience was the upselling technique through web development. When a customer puts a product in their cart, they receive a pop-up suggesting complementary items they may want to buy or that may be of interest. For example, if they buy a beauty product, they might see a discounted offer for lip balm or face wash. This encourages them to buy an additional product and also makes their shopping experience smoother.
After just three months of using this technique, our order value went up by 43%. Customers find it easy to explore and add the recommended products to their cart with just a few clicks. This has improved their user experience by 27%. As a result, this has increased our sales value and also enhanced our business revenue.
Swayam Doshi, Founder, Suspire
AI Chatbot Improves Navigation
Leveraging over 30 years of expertise in web design and a deep dive into analytics, we crafted a transformation on our Magento website that significantly enhanced the user experience. By integrating an AI chatbot, we provided instant, round-the-clock assistance, directly addressing user queries and improving navigation.
This innovation not only personalized the user journey but also optimized interaction efficiency, reflecting our commitment to employing cutting-edge solutions to meet and exceed user expectations.
David Wilfong, Founder and CEO, DavidWilfong
Simplified Online Bakery Ordering
In enhancing the user experience on small-business websites through web development, one standout example from my experience at NOW Media revolves around the overhaul of a local bakery’s online ordering system. The pre-existing system was cumbersome, leading to a drop-off in potential orders, as customers found it too difficult to navigate.
Our objective was clear: simplify the process, making it intuitive and seamless for users of all tech proficiencies. We began with a thorough analysis of user interaction data to identify the friction points within the ordering process. This involved mapping out the user journey, from landing on the homepage to completing an order.
Our findings highlighted a need for fewer clicks to reach the checkout, a more organized product categorization, and clearer visual cues for order customization options. The implementation phase involved streamlining the site architecture for easier navigation, integrating an AJAX-based shopping cart for real-time updates without page reloads, and redesigning product pages to include high-quality images and concise descriptions.
To our client’s delight, these changes led to a 50% increase in online orders within the first two months post-launch. Additionally, customer feedback praised the ease of use and clarity of the ordering process, further validating our approach. This experience solidifies my belief that a focus on simplifying user interactions, based on data-driven insights, plays a crucial role in enhancing the digital footprint of small businesses.
Nithin Koshy, Co-Founder, Now Media
Fixed Broken Links for Smoother Navigation
On my small-business website, I made things better by fixing broken links. These are links that don’t work anymore and lead to a “page not found” message. I know how annoying it can be when you click on something you want to see, and it doesn’t work. It can make you want to leave and go somewhere else.
By fixing these, I made sure people could move around our site easily, without getting stuck. This made their visit to our site a lot smoother and more enjoyable.
Marco Genaro Palma, Freelance CMO and SEO Consultant, GenaroPalma.com
Intuitive Checkout Reduces Cart Abandonment
In my role leading the team at Savvy Gents, we’ve always believed that UX is not just about aesthetics but fundamentally about solving problems for real users. A particular case that illustrates our approach was the complete overhaul of an e-commerce website for a client specializing in artisanal products. Our initial analysis showed that their site suffered from a convoluted checkout process, which was a major deterrent for potential customers completing their purchases.
To address this, we implemented a simplified, more intuitive checkout process. This involved reducing the number of steps required to make a purchase, clearly displaying all costs (including shipping) upfront, and integrating an auto-fill function for returning customers. We also introduced various payment options to accommodate a wider range of preferences, ensuring secure and swift transactions.
Post-implementation, the results were compelling. The client saw a 65% reduction in cart abandonment rates and a 40% increase in conversion rates within three months. These changes were not just about technical tweaks but required a deep understanding of user behavior, needs, and frustrations. This project is a prime example of how thoughtful, user-centered web development strategies can directly contribute to business success, showcasing the direct link between UX enhancements and improved business metrics.
Derrick Askew, Partner, Savvy Gents, Inc
Streamlined Customer Support Portal
In today’s digital-first economy, enhancing the user experience (UX) on our small-business website was pivotal. A key initiative at Zibtek involved revamping our customer support portal to make it more intuitive and user-friendly.
We identified that our support portal was overly complex, hindering users from quickly finding the help they needed. Our approach focused on simplification and personalization. We redesigned the portal to ensure users could find answers within two clicks from the homepage, incorporating an AI-powered search function for ease of navigation. Additionally, we introduced personalized dashboards for logged-in users, displaying relevant support documents, ticket statuses, and direct contact options based on their interaction history.
These improvements led to a noticeable decrease in support tickets and an increase in customer satisfaction scores, indicating users were finding solutions more efficiently. The personalized touchpoints also increased overall engagement with our site.
This initiative highlighted how targeted web development can significantly enhance the user experience, turning potential friction points into highlights of our digital presence.
Cache Merrill, Founder, Zibtek
Free Resources Enhance User Experience
I provide value to my visitors by offering free resources on how to create and sell online courses profitably. I have comprehensive white papers, case studies, and other e-books on the subject that they can access for free once they subscribe to my newsletter.
They will automatically receive a copy of such resources regularly, making for a more efficient and accessible user experience. These are lead magnets for me, but also valuable resources for my readership, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Baidhurya Mani, Founder, SellCoursesOnline
Interactive 3-D Models for Product Viewing
For our products, I included interactive 3-D models or excellent photos that let customers zoom, spin, and see things from various perspectives. By giving users a closer, more interesting look at the products, this interactive visualization tool improves the user experience and assists users in making wise purchasing decisions.
Brett Berger, Co-founder & COO, Flow Sparrow
Interactive Itinerary Planner Boosts Engagement
To make our travel website more interactive and helpful for users planning their trips, we integrated an interactive itinerary planner. This tool allows users to drag-and-drop attractions, accommodations, and transportation options into a daily schedule, automatically suggesting the best routes and times. It also provides real-time information on opening hours, ticket availability, and travel advisories.
We measured the success of this feature by the increase in itineraries created, the number of bookings made directly from the itinerary planner, and the overwhelmingly positive user feedback regarding the tool’s usefulness and user-friendliness. This specific innovation made trip planning more engaging and efficient, enhancing the overall user experience and encouraging more users to book their travel through our platform.
Welcoming Design with Clear Communication
Passionate about setting a user experience that feels like a warm handshake, we at the Content Authority prioritize welcoming our onlookers with an easy-to-understand platform.
That’s why we gave our website a makeover with you in mind. Think—fonts that are easy on the eyes and icons that speak louder than words, all coming together to guide you through our world of services without a hitch.
We took difficult industry lingo and turned it into plain speak. This shift has sparked a new energy among our users, with more clicks, more reads, and more smiles. We’re in the business of clear communication, and now, every pixel of our site shows it.
Shawn Manaher, Founder, The Content Authority
User-Generated Content Fosters Community
To foster a sense of community and enhance user engagement on our website, we introduced a user-generated content section where customers could share their experiences and tips related to our products. This feature included moderated forums and the ability to upload photos and videos.
We developed a user-friendly interface for content submission and browsing, ensuring a seamless experience. This addition not only provided valuable information and real-world product insights to potential buyers but also strengthened our customer base’s loyalty by giving them a voice and a platform to connect.
Michael Nemeroff, CEO & Co-Founder, Rush Order Tees
Social Login Streamlines Account Creation
To reduce user frustration and streamline the account-creation process on our website, we implemented a social login feature, allowing users to sign up or log in using their existing social media accounts. This integration aimed to eliminate the need for remembering another set of login credentials and expedited the onboarding process.
We utilized OAuth for secure authentication with major social platforms and carefully designed the UI to make the option prominent without being intrusive. The social login feature effectively lowered the barrier to entry for new users, enhancing the overall user experience and encouraging greater engagement with our site.
Jay Xiao, Co-Founder, SuretyNow
Infinite Scroll with Masonry-Grid Layout
To enhance the visual appeal and user engagement on our blog, we introduced an infinite-scroll feature coupled with a masonry-grid layout for articles and photos. This approach allows content to load dynamically as the user scrolls, presenting articles in an aesthetically pleasing, staggered arrangement that maximizes screen space and keeps users engaged with a seamless browsing experience.
We utilized lazy-loading for images and content within this feature to ensure performance and speed were not compromised. This innovation significantly improved user engagement by providing an intuitive and visually engaging way to explore content, encouraging users to spend more time on our site.
Jeremy Scott Foster, Founder, TravelFreak
Simple and Clean Landing Page Design
Keep your landing page simple and clean; keep your clutter below the fold. The concept is fairly simple and works well if you’re confident in the product you’re bringing to market.
In my case, with SEOwind, we have a great deal of stats, facts, and figures on both our product and our industry front and center on our site, but we still want the first minute you’re on the site to be simple and unintimidating. You see a few charts comparing our results to our competitors, and that’s it.
No pop-ups, nothing that moves, nothing to close out. I feel like this is something that is unfortunately becoming a rarity, but I maintain that simple and clean is the best way to keep your site as a small business.
Kate Kandefer, CEO, SEOwind
