Everyone has different objectives for creating websites, but generally we use websites to interact and communicate with users by providing information to them through our perceptions and ideas.
Web design is not only about creating beautiful websites but about designing websites that will communicate your objectives to your users and still satisfy their needs. The best way to communicate with your users is to have direct and clear interactions with them.
Communicating with your users does not only involve writing website content or providing video and audio content that will interest or motivate them only; but also listening to what users or customers have to say. You should provide means of getting feedbacks from users in order to hear what they think about the website or your products and services. A lot of communication channels are arising; social plugins embedded on websites have turned out to be the most effective in communicating and engaging users online.
Let’s take a look at how you can use your website to communicate with your users.
Feedback Strategy
Every website always keep users informed about something such as business, news, entertainments etc. therefore it is important for website to have a means whereby users can respond by sharing their own views or stating their own opinions, asking questions or commending the concepts of the website. A feedback form or comment section can be provided on a website in order to openly communicate with the users.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions are generally used to develop and enhance communication with visitors who habitually have similar types of questions. FAQ pages provide helpful answers to prevalent questions. It’s an effective way to get visitor’s questions answered.
Contact Information
Providing contact information on your website will help users have direct access to your location, email address and phone numbers, this will give them an opportunity to contact you about what their needs are, what they think about your product and services, how you can help them; and you can always respond to them directly. This serves as a direct channel between you and your users.
Forums
Sometimes, forums on websites really help users to openly state their views and opinions and you can as well correspond mre informally with them. Forums make users feel more at ease with the website, provide networking opportunities and make communication between users easy as they converse together on a particular issue on the website. Techcabal’s Radar is an example of this.
If your website does not communicate effectively with users, they tend to lose interest and not visit again; but when users communicate excellently with your website, they find it rewarding and emotionally fulfilling.
What other ways do you use to communicate with your users? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below:
Photo Credit: publicenergy via Compfight cc
Editor’s note: Kemi Ojo is a digital marketing expert and graphic designer. She is the Content Manager for online travel booking company, Travelstart. You can follow her on Twitter @keemite and connect with her on linkedin.
