We’ve all experienced badly designed websites. Most people’s immediate reaction is to close the tab and go back to Google. Even if you’re searching for vital information, there are so many websites out there that it’s not worth wasting time trying to understand a confusing page.
Using website feedback can help ensure that you are less likely to lose customers as a result of your website design. Furthermore, you are inviting your customers to play an active role in the development of both your website and your company. Any business can create a website. The difference between success and failure is how well the website is actually serving its purpose.
There are many types of survey that can be used via your website, including feedback links, comment areas and in-page surveys. There are also cloud-based feedback solutions like Netigate, which can help you to get these things in order. Website feedback surveys tell you if your potential customers feel welcome, get access to the information required and if your services are considered user friendly or not.
How to get the most out of website feedback
1. Attract visitors
Easier said than done! Make sure that your site is suited for your market. For example, is it optimised for the preferences of your target demographic? If you need tips, take a look at the websites of some of your closest competitors or those in similar industries. Although it’s a bad idea to copy things outright, you can get a feel for the type of things that might be expected by your target audience.
2. Elicit feedback
Although advice from industry and web design professionals is valuable, you should ultimately be guided by feedback from your visitors. Tastes and trends change quickly and it’s only by listening to the source that you can keep on top of current developments.
Often, you’ll have gut feeling about the areas you might have neglected or that need improvement. Begin by asking your website users about these aspects. If you improve the obvious weak spots first, the improvement will be more evident. Your website visitors will be positively surprised.
Some excellent ways of getting feedback include: website feedback surveys, opinion polls, Google Analytics or other website statistic tools
3. KEEP gathering feedback
Maintaining and improving a website is a constant process. What works well today might be completely inappropriate by tomorrow. Keep your finger on the pulse by constantly asking your visitors what they like about your website and what could be improved.
4. Take action on the insights you receive
Don’t ask your website visitors what they think and then ignore it. It might seem obvious, but many companies neglect to follow through on the feedback they receive. Failing to respond to comments and suggestions is doubly harmful. Not only will your website fail to live up to current market expectations, but the visitors who offered feedback will feel ignored and become disillusioned with your organisation.
5. Get feedback on changes you have made
Make sure you got it right. An opinion poll with a simple “Do you like the changes we’ve made?” can often suffice.
Start collecting website feedback today
Netigate offers an optimised service for website feedback. Find out what your visitors think of your website and what their reasons were for visiting, as well as if they have any suggestions for improvement. Netigate’s website feedback can be conjoined with existing CMS or ERP systems to provide you with a powerful tool for investigation and analysis of website feedback. Begin collecting website feedback straight away with a Netigate free trial.