If you’re investing time and money into a website for your business, it needs to do more than just look good. It has to work. That means loading quickly, being easy to use, accessible to all, and guiding visitors towards taking action. In short, it needs to be user-friendly.
But what exactly does that mean in practice? What makes a website easy and enjoyable to use, rather than clunky, confusing or off-putting? In this post, we’re going to break down the 8 core things every user-friendly website gets right – and how you can make sure yours does too.
Whether you’re launching a brand-new site or wondering why your current one isn’t performing as well as you hoped, these insights will help you turn your website into something that visitors actually want to use – and come back to.
- Clear Navigation Structure
When a visitor lands on your site, they should know exactly where to go next. Your navigation is like a road map – if it’s unclear or overcomplicated, people will simply give up.
Good navigation:
- Uses simple, logical labels (e.g. ‘Services’, ‘About Us’, ‘Contact’)
- Keeps menu items to a manageable number (ideally 5-7)
- Includes a visible search function for larger sites
- Works equally well on mobile and desktop
Sticky menus (where the navigation stays visible as you scroll) are increasingly popular and can make life much easier for users, especially on long pages.
For small business sites, avoid nesting too many sub-pages under drop-downs – keep the path to key content as short and obvious as possible.
- Fast Loading Times
According to Google, 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take more than 3 seconds to load. Let that sink in. You could have the best product or service in the world – but if your site drags, people will bounce before they even see it.
To make sure your website is fast:
- Optimise image sizes without compromising quality
- Use caching and content delivery networks (CDNs)
- Choose lightweight, well-coded themes (especially important for WordPress users)
- Limit the use of unnecessary scripts or animations
Tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix can help you assess and improve your load speeds.
If you’re unsure where to start, check out our website optimisation services – we can help make your site fast, smooth and search-engine ready.
- Mobile Responsiveness
With mobile browsing now dominating internet usage, having a responsive design isn’t optional – it’s critical. Your website should adapt fluidly to screens of all sizes, from smartphones and tablets to laptops and desktops.
A mobile-friendly website will:
- Stack content vertically and sensibly on small screens
- Use readable font sizes without zooming
- Avoid horizontal scrolling
- Offer easy-to-click buttons and links
Test your site on various devices, or use tools like Responsive Design Checker. Better still, build mobile-first – that means designing for smaller screens first, then scaling up.
All websites we build at Leeds Web Designer are mobile-optimised as standard.
- Accessible to All Users
A user-friendly website must also be accessible. That means people with visual, auditory, motor or cognitive impairments should be able to navigate and interact with your site with ease.
Accessibility best practices include:
- Using good contrast between text and backgrounds
- Providing alt text for all images
- Making sure the site can be used with keyboard navigation
- Using clear, consistent layout and headings
- Avoiding flashing animations or automatic audio
Follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for a deeper dive.
Not only is this ethically important, but it also improves your SEO and protects you legally in some industries.
- Simple, Professional Design
Good design doesn’t need to be flashy – in fact, simplicity often wins. Clean layouts, enough white space, and consistent styling help visitors find what they need without being overwhelmed.
User-friendly design means:
- A consistent colour scheme and typography
- Plenty of spacing between sections
- A clear visual hierarchy (what’s most important is most prominent)
- Avoiding clutter and visual noise
If your site still looks like it was built in 2011, it might be time to give it a facelift. Check out our website design service to see how we can help modernise your online presence.
- Strong, Clear CTAs
What do you want visitors to do? Book a call? Buy a product? Download a guide? A user-friendly website makes that next step crystal clear with strong, well-placed calls-to-action (CTAs).
Effective CTAs are:
- Clear: Use verbs like ‘Book’, ‘Get’, ‘Download’, ‘Start’
- Visible: Buttons stand out and aren’t buried in text
- Strategically placed: At the top of the page, in the middle, and at the end
- Matched to intent: A homepage might say ‘Explore Services’, while a product page says ‘Buy Now’
Avoid vague or passive language like ‘Click here’ or ‘Learn more’. Be direct and helpful.
- Useful, Easy-to-Read Content
No one wants to wade through a wall of jargon or fluff. Clear, helpful content is a huge part of user-friendliness. Your copy should answer the questions your visitors have – and make it easy for them to take the next step.
Good web content:
- Uses plain English and avoids waffle
- Breaks up text with subheadings and bullet points
- Answers real questions your customers are asking
- Builds trust by sounding human, not robotic
It’s also worth using tools like Hemingway Editor to help keep your writing concise and readable.
Want help getting your messaging right? As part of our web design packages, we’ll work with you to plan and refine your content too.
- Contact and Support Options
If someone wants to get in touch, they shouldn’t have to dig. Whether you’re selling products or providing services, visitors need a quick and easy way to reach you.
Make sure your contact details are:
- Easily found in the header and/or footer
- Included on a dedicated Contact page
- Linked to forms, email addresses, or click-to-call numbers
- Kept up to date
You can also add live chat widgets or WhatsApp links for even faster communication. If you’re using WordPress, there are plenty of reliable plugins for that.
We include contact forms, live chat options and custom CTAs as standard on every site we build. It’s not just about making it pretty – it’s about making it work.
Ready to Make Your Website More User-Friendly?
A user-friendly website isn’t a luxury – it’s what your customers expect. Whether you’re building a new site from scratch or looking to improve what you’ve already got, we can help.
At Leeds Web Designer, we specialise in designing websites that are not just beautiful, but functional, accessible, and optimised to help you grow your business.
Let’s talk.
Get in touch today for a free consultation or a no-obligation quote.
