Customers Believe Quality of Websites Has Improved in Past Five Years

More than half (57%) of the general public believes websites have improved over the past five years in terms of design, functionality, usability, content, usefulness, and other elements according to a new study.

Whats more, 31% of respondents believe websites haven't changed much; and 12% believe theyve gotten worse. Nearly 70% of users aged 18-29 indicated that the website experience has improved during the past five years.

Personalization is King
When it comes to personalization, 70% of survey respondents believe at least half of the websites they visit offer products, services, or content in a way that caters well to their particular interests; 35% say about half of all the websites they visit seem customized; only 7% believe virtually none of the sites they visit appeal to their particular needs.

Site loyalty
How many sites will the average user return to regularly? Most respondents (41%) regularly visit up to five websites for non-work purposes; 34% percent are regular readers of six to 10 sites; 14% say 11-15 sites; and 4% indicate as many as 16-20 sites. Only 5% visit more than 20 sites for personal use.

Over the past five years, marketers have been implementing a variety of new methods and tools to optimize the website experience for their customers, and it appears these efforts have not gone unnoticed, Kentico CEO and founder Petr Palas said in a press release. Still, with most users revisiting only a small handful of sites, maintaining user loyalty with sites that are compelling, personalized, and intuitive remains a key prerogative for digital marketers today.

Creating successful website strategies
To compete on the modern Internet, websites must be differentiated, compelling, valuable, and easy to use, according to the study. Every successful website checklist should include:

  • Maintaining an ongoing SEO optimization plan for search engine discovery

  • Creating consistent messaging across your multi-channel activities

  • Real-time ERP/CRM integration

  • Responsive design support for consistent mobile experiences across all devices

  • Real-time web analytics

  • An ongoing strategy for message optimization using A/B and MVT testing

  • A marketing automation solution to manage campaigns while freeing up marketing time to focus on more productive tasks

  • An ongoing strategy for content personalization that provides an immersive experience

  • A buyer persona between sales and marketing

  • A lead scoring program that focuses on delivering leads at the right time

  • Consistent email marketing

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By: Anna Smith