What is online customer experience and how can you make it better?
Online customer experiences can feel like navigating a minefield as it’s a subject that is complex and full of problems. Fundamentally, it’s how customers interact with your website, how long they are there for, and what their user experience is like.
A great online customer experience on your website means your customers will keep coming back. If it’s not a good experience then they will leave, and might not return. Ever.
So, how can you improve the interactions and online experience of your customers on your website?
Well, there are plenty of ways you can do this and we’ve condensed a few of the most important ones.
Content is a great start
Content is designed to create and sustain interest in a business’s offerings whether it is a service or product. It is the creation of material for online platforms including ebooks, blogs, audio, infographics, visuals, and posts for social media.
If you have Google Analytics set up on your website (which you should) you can see what pages your customers are looking at, how long they are there for, and what information they are viewing on your website.
This gives you the basis to create a wide range of targeted content. With strong content creation, you establish your business reputation as knowledgeable and credible, thereby positioning yourself as an authority in your field.
What is the purpose of creating content?
The main goal of creating content is to educate and inform, entertain, inspire, and convince. But the core purpose is to connect with your audience online.
Regardless of whether your website is for information, an online shop, or another purpose, there are ways you can improve the online customer experience with the right content.
If you get it right customers will keep returning, recommend your business to others, and you will ultimately increase your sales.
What kind of content works best for building the best online customer experience?
Quality content. But, what exactly is quality content?
Quality content is of high quality, valuable and informative. It is content that gives value and provides information to your readers in the best possible way, even before they ask. All customers want quick and thorough answers. Your written content should be well researched, well planned, communicated clearly in simple language, and regularly updated. Find some examples of great content here.
Strong content will rank well in Google, and create a great online customer experience for people visiting your website.
People want as much information about you or what you sell as possible – but that doesn’t mean pages and pages of repetition saying the same thing in different ways.
Visuals
High-quality visual content is important too. Visual content can be in the form of graphs, videos, photos, drawings, and much more.
Visual content is a powerful medium where you can draw emotion and attention to your business’s services or products. A great product image or video can entice people to buy a product or seek out more information, this has a good effect on their online customer experience with your website.
Do some research to make sure you check the sizing of your visual content – you definitely don’t want to slow down your website loading time with large images and videos. That will send customers away to other websites.
Think about the quality of your content whether it’s written or visual, are you answering questions, and is it relevant to your audience?
Clarity and relevance
Relevant information is important – your customers will get frustrated if the content you give them has nothing to do with the information they want or need.
Being clear in your answers (in whatever form you choose to deliver them) means being detailed in your answers. Relevant content will inform your customers about your products and services and also help you rank higher in Google, especially if your content is optimised correctly (SEO).
Grammatical errors & spelling mistakes
Grammar, fact-checking, and spelling are universally important.
So much so that something as simple as a grammatical error or the misspelling of a word can lead to a lost sale and a loss of trust and online credibility.
It pays to invest in professional content or copywriting service and avoid tarnishing your brand or online customer experiences through bad content.
How do you deliver quality content to improve the online customer experience?
Think about your method of delivering content to your target audience. What is the best way to reach them and show them your content? Words and visual content tends to work the best for a wide range of audiences in the form of blogs and helps to improve your visibility online.
Be genuine in your delivery
The way that your content is written will go a long way in improving the online customer experience of your website.
Make sure your content is consistent in tone and genuine. Write how you would talk to your customers – lose the ‘gobbledegook’ and industry jargon. Think about your business voice – how do you want your customers to think about you. It will help you create a genuine voice.
Think about how you speak to customers in person or about a great online experience you’ve had.
Say ‘Thank you’
Something as simple as adding in a ‘Thank you for purchasing from us’ at the close of a sale is a great way to add a genuine touch.
Using manners and thanking people when they make a purchase goes a long way. Not only will it help build relationships, credibility, and reputation but your customers are likely to return to your store to purchase again.
A great online customer experience equals more profits
In 2018 PWC conducted a study into what constitutes a great online customer experience. They found that 86% of customers from a wide range of industries are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. But not just pay more – they will keep coming back if you deliver above and beyond their expectations.
A good online customer experience is worth the investment
Committing your business to improve your online customer experience is important and well worth the investment. Good online customer experiences mean more sales, more conversions, and enhances customer value.
Need help with creating quality content to improve your online customer experience?
We have a proven track record in helping businesses of all shapes and sizes with online content. We create and craft highly targeted content without compromising on quality.
Our team can create content that works for you and your business.
Find out more about our content management and strategy services or give us a call to discuss your business needs.
