Customers are spoiled for choice when it comes to modern shopping. There are thousands of solutions for their needs that they can find in an instant, and if they don't find what they're looking for or don't like what they see, they can back out and pick another option immediately.

Give customers what they want to ensure your business runs smoothly in the modern age. Not only will this keep users happy, but a few adjustments will help you generate more leads and compare favorably to the competition.

Answers – Immediately

When customers click on your homepage, contact page, or blog, they want answers right away. To keep customers happy in this department, do the following:

·    Prioritize readability: Avoid filler, write in an F-shaped pattern, and use subheadings and bulleted lists to make content more readable.

·    Give customers what they're looking for. The content you show first should be exactly what customers came to see. For example, the contact information on your contact page should be provided right away with no scrolling required.

·    Optimize load times: Pages that are slow to load have a higher bounce rate. This also affects your ranking on search engines.

Privacy and Security

Privacy and security are paramount in a digital age, especially if you store customer information in the cloud. Make sure customer information is always secure and consider investing in cyber insurance — in addition to a liability policy — to help you deal with any data breaches. If you use a service like AWS S3 to store data, make sure you're following all the security best practices. Moreover, you must keep your software up to date, safeguard your passwords and change them regularly, and use HTTPS protocol to protect your website.

To Be Met Where They Are

Image via Flickr by Franck_Michel

Users are spoiled for choice when it comes to searching for business solutions and will find something else if your pages are confusing or don't load on their preferred devices. To attract users and keep them on your website, keep these tips in mind:

·    Add responsive design. Invest in a web design that adjusts to fit on any device that a customer uses — smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.

·    Give shoppers many payment options. Credit and debit are essential, and PayPal is a fantastic addition.

·    Make navigation easy. Your pages should be legible, simple, and intuitive. You never want a customer to not know where to find what they're searching for.

·    Go local. Many shoppers go online to search for the nearest brick-and-mortar solution. Tweak your SEO so that local users find you first.

A Reason to Stick With You

Customers want to be treated like individuals, and they want an incentive to keep doing business with you. This is especially important for small businesses. Why should they shop with you instead of a corporation?

Whether you can promise devoted attention, quick customer service response times, free shipping, refunds, warranties, or a loyalty reward problem, make sure your customers are aware of the benefits of shopping with you. If you can't offer these things, at least add a personal touch!

The business world has never been more competitive, but with some initiative and careful attention to detail, you can stand out from the crowd.