It seems like lots of companies are redesigning their websites yet again. If that includes you, what should you focus on? In a recent survey of online retailers, Internet Retailer reported the following website design priorities for the coming year:
- Better search engine optimization – 72.9%
- Better organized and updated home, category and product pages – 62.4%
- Clear navigation – 49.4%
- Speedier and more intuitive site search – 47.1%
- Faster checkout – 40.0%
- Bigger and clearer images – 34.1%
The survey also indicated that merchants plan to add the following functions this year:
- Video or streaming media – 43.3%
- Personalized product recommendations – 40.0%
- Customer reviews and ratings – 36.7%
- Product configuration – 35.0%
- Alternative payments – 33.3%
- Blogs or forums – 31.7%
- Advanced search – 30.0%
- Gift registery or wish list – 21.7%
- Order status – 21.7%
- In-stock availability – 16.7%
- Community – 15.0%
It’s worth noting that the companies surveyed aren’t all huge ones with big budgets. A full 50% reported $1 million or less in sales, indicating that most popular web site enhancements are within everyone’s reach. It looks like the web is growing up!
