In 2021, visitor experience is more important than ever when it comes to your business website. Potential customers have exacting expectations for aspects like loading speed and mobile optimization.
For example, 40% of visitors will leave if a website takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Fortunately, there are several quick fixes you can implement to solve common problems. Here are three ways to harness free WordPress plugins to improve your website’s user experience and boost conversion rates.
Improve your loading time with W3 Total Cache, LazyLoad, and Smush
To start with, there are several free plugins that can drastically shorten your site’s loading time.
First, W3 Total Cache helps you deliver compressed and cached HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files to your visitors. It helps you reduce load time on your server, saves bandwidth, and boosts speed.
Next, LazyLoad increases your website’s speed by only loading images when they become visible to visitors. This reduces the number of simultaneous HTTP requests and minimizes load times for thumbnails, avatars, images, and post content.
Smush, finally, automatically optimizes and compresses your images. When you upload a new file to your media library, this plugin processes it on Smush’s servers, without sacrificing image quality.
Root out 404 errors with Broken Link Checker
Another common issue that impairs visitor experience are broken links.
Internal links can easily break if modifications are made in the titles or categorization of content, without updating all the references to it. Links to external resources are even more difficult to keep track of.
For visitors to your site, broken connections and an abundance of 404 errors signal a lack of quality or outdated content.
To help you spot these issues, Broken Link Checker is invaluable.
As its name suggests, this plugin will help you root out broken links. It actively monitors your site and notifies you of any broken links immediately via email or the WordPress dashboard. You can set up automated scans for your pages, posts, and even comments and custom fields. Another plus point: Broken Link Checker also monitors links on images, not just on text.
Make contacting you easy with WP Call Button
Finally, WP Call Button makes it a breeze for (potential) customers to contact you if they have any questions or issues.
This is important because, despite the availability of email ticketing systems, chatbots, and live chat options, 60% of customers still prefer calling above all other communication channels.
To help you smooth their way, this plugin makes it easy to add a visually appealing call button without having to code a single line. Furthermore, the button in question is optimized for speed, and 100% responsive for use on mobile devices.
WordPress boasts a wide range of free plugins that can help you significantly improve the experience of website visitors. By taking the time to install them and set them up, you will ultimately boost your website’s performance, and increase your conversions.
