A recent study has shown that 41% of home care providers admit that their website is one of the reasons their patients know about their services. As more seniors become internet savvy, more and more companies are starting to target this age group and improving their websites in order to do so. If your business caters to the older demographic, it’s essential to make your website friendly and accessible for them, in order that they can find what they need easily and quickly.
Another study revealed that providers who make their website friendly for seniors can expect to receive and uplift of 35% in doing more business with this demographic. If you target older customers and want to look for ways to make your website more friendly for them, you’ve come to the right place.
1. Make your forms simple and concise
Simplify everything. Complex web navigation and forms are tedious for anyone. Clearly indicate your calls to action and make them straightforward and quickly recognizable. Avoid overly complicated fonts which aren’t easy to read and highlight the key information.
If your call to action is for users to fill in a form to contact you or to log in to pay an invoice for example, consider using a customizable template and follow these tips:
- Use clear field labels: A clearly labelled field is one of the easiest ways to boost the usability of forms. As it’ll be easier to use, your form will help you acquire the correct information from the start, without having to request it after.
- Properly place your form: Where you place your form on your website can also affect your conversion rate. Hence, important forms, like a signup sheet for example, should be placed in a prominent location on the page.
2. Make your content easily readable
Making content readable applies to all your business collateral, including your internal management systems. Often, fonts that are less than 12 points become difficult to read; hence this should be your minimum font size for documentation. When it comes to your website or business management software, provide an option that allows your users to adjust the font size or present your information in such a way that is accessible. Jobber is a great example of a smart business application that is easy to use both internally and externally and can be fully integrated with your website.
Font style is another important consideration. Any small strokes at the end of a symbol or serif letter will create a fuzz at the end of the text, especially for seniors. For greater readability, opt for a sans-serif typeface instead of the typical Times New Roman.
Once font size and style are addressed, you can make your website readable by giving plenty of white space between the lines and words. By doing so, the content won’t become one large block of text, which is a guaranteed way to discourage customers, whoever they are, from knowing more about your business.
3. Simplify your design
Simple designs, such as those that are clearly signposted and linear, have more chances of attracting the attention of older site visitors. Also, a simple design doesn’t involve endless scrolling for users to reach the bottom of your site. Hence, refrain from filling your page with content, especially because older users will consider this a hassle.
Moreover, simplifying your design means avoiding two or more colors, as well as choosing one that’s exceptionally bright. For instance, red and green or blue and yellow are color combinations that make content difficult to comprehend and see. Lastly, increase the content’s contrast––dark text on a light background.
4. Make error messages clear
Older site visitors may have trouble understanding your error messages for two reasons: The wording is vague, or the message’s placement isn’t clear. In relation to the point above, you should also ensure that any pop-up messages, specifically error messages, will exactly spell out the problem and how to solve it.
5. Use single clicks
When attaching links to your content, set them as single clicks. Also, links should change color so that visitors can determine whether they’ve clicked on them already. By doing so, you can help older users save time as they’ll no longer be redirected to a page that they’ve already visited. Lastly, always make sure that links are easy to navigate.
Connect with them emotionally
The top marketing strategies revolve around connecting with customers emotionally. Like younger users, senior web visitors respond well to your site if it reflects their demographics, age, and gender. So, incorporate images, content, or terms that are meaningful to them.
Takeaways
The web design strategies above will help you build a website catered to older customers. However, as every target audience is different, always test any techniques you’ve incorporated. By testing, you’ll also have relevant information about what and what not to change on your website. Thus, always remain consistent with your efforts until you can get into the shoes of old site visitors.
