How to make your website user friendly: UX checklist and tips

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Your website is your first impression. Make it count! When running a small business, every minute and every dollar counts. I’ll walk you through the checklist for how to get the most from your website specifically by focusing on the users’ experience, often called UX.

Do the Research

Data is at the heart of good decisions. Look at your competition’s websites and interact with them. Pretend you’re a customer who wants to buy from them. What do you like? What do you find irritating?

Mimic what works, avoid what doesn’t, and find a way to differentiate your company. Loading times (the time it takes for your page to become visible to a visitor) greatly impacts the user experience and directly impacts your user engagement (and therefore your bottom-line). Make sure your loading time is fast. According to 2020 loading time data, 2.9 seconds puts you in the top 50%, 1.7 sec puts you in the top 75%, and .8 sec puts you in the top 94%.

To take it up another level, you’ll want to be prepared to perform user testing. Try a free  heatmap tracking tool like Smartlook to see where your website visitors click, read and scroll on your site.

Put Your User First

Put your audience at the forefront of your design. This means you’ll need to understand your users’ needs and weaknesses. Reference your marketing persona (sometimes called “Ideal Customer Avatar”) to help guide these decisions. If you have not defined this for your audience, you need make the time. This will guide decisions throughout this process (and so many other aspects of your business).

On your website, be sure to include the information your user is looking for and write it in a language style that appeals to your audience. Consider the types of Buyer Decision Makers out there: Impulsive, Informational, Emotional, Relational. You’ll want to appeal to each of them throughout your site. Keeping your user in mind, have a clearly defined hierarchy for the content on your website, and write it out using a flowchart.

Plan The User Experience

Now you’re ready for the part you probably considered first: the elements involved in improving your website’s design. Make sure your branding is consistent and your images, icons, and text are unified to increase clarity and improve audience engagement.

Navigation should be easy and intuitive for the user. (That’s why you created that flowchart.) This can be achieved using components like tab bars and menus. Search systems are important in helping your user access information quickly and easily. Informational content can become overwhelming to a user, so labeling helps present your material in a simplified manner.

Next, it’s important to keep accessibility in mind when designing your website. Consider using bigger text and more white space for those with vision issues, dyslexia, and autism. Take the time to test how your website works with a screen reader.  Finally, make sure your design works for a PC and Mobile layout.

There’s a lot to consider. Sometimes the next step is enlisting the help of a professional. If you are a woman entrepreneur and want to grow your small business, Aviatra is here for you.

Your UX Checklist

  • Have loading times of 2.9 secs or better
  • Use a heatmap tracking tool to collect user data
  • Know your audience and write with them in mind
  • Create a hierarchy flowchart for your content
  • Make navigation easy and intuitive
  • Test your website with a screen reader

Written by Jasmine Hughes, Aviatra Marketing Strategist & Cincinnati Program Director

HER MILLION DOLLAR MY$TERY: EPISODE 021 – Kelly Bonnell, Main Street Ventures

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Hanging out with Kelly Bonnell, Executive Director at Main Street Ventures, always proves to be a blast and is always inspiring.

We got together to talk about the importance of getting early stage funding into the hands of women and minorities. I always say, “It takes money to make money,” but that early stage Friends and Family and initial debt back funding can be illusive when a new business is owned by women and minorities. There are work arounds, for sure, but having knowledge, training and connections will put a woman on the right path to success when it comes to funding.

We also agree that financial education is critical. The more a new business owner can know about all the sources of potential funding out there, they better off they will be in the long run. Main Street Ventures vets young business concepts and rewards grants (think “I don’t have to pay that back kind of money”), and provides guidance and coaching on applying those funds.

Listen in as we have a great time talking about women, businesses and money!

Listen to the podcast here.

April Aviatra of the Month: Mavis Linnemann-Clark, The Delish Dish

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Mavis Linnemann-Clark graduated from culinary school in 2011. One year later, she decided she wanted to take her skills and bring globally inspired dishes and artisan jams to her hometown. That’s how her business, The Delish Dish, was born.

The Delish Dish is a full-service catering and events company located in Covington, KY. Food inspired by the cuisines of the world is their passion, and they cater events from 10 to 500 guests. Their mission is to create unforgettable events and celebrations for their clients with outstanding food, exceptional service, and unique presentation.

Mavis’ business got off to a strong start, but she knew she needed some resources to help her grow. She learned about Aviatra Accelerators in 2010, enrolled in the program in 2012, and was a finalist in the spring of 2013. During that time, she learned how to work on her business rather than in her business—and her hard work has paid off immensely.

Now, The Delish Dish recently celebrated 10 years and is thriving with 12 full-time employees and 20 part-time employees. In addition, in 2018, Mavis and The Delish Dish team were awarded the Small Business Administration’s Kentucky Woman-Owned Business of the Year and the Small Business Development Center’s 2018 Pacesetter Award. And in 2019, Mavis was awarded the Next Generation Leader Award in the Entrepreneurial Category by the Northern Kentucky Young Professionals branch of the Northern Kentucky Chamber, and in 2020, she was awarded the Kentucky Small Business of the Year by the SBA.

We are so proud of Mavis and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!

“Going through Aviatra was transformational for me and my fledgling businesses. The program helped me learn how to work on my business rather than in my business, and after I graduated I moved my business out of my home and into a commercial kitchen. Since then, I’ve grown my company from a one-woman show into 3 businesses with a full-time staff of 12 and a part-time staff of 20.” – Mavis Linnemann-Clark, The Delish Dish

Click here to make a donation in honor of Mavis.  

March Aviatra of the Month: Maria Walkup & Laura McCarthy, LAMA Herbal Solutions

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After starting their journey with CBD in 2019, Maria Walkup and Laura McCarthy discovered that the majority of CBD products on the market were either not tested, not properly labeled, or of low quality. They became concerned that many consumers were unaware of what they were buying—and that’s when they came up with the idea for their business, LAMA Herbal Solutions.

LAMA Herbal Solutions is a local, women-owned, veteran-owned small business here in Cincinnati offering quality CBD oils, gummies, topicals, soft gels, and more. With wellness, quality, and trust as top priorities, they consistently research the industry for the best suppliers and products to improve the lives of their customers.

In October 2019, Laura completed the Aviatra EXPLORE® Program. The knowledge, insight, and confidence she gained through our program were invaluable and helped her learn what it would take to start and operate a business from the ground up.

Now, LAMA Herbal Solutions has two brick-and-mortar stores and an online store and was recently selected for a six-month pilot program with College Hill Urban Redevelopment Corporation.

Maria and Laura say they definitely would not be where they are today without the expertise, guidance, and support of Aviatra. We are so proud of Maria and Laura and can’t wait to see what they do next!

“Aviatra was instrumental in the launch of our company, LAMA Herbal Solutions. We were given targeted expertise and the tools we needed to successfully turn our business idea into a reality. The ongoing support that follows after graduating from the EXPLORE® program has been phenomenal. You can reach out to anyone at Aviatra and they are willing to help in any way possible. We would recommend Aviatra to any woman who has an idea that they want to turn into a business or a business they want to grow.”

Maria Walkup & Laura McCarthy, LAMA Herbal Solutions

Click here to make a donation in honor of Maria & Laura. 

February Aviatra of the Month: Annetta Waters, Annetta’s Beauty Bar

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In 2013, Annetta Waters decided that she wanted to open a salon—but she didn’t know where to begin. A friend told her about Aviatra Accelerators, and she made the commitment and joined the cohort that same year. Annetta took all the invaluable information she got from the program and opened Annetta’s Beauty Bar in 2014.

Annetta’s Beauty Bar is a full-service salon in a professional and safe environment structured for customer satisfaction. Specializing in multi-cultural hair straightening, styling, hair color, wig manufacturing, and make-up, Annetta’s Beauty Bar treats customers’ hair and skin with integrity and the highest quality of holistic products.

Annetta’s Beauty Bar continues to thrive today. In fact, last year, Annetta expanded the Annetta’s Beauty Bar portfolio and launched Eleven/22, a vegan, eco-friendly, ethically sourced hair and skincare product line. The product line consists of nutrient-rich hair products and skincare, particularly for sensitive and problematic skin consumers.

We’re so proud of Annetta and grateful she’s part of the Aviatra network!

“Aviatra Accelerators taught me how to structure my business and to never stop dreaming. I will never forget being in a room full of entrepreneurs who were different colors, ages, and different business types all eager to grow. It was so amazing to have unique subject matter experts weekly and a curriculum to guide us on the development of our dreams. Fast forward to today—I have had a salon since 2014, an amazing career expanding my enterprise, and I am still a member benefiting from the Aviatra network.” – Annetta Waters, Annetta’s Beauty Bar

Click here to make a donation in honor of Annetta. 

January Aviatra of the Month: Kim Beach, InsureWomen

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An avid marketer and sales professional with over 30 years of experience, Kim Beach started Village Insurance, an independent insurance agency, in 2018. Through that venture, she discovered that many females weren’t comfortable and confident in the insurance buying process.

Kim saw an opportunity to fill that gap and founded InsureWomen on March 8, 2021 (International Women’s Day). The mission of InsureWomen is to empower women in the insurance buying process and provide them with the respect and attention they deserve.

Kim was part of the 2018 Aviatra Accelerators EXPLORE® cohort. During the program, she received invaluable training, mentorship, and education and found the courage to launch both of her businesses.

Today, Kim supports more than 300 clients at Village Insurance.  At InsureWomen, she is creating a network of female agents across the country who have a passion for serving women in the insurance buying process. Locally, she provides leadership to several groups, including the Mariemont Area Chamber of Commerce, Mariemont Preservation Foundation, and Route 50 LINK. She recently ran for and won the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man/Woman of the Year for Greater Cincinnati (2020).

“The training and real-life knowledge I received from Aviatra in 2018 gave me a base of expertise and the courage to launch my own insurance agency, Village Insurance in 2018. After launching my agency, I saw a need for a female-focused insurance company and launched InsureWomen in 2021.” – Kim Beach, InsureWomen

Click here to make a donation in honor of Kim.

December Aviatra of the Month: Rachel Roberts, The Yoga Bar

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Rachel Roberts discovered the importance and power of yoga over 20 years ago. Then, after traveling the world and studying with some of the most talented yogis, she knew she wanted to open her own yoga studio.

In October 2010, that dream came true, and Rachel Roberts opened The Yoga Bar in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Yoga is a traditional, non-hot yoga shala, offering a full menu of Ashtanga Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative and mindfulness classes. Yoga Bar offers yoga retreats in places as exotic as Bali and as close to home as Hocking Hills, Ohio and is home to Northern Kentucky’s premier teacher training program, Bija Yoga School. The Yoga Bar has also been voted the best yoga in the region.

Rachel went through the Aviatra Accelerators program in 2015 and was awarded a $25,000 low-interest loan. In addition to receiving the capital she needed, Rachel also got the tools she needed to grow her business.

Since going through our program, Rachel has built The Yoga Bar into a thriving hub for community involvement and charitable fundraising. Her clients include partnerships with The Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, FC Cincinnati, Newport on the Levee, as well as some of the area’s most respected employers.

“When it came time to grow my business, I wanted to do so on the most solid footing I could. I attended the Aviatra program to develop my expanded business plan and learn to navigate the financial implications of growth. The course was like a mini-MBA and gave me the tools I needed to take the next step, including accessing the capital my businesses needed.”

– Rachel Roberts, The Yoga Bar

Click here to make a donation in honor of Rachel. 

November Aviatra of the Month: Sonya L. Moore, Moore Planning & Consulting LLC

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After working as a corporate leader for two Fortune 500 companies, Sonya Moore quickly saw the gap between what made businesses flourish and what made others fail. In 2017, she took that knowledge, her 25 years of experience, and marketing, operations, human resources, and learning and development expertise to reinvent herself and launch Moore Planning & Consulting LLC.

Moore Planning & Consulting LLC is a virtual administrative consulting and support firm committed to helping small business owners and small teams gain peace and order in their business. As the owner and CEO, Sonya and her team works with clients to get to the root of administrative problems to turn ideas into income with strategy, build structure with processes and automation that fit their budget, and provide support. She also helps clients create consistent communication and turn chaos into systems, reducing overwhelm, saving time, and increasing income so they can spend more time as the CEO instead of the Worker.

Sonya participated in the Aviatra EXPLORE® program in 2015. While she entered the program with a different idea, she took the information she learned to build her current business. She now has been working in her business full-time for three years, launched a seven-week course called Idea to Income™: From Your Brain to Your Bank Account, and became a co-author in a #1 Amazon best-selling book, Entrepreneurial Elevation: 31 Strategic Lessons & Personal Stories From Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurs.

“The Aviatra program helped me create the foundation of my business, Moore Planning & Consulting LLC. I had a different business idea in mind when I took the course in 2015, and through that course I learned it would not be a viable business, so I abandoned it. However, I used the same information to launch my current business.”

– Sonya L. Moore, Moore Planning & Consulting LLC

Click here to make a donation in honor of Sonya. 

October Aviatra of the Month: Michele Tibbs & Melyssa Kirn, Grainwell

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In 2013, the Kirn sisters collaborated and made their parents a wooden sign for Christmas. When the beautiful sign brought their mom and dad to tears, they knew they had something special.

One year later, the sisters started their business, Grainwell, and began designing and creating wood-centric, one-of-a-kind products from quality material. To no one’s surprise, Grainwell exploded in popularity, and the team quickly grew out of their shop in their parents’ garage and relocated to their own woodshop and boutique. But, in order to continue growing, they needed more funding—and that’s when they found Aviatra Accelerators (then BGV).

The Grainwell sisters participated in Aviatra’s 8-week LAUNCH® cohort in 2016. During those eight weeks, they accessed the resources they needed to build a solid business and growth plan. At the end of the program, they were awarded a low-interest loan that they used to expand their wholesale opportunities and marketing efforts.

Since 2016, Grainwell has continued to find success. In 2017, they separated their boutique from their woodshop to streamline production and allow for more space. And most recently, in 2021, they opened a second boutique in Hyde Park. The sky is the limit for Grainwell, and we can’t wait to see what they do next!

“We had a wonderful experience with Aviatra. We started a business without a business background, and the program helped us learn, plan, and grow in ways we weren’t previously aware. Aviatra connected us with amazing mentors who helped us grow and we were in contact with for years after. We love being a part of such a wonderful group of women!”

– Michele Tibbs, Grainwell

Click here to listen to Michele’s “Her Million Dollar My$tery” episode.

Click here to make a donation in honor of Michele & Melyssa.

September Aviatra of the Month: Taren Kinebrew, Sweet Petit Desserts

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Taren Kinebrew served in the Army National Guard for seven years and obtained her BS in Information Systems with a minor in accounting, all while climbing the corporate ladder as a programmer/analyst for IBM. After leaving corporate America in 2008, she decided to use her skills as a businesswoman and her gift as a 3rd generation baker to open Sweet Petit Desserts.

Sweet Petit Desserts is a bakery specializing in mini desserts focusing on events and vendors in the Cincinnati area. Taren’s desserts are embellished with tastes made from scratch with the finest ingredients. By creating simple flavors and unique artistry, she encourages my customers to lose themselves completely in that sweet sensuality of it all.

Taren discovered Aviatra (then BGV) in 2012. She participated in our program and was a finalist in her cohort. Her experience with Aviatra was invaluable. She had amazing mentors, and going through the program changed her life. It allowed her to fully live out her dream, which was to open a brick-and-mortar store.

Sweet Petit Desserts’ collection of bite-sized desserts continue to please the palates of Cincinnati locals, but Taren recently accomplished another major milestone. In June 2020, she opened Cream and Sugar Coffeehouse in Evanston. Neither of these ventures would’ve been possible without the help and support of Aviatra Accelerators—and we can’t wait to continue to watch her grow!

“My experience with Aviatra was invaluable. Going through the program changed my life and allowed me to fully live out my dream of opening a brick and mortar store.” – Taren Kinebrew, Sweet Petit Desserts

Click here to listen to Taren’s “Her Million Dollar My$tery” episode.

Click here to make a donation in honor of Taren.