The Effect of Sticky Elements on your Website User Experience
Website User Experience: Business owners are always looking for new ways to amp up the functionality of their websites. One of the ways to do so is implementing different sticky elements to the websites. If you are one of those business owners, you will be happy to see that today we are talking about, drumrolls please, sticky elements! First of all, what does it even mean that an element is sticky? It is self-explanatory really – sticky elements are those elements that stick to a particular spot of a page or a post or the website itself. They don’t budge if you are scrolling and browsing through a website.
Sometimes, pop-up windows and other similar elements of websites can significantly distract your users and thus take away from what they are supposed to be looking at, your content that is. Think about your own experience; when there are multiple elements on the screen, you are suddenly annoyed and don’t want to be on that website. Sticky elements eliminate the possibility of that. They are fixed on one specific place on the website, and visitors are free to peruse your blog content without being distracted. Sticky elements can give your website’s design something extra and make it look more professional and put together. By implementing them, you are bound to improve your user’s experience and maximize the value of their visits.
You can make any part of your website sticky, such as social media buttons, calls to action, and your website’s menu or navigation. A sticky menu and a sticky header are probably the most popular option because they are essentially the first thing you see once you enter a website. Having a sticky menu ensures that your users will have an easier way of navigating through your website. They will know a menu is always in the same place, allowing them to return to it quickly.
Now you may be thinking, what is a sticky menu, and how can it look? There are different types of it, and it comes down to your preference, whether you want fixed top navigation, left-side navigation, or right-side navigation. But what is a sticky header? A sticky header is similar to a menu, but it is fixed on the top of your website. There are many pros to having it, such as it gives you a great way of emphasizing your brand and your logo, staying at the top where everybody can see it first thing.
Like we already mentioned, sticky elements better your website’s functionality and improve the user’s experience. It is easier to navigate while browsing the website, users can access faster certain parts of the website, it certainly makes your website more quickly and clean looking. Another great thing is that you can point out different deals, products, or services that your business has. For example, you are promoting a new service you are offering. By making it sticky on the website, you can be sure that each user will see it. Social media buttons are also those that ask to be made sticky, since social networks are all of the rages nowadays, it makes sense to make those easily accessible. Email signup boxes and subscription boxes are also great to make sticky since they help you connect with your audience as well as give you a way to build your database and get more conversions and leads.
Now that we have all of the basics covered let’s go over a plugin that will help you with all things sticky, WP Sticky.
WPSticky is a plugin that will help you make as many sticky elements as you want. Doesn’t that sound just awesome? You don’t have to pick and choose which elements you want to be sticky; you can make all of them fixed on any part of your website. If you wish to have a sticky menu, social media buttons, newsletter signups, you can have that and more.
Once you choose how many elements you want to have, you can go over and start the configuration process. You can play as much as you want with them, with basic, visual, and advanced options to make sure you have exactly what you need. WP Sticky is incredibly fast, and you will have your elements are done and ready to go in no time. You don’t have to worry if you are not a programmer because this plugin doesn’t require you to know any code; you can just pick an element you want off the screen. In addition to that, it is compatible with all themes, page builders, and plugins, and if you find yourself searching for answers, you can turn to the experts, those that have made the plugin in the first place.
When it comes to other plugin settings, you can choose where your element is going to be, how it is going to look, and some technical adjustments. When you are setting the visual of your element, keep in mind your theme and the website’s overall design. With that in mind, choose if your element will be on top or at the bottom and what will the effects, opacity, and scroll range be. In the advanced settings, you can set your elements to disappear on specific posts or pages and have one element be pushed up by another one that is lower on the page. WPSticky is a plugin that offers it all, and there is also an option to delete an element you don’t want to have anymore.
Final thoughts
All in all, sticky elements are something that every website needs to have. It not only improves the experience of your users, but makes your website more functional, gives it a more professional feel, and can benefit your business in the long run. Certain sticky elements can build up your email database, give you new customers and a larger audience. As with everything, though, sometimes less is more, so don’t overpower your website.
