What the heck is “UX” and why should you care?

The internet has become the primary resource where people turn to find information and make purchases. That means your website has become the face of your company, may introduce your audience to your brand, and very likely provides your website users with their first customer experience.

User experience, or “UX” design focuses on creating a seamless and enjoyable experience for your website users by understanding their needs, behaviors, and preferences. It involves researching and analyzing user data to inform the design process and create experiences that are intuitive, easy to use, and aesthetically pleasing.

When we talk about optimizing your UX, we refer to both the tangible and intangible experience a user has when interacting with your product, service, or system online. We consider all aspects of their interaction with your online presence, including your website’s interface, design, content, accessibility, and functionality.

If you build it, will they come?

Perhaps you’ve invested in your website’s look and feel, and consider it a good representation of your brand. Congratulations – you’re part of the way there!

Even the most highly functional and attractive website is of no benefit if your customers cannot find it. If you want to be found, you must also utilize key tools, best practices, and content strategies to improve both the usability and the underlying performance of your website to help it rank higher on search engines. These types of frequently overlooked user experience optimizations can be the most important contributors to SEO (search engine optimization). In fact, Google’s algorithms establish baseline requirements for the quality of your website’s content and the usability of your webpages, measuring aspects like loading performance, interactivity, mobile-friendliness, site security and stability.

How will you know it’s time to optimize your user experience?

Poor UX design can have a range of negative consequences for your organization. Here are some of the most common signs it’s time to make improvements:

• Low user engagement: If users struggle to use your website or app, they may not engage with it as much as they would if the UX was better. This can lead to lower engagement rates, fewer page views, and ultimately lower revenue.
• High bounce rates: If users land on your website or app and quickly leave because of a poor UX, it can lead to high bounce rates. This can negatively impact your website’s search engine ranking and make it harder to attract new users.
• Negative reviews and feedback: Users who have a poor experience may leave negative reviews or feedback, which can harm your reputation and make it harder to attract new customers.
• Decreased customer loyalty: Users who have a poor experience may be less likely to return in the future, which can lead to decreased customer loyalty and revenue over time.
• Increased customer support costs: If users have trouble using your website or app, they may contact your customer support team for help. This can increase your customer support costs and take time away from other important tasks.

What will happen when you do?

There are many reasons to consider optimizing your user experience. Here are a few optimization outcomes our clients commonly experience:

• Customer satisfaction: A good user experience leads to higher customer satisfaction. If customers can easily find what they are looking for and complete their desired actions on a website or app, they are more likely to return and recommend it to others.
• Increased conversions: A positive user experience can increase conversions, such as sales or sign-ups. When users can easily navigate a website or app and find what they need, they are more likely to complete a desired action.
• Competitive advantage: A business that prioritizes user experience will rank more highly in search results, and can gain a competitive advantage over other businesses that do not. A superior user experience can attract and retain customers.
• Reduced costs: By optimizing user experience, businesses can reduce costs associated with customer service inquiries or complaints. A good user experience can prevent these issues from occurring in the first place.
• Improved brand reputation: A positive user experience can improve a business’s reputation and increase its brand loyalty. This can lead to more word-of-mouth referrals and positive reviews.

How we can help.

Your website is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. But it can also feel like an inscrutably complex technical and organizational structure; a bit like a black box. First and foremost, our web experience optimization process helps to demystify the issues impacting your website performance, and helps chart a path toward meaningful and measurable results.

Our work frequently includes audits and findings reports, along with strategic planning and recommendations for web optimization activities. We often go on to implement these optimization strategies, with work ranging from content editing for maximum SEO, to comprehensive web redesign and/or redevelopment. Our services are always scaled to suit the needs and budgets of our clients.