A brand’s website is more than just a digital storefront. Or, at least, it can be. Whenever a person visits your page—whether that happens via a Google search, article, or landing page—you have an opportunity to make a lasting impression.
To ensure the impression is a positive one, companies need to consider user experience (UX).
What is UX?
Boiled down, user experience is how a website’s visitor interacts with and perceives the site. When it comes to UX, there are several elements that contribute to the overall feeling, including:
- Design
- Functionality
- Usability
- Navigation
- Value
- Adaptability
Perceptions of UX often occur at a subconscious level. As David Kocs, CEO of TDK Technologies notes:
“UX designers ultimately try to empathize with end users to provide the best possible experience. The process utilizes research to understand precisely what end users require from websites and applications. The thought process involves both critical and creative thinking to visualize the scenarios and task flows the end user may encounter.”
In most cases, a user will only notice UX when it creates a bad overall experience. When that happens, they may not be able to point out exactly what it was about the website that made their overall interaction negative. But to borrow Justice Potter Stewart’s explanation on obscenity, they know it when they see it.
Benefits of Good UX
When it comes to websites or applications, a good UX design is one where the users intuitively know where they need to go or what to click on. Pages aren’t cluttered, messaging is clear and precise, and the overall experience creates a positive emotion. Strong UX expedites adoption rates and increases the chances that person will return to the website. Other benefits include:
- Helps with SEO – Google has prioritized age experience as a significant criterion for its ranking algorithm. There are a few elements of this including:
- Core web vitals (largest contentful paint, first input delay, cumulative layout shift)
- Mobile-friendliness
- HTTPs
- Decreases bounce rates – A poor UX often causes your potential customers to leave the site and go elsewhere. That, in turn, can hurt your rankings on search.
- Improves site navigation and conversions – When users know how to find the information they need and where to go, they’re more likely to convert.
- Increases user actions – Similarly, smart user experience includes prompts and buttons like call-to-actions that encourage a user to take an action—be it signing up for a newsletter, reading an internal article, or making a purchase.
Semgeeks—The Premier Web Design Agency in New Jersey
On the surface, UX may seem like a minor detail. But it can have a major impact on your website’s ability to convert visitors and retain customers. So, if you don’t have a website that prioritizes UX, it may be time for a revamp.
Do you need help making a UX-friendly website?
At Semgeeks, we’re experts in all things web design and development. We can partner with you to understand your brand’s ethos and objective and then create a website that works.
Want to learn more? Let’s talk.
Sources:
St. Louis Business Journal. Why businesses should make user experience a priority. https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2020/04/20/why-businesses-should-make-user-experience-a.html
Search Engine Land. The Google Page Experience Update: User experience to become a Google ranking factor. https://searchengineland.com/the-google-page-experience-update-user-experience-to-become-a-google-ranking-factor-335252
