Website usability: what is it and why do I need it?

Even if your site shines with newness, and its design corresponds to the latest fashion trends, usability audit will not be superfluous. Imagine a luxury car that has just rolled off the assembly line. It impresses with its look and technical characteristics, but does it guarantee a comfortable and safe journey? No, because every driver has his own habits and preferences.

It’s the same with a website. What seems convenient and understandable to developers does not always meet the expectations of the target audience.

Here are a few reasons why a usability audit is a worthwhile investment, even for new websites:

• Blind spotting: Developers who are engrossed in the process of creating a website may not notice shortcomings that are not obvious to themselves, but are critical to users. A usability audit can help you look at your site through the eyes of your target audience and identify stumbling blocks to easy navigation and targeted actions.
• Hypothesis testing: Modern trends are good, but do they work for your website and your target audience? Usability audit, in particular A/B testing, will help to check the effectiveness of different solutions and choose the ones that really bring results.
• Conversion Optimisation: The goal of any website is to turn visitors into customers. A usability audit will help identify bottlenecks in the sales funnel and optimise the site for maximum conversion.
• Saving time and money in the future: It is much cheaper and easier to fix errors at the development stage than to redesign an already launched site.

Remember: By investing in a usability audit, you are investing in the success of your website and business as a whole. You should not neglect this opportunity to make your website a really convenient and effective tool for attracting customers.

The product page is the holy of holies of an online shop, the place where the visitor makes the key decision: to buy or not to buy. Unfortunately, many website owners make gross usability mistakes on these very pages, scaring away potential buyers.

Here are the most common ones:

1. Imagine that you are buying clothes blind, without the ability to look at details or assess the colour. The product page should contain several high-quality photos from different angles, as well as the ability to zoom in for a detailed look.
2. Uninformative or confusing description. The product description should be concise but comprehensive, containing all the necessary information: characteristics, benefits, uses, availability of sizes and colours. Avoid a “mush” of technical terms, write in a language that is understandable for the average user.
3. Lack of reviews or ratings. Customer feedback is the best recommendation for your product. Give customers the opportunity to share their impressions, and use a rating system to visually assess the popularity of the product.
4. Complicated or unclear order form. The order placement process should be as simple and intuitive as possible. Minimise the number of fields to fill in, use clear prompts and don’t force customers to register unless it’s mandatory.
5. Lack of information about delivery and payment. Clearly indicate delivery terms and payment options so that customers do not have unnecessary questions.
6. Lack of a “button” call to action. A clear call to action (e.g. “Buy”, “Order”, “Add to basket”) encourages the visitor to take the next step.

Remember: every detail on the product page should work to increase conversions. By correcting usability errors, you will be able to significantly increase sales and gain the trust of new customers.

At first glance, if your customers are avid computer users, a mobile version of your site may seem like a waste of money. But is it really? The world is changing rapidly, and consumer habits are changing with it.

Here are some good arguments in favour of investing in a mobile version of your website, even if you don’t think you need one today:

1. Mobile traffic is growing every day.
   Even if most of your customers are using computers now, this trend can change quickly. More and more people are favouring smartphones to search for information, communicate and shop online. By ignoring the mobile audience, you risk losing a significant share of potential customers as early as tomorrow.
2. Google lovesmobile-friendly sites.
   Google’s algorithms favour sites that are adapted for mobile devices. This means that your site will have higher search engine rankings for users who are searching for information from smartphones or tablets. Consequently, you will get more traffic and customers.
3. Mobileversionofthesiteisconvenientforusers.
   Even if a customer is used to using a computer, in some situations it may be more convenient for him to use a smartphone for a quick order, search for contacts or browse the product catalogue. A convenient and fast mobile site will form a positive experience of interaction with your brand and will encourage repeat visits.
4. It’s more cost-effective than you think.
   Building a mobile version of your website doesn’t have to be expensive and complicated. There are affordable solutions that allow you to quickly and efficiently adapt your website to any device.

By investing in a mobile version of your website, you are investing in the future of your business. You don’t have to wait for your competitors to beat you to the mobile traffic curve. Make your website user-friendly for all users today!

This is a question that bothers many website owners. How to find a balance between comprehensive information and comfort for the reader? After all, “sheets” of text do not attract anyone, and too laconic content can be uninformative.

Here are some tips to help you organise content on your website properly:

1. Structure the text.

• Break long texts into short paragraphs (3-5 sentences).
• Use subheadings and lists to visually highlight main thoughts and make it easier to absorb information.
• Apply visual content (photos, illustrations, videos) to make the text more attractive and understandable.

2. Write simply and clearly.

• Avoid professional jargon and complex terms. Write for your target audience, taking into account their level of knowledge and interests.
• Use the active voice and short sentences.
• Check the text for grammatical errors.

3. Focus on what’s important.

• Identify the key thoughts you want to convey to the reader and expand on them as clearly and concisely as possible.
• Do not try to “cram” maximum information into one text. It is better to create several thematic pages, where you will cover each topic in more depth.

4. Use different content formats.

• Don’t limit yourself to text only. Add videos, infographics, presentations, interactive elements to your site. This will help diversify your content and make it more interesting for different types of users.

Remember that the main task of content on a website is not just to inform, but also to attract and hold the attention of the audience. By following these tips, you will be able to create a website with interesting and understandable content that will bring results.

Many people think that all they need to do to rank high in Google is to choose the right keywords and write SEO texts. However, this is only part of success. Website usability plays an equally important role in search engine algorithms, influencing how high your site will appear in search results.

Google strives to provide its users with the most relevant and highest quality results. And one of the key indicators of quality is user satisfaction with the site. If visitors quickly find the information they need, easily navigate the site and take targeted actions (make a purchase, leave a request, subscribe to a newsletter), this is a signal to Google that the site is really useful and meets the expectations of the audience.

Here are some specific examples of how usability affects SEO:

1. If a user goes to your website from a search engine and immediately closes it, this is a signal to Google that they are not interested in the site. A high bounce rate can negatively affect your site’s position in search. User-friendly design, clear navigation and relevant content will help keep visitors on your site and reduce bounce rate.
2. The longer users stay on your site, the better it is for SEO. This shows that the site is interesting and useful, and that the content matches the users’ intentions. Engaging content, a well thought-out site structure and easy navigation encourage visitors to spend more time on the site, which will have a positive impact on its ranking.
3. Page load speed. Slow loading is one of the main factors that annoy users and make them close the site. Google takes page load speed into account when ranking websites. Optimising images, caching data and using fast hosting can help speed up site loading and improve usability.

So, usability is not just a fancy fad, but an important factor in your website’s success in the search engines. By investing in usability, you are investing in SEO and the overall effectiveness of your website.

This is a question that comes up for many website owners. The answer depends on several factors: your budget, time resources, technical knowledge and the complexity of the site.

Self-improving usability is possible if:

• You have a small website with a simple structure.
• You’re willing to spend time learning the basics of usability and analysing the site.
• You have basic CMS (website content management system) skills.

There are plenty of free tools and materials on the internet to help you do this:

• Google Analytics: provides data on user behaviour on the site (which pages are most popular, where users leave the site, how long they linger on pages, etc.)..
• Google Search Console: shows how your site appears in search results and what usability issues it has.
• Heatmap tools (such as Hotjar or Crazy Egg): visualise user behaviour on a site using heatmaps, which allows you to understand which elements of a site attract the most attention and which are ignored.

However, in some cases it is better to contact usability experts:

• If you have a large and complex website with lots of pages and features.
• If you’re planning major changes to your site (such as a redesign or launching new functionality).
• If you have limited time resources or want the fastest and best possible results.

Usability specialists have the necessary experience and expertise to:

• Conduct a comprehensive website usability audit.
• Identify and analyse any usability issues.
• Develop recommendations to improve the site.
• Test different solution options and select the most effective ones.

After all, the decision is up to you. Assess your opportunities and risks and determine what would be the best choice for you: to improve the usability of the site yourself or to seek help from professionals.