Measuring Site Usability
Did you know that site usability is one of the most important facets to a website? In fact, so important that it ‘outranks’ your sites rankings. Even if your top keywords rank well, if the site doesn’t flow and work for the potential customer, then you have lost their business. There are several crucial things to consider when discussing site usability, such as browser compatibility (does it work in Chrome AND Internet Explorer?), layout, and overall design. But how do you measure site usability? There are numerous tests that have been developed over the last few years to help us understand how a potential customer interacts with your website. From this data, you can create modifications on your site to increase conversions, decrease bounce rates and provide a more user friendly environment for your visitors!
What software exists?
There are various software options that you can utilize to improve your visitor’s experience on your website. Whether you’re looking to test something specific or need a tool that offers a wide range of utilities, there are options for you and your business. At Upright Communications, we utilize Visual Website Optimizer. The VWO tool offers a wide range of implements including A/B testing, multivariate testing, and heat map software.
Other software options include Optimizely, Crazy Egg, and ClickTale. Which software you choose depends on what it is that you need. Many are similar in their offers and features – however if you’re looking to save money or quality, customer service is important to you, then you’ll want to do some comparing.
I have my software, now what? (congratulations!)
Before we can start improving the usability of your site, we first need to decipher where the site goes wrong & when! Outside of following standard development rules for layout & design, we can use VWO’s heat map software to get a better understanding of what users are clicking on and if it’s what you want your visitors to focus on.
Once you have an idea of how your visitors are utilizing your site, you can then identify ways to attract traffic to certain areas where you want them to go. In a VWO case study, “158% increase in trial sign-ups”, a surprising discovery was made using A/B Testing. By simply adding a single call-to-action button they increased trial memberships by 158% without decreasing the number of paid membership signups.
Are you wanting to better understand how your users are interacting with your site? If you are tired of high bounce rates, lost leads and a poorly performing website, then give us a call!