How to Perform a UX Audit of Your Website

The user experience (UX) of your website can be one of the most significant factors in determining its success. Websites that display an easy and fluid UX capture the attention of visitors who in turn will be engaged and ultimately lead to conversions for your business.

So the question then – is your website delivering on UX or do you need to undertake an audit for your website?

Below we are going to highlight 6 steps that should be undertaken for an effective UX audit but lets first delve into what UX actually is and the importance it serves for the success of your website.

The sole purpose of UX is to ensure that visitors interact with your website, and ultimately brand, in a seamless, purposeful and engaging manner. By implementing exceptional UX practices, the quality of a visitor’s interaction is enhanced as are their perceptions of the product/service on offer.

In order to create an outstanding UX, website designers need to take three main factors into consideration.

1. Intuitive Experience.

Don’t reinvent the wheel! When a potential customer visits your website, ensure they will be able to naturally navigate around your page. The best way to achieve this is to implement a foundational website design that the majority of websites use. For example, keep navigation options horizontal across the top of the page or vertically on the left, don’t try being different by placing the menu on the right or bottom as this will slow down the UX process. By understanding what the user’s expectations are will lead you to properly implementing an intuitive experience.

2. Consistency & Continuity

 Carrying on from the point above, established design conventions aid in the UX of a website. The importance of design conventions resonates with user expectations which is why consistent design elements that show continuity are destined to work flawlessly with your visitors. This can be anything from homepage layout to your cart. Keep things consistent so that your visitors can flow through seamlessly.

3. Keep It Simple

We have seen it time and time again with websites trying to overcomplicate their design and UX. If a websites design is slowing down the navigation or impeding upon the experience of your visitors which is resulting in frustrating interactions, the result will not be a positive one for your site and overall business so keep things simple!

Now that we have an idea as to what UX is and what broad factors need to be taken into consideration for a website with excellent UX, lets establish the six steps to performing a UX audit of your website.

1. Think Like a Customer

Before you do anything, the best advice we can give you is simply to think like a customer. We all have our ideas as to how to be different and stand out from the competition but when it comes to UX we can’t stress enough how important it is to just take a step back and think like a customer. We’ve all done our fair share of website browsing and have a good idea as to the UX of websites which resonate with us best, so take those learnings and implement them into your own with the customer in mind.

2. Seek The Opinions of Others

Seeking the advice of others who have no objective attachment to you or your website is one of the best things you can do. This feedback allows you to see the UX in a different light and makes it easier to identify potential issues in your design. Better yet, having your very own visitors provide you with valuable feedback will be of huge value as you are receiving information directly from the source as to how you can improve your UX.

3. Assess User Data

Numbers don’t lie! Assessing user metrics is a brilliant way to identify problem areas on your website. One of the best metrics to focus on is bounce rate as this usually tells you which page visitors are abandoning due to navigational issues or confusion as to the purpose of the page which could be due to poor UX. Another metric to focus on is what are your most popular keywords. This metric tells you what site content is most popular with your visitors. Once you’ve established this, use it to your advantage by strategically placing it on your home page where it can be easily accessed and viewed. Behaviour flows is another metric that shows you how users move through your site which can assist you in identifying common paths or dead ends on your site.  

4. Test. Test. Test.

Site owners often fall in the trap of spending too much time on their backend instead of actively using the front end of their website. This is important as it gives you the exact point of view which your users are experiencing and allows you to spot any navigational or performance issues. Test things like site speed, contact us forms, live messaging, whether your FAQs are useful and conduct a dummy purchase once in a while to ensure this process is as smooth and problem free as possible.

5. Don’t’ Forget The Mobile

Over 50% of all internet searching is now conducted on a mobile device so be sure that your website is mobile friendly and optimized. Incredibly, over 52% of website visitors say that a poor UX mobile site will decrease the likelihood of future site engagement with a brand. On top of this, users are five times more likely to abandon a website if it has poor mobile optimization. Therefore, its important to make sure that your desktop layout and design is just as effective and efficient for mobile devices as this could greatly hinder performance.

6. Don’t Be Boring

We know we told you earlier to keep things simple in terms of design and UX. What we mean by not being boring is that don’t be afraid to be unique in the sense of what you are offering or how you want to position your brand. For instance, do you have a blog that focuses on intriguing, value-laden topics? Or would the use of infographics and animations on some of your product pages help relay information and increase your conversion rate? What about offering a different pricing model to that of competitors? These all impact the UX aspect of your website, so as long as they aren’t hindering the flow and experience, don’t be afraid to be a little creative!

Once you have achieved these six steps you will have accrued some very important findings which will prompt you into making the necessary UX improvements. It’s important that the UX of a website isn’t neglected as it plays a vital role in how you communicate with customers online.  

If you need help with undertaking a UX audit or have identified issues that requires a professional web developer, then why not get in touch with us? As a business owner, your time is valuable, and you may just not have the ability to create or update a website that will work for you while also running your day-to-day business. That’s where Strong Digital comes in.

Based in Brisbane, we understand your unique needs as a local business and we’re here to help you succeed.

We’ve got zeal for creating our best work with a clear purpose to help you evolve your marketing strategy to include a website that not only enhances your UX but drives your target customers to purchase your goods and services. So if you’re ready to create long-term value for your business, give us a call and see what we can do for you!