Statistics show that more than half of website users have had a negative impression from visiting a webpage. The same principles apply in the virtual world as in brick-and-mortar stores: if a visit is unpleasant, the customer won't return.

When building a website, you must understand the consumer and their requirements by adhering to consistency and clarity standards. If you’d like to learn how to systematize this and find and retain your customer base; stick around as we share proven strategies.

What is User Experience?

The term itself gives us the answer: it’s how a person perceives a product, in our case, a website. It’s the sum of emotions and impressions a person gets from your site. The quality of these emotions determines future interactions. Understanding both positive and negative impressions will help us identify what needs improvement and what should be removed or changed. As always, quality analytics can simplify our path to success.

The Difference Between User Experience and Usability

Both concepts define user convenience. However, usability is part of User Experience. It pertains to the quality of the website’s interface. User experience is the result of interaction with a user-friendly interface. Thus, User Experience will partly be positive if usability is well-developed. These two concepts are inseparably linked and require attention during website optimization.

How User Experience and Usability Affect Your Site’s Promotion

The goal of any search engine is to satisfy its user's search query by providing the fastest and highest quality answer. However, a search engine can encounter problems even with the highest quality content if it is confusing and poorly structured; it will not be indexed well by search engines and will lower your traffic. 

Search engines pay attention to resource load speed, mobile optimization, content structure, and many other factors. Additionally, they use search signals and recognize how visitors react to the resource. A quality website ensures a positive user experience, making it more valuable in the eyes of the search engine, which is a significant plus for ranking and a chance to secure top positions in search results. Thus, UX affects SEO optimization.

How to Improve User Experience

1.   User Journeys Also known as journey maps, they show how a person navigates to the desired section and interacts with the resource overall. A map is a good basis for developing solutions to improve user experience.
2.   Visual Hierarchy Present in all aspects of design, including simple text where there are headings of different levels. This hierarchy allows users to scan content more easily and find the main points without reading everything. The same principle applies to design. Proper placement of elements and color accents makes it easier for the user to explore the site and improves UX. Designers use various techniques: colors, contrasts, playing with image/font sizes, etc. Experimenting with different solutions and conducting A/B testing helps find the most effective variant. Often, simply changing the color of a "Buy" button significantly improves sales.

3.   F-Pattern This point continues the previous one. Without clear visual signals in design, it’s harder for users to find the information they need, negatively affecting UX. Using headings, different fonts, and dividing content into sections helps guide the user. This should be considered when developing web design.
4.   Service Everything surrounding the product: delivery, technical support, etc., also affects UX and requires thorough development. For example, you like a cosmetics store offering immediate skin type testing after purchase, which is convenient. But if the in-store experience is rude and the work is shoddy, your user experience will likely be poor. Service needs to be as well-developed as the product itself.
5.   CTA (Call to Action) A good call to action is crucial for commercial products. How do you make a user want to click the button?

Tips include:

A/B testing helps find the best solution. Always analyze the results of changes to determine the most effective option.

Don't Forget the Interface

The process of visualization allows the implementation of a site or application prototype. Creating a user interface (UI) involves working on graphics: animation, images, fonts, and colors — all affecting the visitor’s visual perception of the site.

Why is UI Important?

A user interface attracts visitors, aids in conversion rates, and facilitates adaptation to mobile devices. It establishes relationships with potential clients.

How to Make Your Interface Convenient and Understandable for a User

• Study your audience, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Understand what attracts them to your site and what repels them.
• Analyze your competitors, understand what specifically attracted clients to them, and why they chose them over you.
• Be consistent and follow trending changes.
• Aim for simplicity. Minimalism remains a key trend in recent years.
• Remove all unnecessary components from pages. Don't create a maze for the user, or they’ll turn to competitors.
• Pay attention to the mobile adaptation of your site.
• Optimize the user experience design for smartphones and tablets to retain your audience. Remember, search engines consider this aspect. Site adaptability greatly influences indexing.

So, don’t ignore concepts like Usability, User Experience, and Interface. Analyze the needs and logic of your customer. Make your site simple and fast to use, and avoid overloading it. Stay mobile with changes and adhere to new trends. Remember, those who move forward will never be left behind.