Website usability is how user friendly your website is. As soon as a visitor arrives, they judge your website by its ease, navigation and efficiency. These three factors determine the overall user experience on your website. Website usability is also a measure for how well your site meets user expectations. Let’s take a look at 3 basic elements your website visitors expect.

• Ease
• Navigation
• Efficiency

Website Usability Basics

Ease (first impressions are important)

How obvious is the purpose of your website?

A first time visitor should quickly (at a glance) understand the intended use for your website. The faster you communicate your intention, the less time you leave for user confusion and doubt. Present a simple, accurate message that guides your visitor when they first arrive.

Is your website memorable?

Search engines index webpages, not websites, so you never know which page a visitor will arrive on. Visitors need to know with certainty that they are on your website. Keep this in mind when you design your site. Every page should be clearly marked and be part of a single, consistent theme that is unique to your website. Your colors, fonts, and style should serve the same purpose on every page.

Navigation (confused visitors click away)

Is your website clearly labeled and organized?

Visitors need to know:

• where they are
• where they’ve been
• where they want to go next

For your website to be usable, all of your relevant pages need to be linked together. A visitor, who likes what they see on one page, will click away without a clear guide for where to go next. Your web design workflow needs to clearly define how your site will be organized. Your helpful content serves no purpose to your visitor if they don’t know how to find it, or that it even exists.

Efficiency (focus on my benefits, not your features)

How relevant is your content?

Imagine that a user is on your website and willing to interact with your content. What message is your content sending them? From a user perspective, what is your focus? If you are only trying to make a sale, your content will likely reflect your selfish intention. You need to earn their trust to earn their business, so offer something of value that benefits the user.

Check your perspective

Your visitors like when you talk to them, not at them. Instead of filling your content with “I” and “me”, try saying “you” and “your.” Without knowing your visitor’s name, a second person perspective is your best option for personalizing your message for them.

Are your articles easy to read?

Seeing a long block of text without formatting is intimidating. You quickly lose readers if they have to search the page for what’s important to them. Meaningful titles and subtitles are expected, but short paragraphs, bullet points, and quotes will help your visitors quickly scan for what they want. Don’t expect everyone to read everything.

Why is Website Usability Important?

The value of a website is measured by how well it serves its intended audience. Website usability is the combination of factors (ease of use, navigation, and efficiency) that contribute to user experience. When a user cannot (or does not want) to interact with your website, it fails to serve a purpose. A website that fails to effectively serve user expectations will be seen as low quality by visitors and search engines.

Does your website meet user expectations?

Failing to fulfill even one factor of website usability can have a significant (negative) impact on your website. Seattle SEO Consultant will help your website connect with your intended users. Take advantage of your free 30 minute consultation today and learn how to make your website usable for visitors and search engines.