Cause and Effect: Usability and Conversion

It may seem surprising that while bringing people to a website is not that difficult, it’s the matter of actually keeping them there, engaging them and ultimately convincing them to invest and return is a feat of incredible strategy.

Whether a business-to-business (B2B) or direct-to-consumer (DTC) site, the one single metric that crushes all others in significance is conversion rate; frankly, it’s all about the visitor. Their capacity to complete tasks easily and quickly is where web usability comes in, working to define the user experience.

It’s safe to say that usability and conversion, working in tandem, are critical to a sustained and ultimately successful relationship with a service or good. It is not enough for a web experience to simply function – a human can exist on junk food for a short time; however, it must be maintained to thrive and operate optimally.

While seemingly all in the same language, usability and conversion have different varying tasks but work in tandem toward one goal: turning visitors into repeat customers. It’s critical to pair the two together to deliver an integrated approach to user satisfaction.

User-Centric
Enriching the experience of usability cannot be focused on enough. Usability is the proverbial ‘warm and fuzzy’ users didn’t even know they were looking for but felt because they found something useful. Focusing here on the user, usability must address both design, functionality and communication.

Predictable
Usability improves user experience by predicting user behavior. Through research and testing, the discovery of what a user wants to accomplish on a website will come through, and a clear path should be designed accordingly. Communicate what should be done on each page and how to do it.

Problem Solving
A user finds a company mainly because it fills a need or solves a problem. If this company is truly the right solution, then all the information they need will be available within a few clicks.

Conversion Driven
All messaging should drive toward the ultimate call to action. Certain design features directly influence conversion, and when they are done right, visitors will be compelled to move toward choosing the company at hand.

Accomplishing what SEO works so hard to achieve, the pairing of usability and conversion optimization delivers an authentic approach to user experience. With a solid understanding of the brand or organization and its users, a clear website usability and optimization strategy will turn visitors into satisfied customers.