How UX and CRO Work Together to Increase Conversions

User experience (UX) isn’t something that only concerns marketers and web designers. As attention spans grow shorter, and customers demand quicker solutions to their problems, UX is becoming increasingly relevant to all internet users.

When you think of improving UX, you may think of the technical changes that you must make to your company’s website. These alterations are undoubtedly vital if you want visitors to stick around and take action.

However, improving UX doesn’t stop there. You must also consider how to improve the comprehensive user journey. The pathway is what compels them to take action. 

Sometimes, entrepreneurs may view UX and CRO (conversion rate optimization) as conflicting forces. UX improves the design and usability of your site. On the other hand, CRO gets as many visitors as possible to convert to customers. For an optimal user’s journey, you must find a happy medium between these two concepts.

Here, we’ll explore how UX and CRO work together to increase your conversions. 

Improving UX

When your UX, you should keep the following elements in mind:

Accessibility

Some companies don’t give any thought to making their websites accessible for users with disabilities. Failing to make the necessary adjustments can result in a considerable loss of potential clients. 

Only a small percentage of your website’s visitors may be vision-impaired or have dyslexia or physical disabilities. However, other visitors can still benefit from the changes you make.

For example, easy-to-read text and alt-tags will help vision-impaired and multi-tasking visitors alike. Search engine crawlers like these UX features, too. These design features let users easily skim over your website’s pages and quickly learn what you have to offer.

Little improvements to your website’s accessibility can make a big difference for visitors in whether or not they perform the action you desire. Incorporate this aspect to improve your UX, and you will see higher conversions.

Size & Color Contrast of Text

If you don’t have the correct size and color contrast for your website’s text, you can face warnings from the Google Search Console. Repeated reprimands can negatively affect how your site ranks and how users find you online.

Plus, the improper implementation of size and color contrast can make your website difficult to navigate. Users may not be able to follow the organization and layout of your content, which can cause them to click off in frustration. 

When it comes to text size, you should determine a ratio that suits your website. A good default is the 3:4 ratio, which is good to keep in mind when it comes to making headings and subheadings.

You don’t have to use every single font size in your determined ratio. However, you should add various sizes to give your website a readable structure. 

User Bias

If a user has had a bad experience previously with one part of your website, they will avoid you at all costs in the future. This phenomenon is known as the Contagion Heuristic. 

To combat this negative aspect of your UX, you’ll need to determine what’s driving away your visitors. Any negative biases or bad connotations need immediate editing or removal.

You can use the results of user surveys to determine the source of any negative bias on your website. From there, you should rework your webpages to improve how users perceive your brand.

The Use of Images

The right images can positively contribute to your brand’s message. They offer users a break from reading chunks of text. Plus, they enable a different way to learn what you have to offer.

Make sure to select high-quality images. Compress them when you can to decrease page load speed for your website’s visitors.  

The Simplification of Your Website

Only offer your visitors relevant information that they can use to make informed decisions. Strip your website to its bare essentials and give users what they need to know to become confident buyers.

According to medium.com, one way to do this is through link sculpting. This action involves removing any unnecessary links from your website. It cleans up your site and looks appealing not only to users but also to search engines. 

Improving CRO

Once you improve your UX, you’ll grow your audience and be able to better tailor to your customers’ needs. 

Are people leaving your website quickly? Are they browsing for quite some time and eventually clicking off? Your site may be lacking essential information, operational links, or other pertinent elements. 

To get started with improving your CRO, you’ll need to determine areas of your site that have low engagement and high drop-off points. From there, you can work on creating more compelling content.

One way to do this is through A/B testing, which is otherwise known as split testing. A/B testing is a great way to gain insight into which version of a webpage is most effective at rallying an audience to take action. 

Every website has a different audience and goal when it comes to conversions, so the steps you’ll need to take will vary. For example, Convertica performed CRO for a company called JustThrive by minimizing visual clutter and adding trust signals around its checkout area.

Your website may need similar adjustments. Or, it may benefit from other changes like strengthening its CTA copy. 

As your CRO increases, you can’t forget about UX. A significant part of growing your business is retaining customers. To keep your clients from shopping with competitors, you’ll need to work on improving your UX consistently. 

Conclusion

Understand that engagement created by a positive UX won’t always lead to conversions. In the same token, conversions won’t always result in heightened engagement. With these truths in mind, you should focus on improving both your company’s UX and CRO.

Alone, these two elements can only do so much when it comes to increasing your conversions. However, when you dedicate resources to improving both, you will positively impact your business’s branding. Plus, you’ll be able to communicate better the value that you can offer to potential customers.

When you focus on improving both your business’s UX and CRO, you’ll notice your profits and long-term customers skyrocket.

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