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    Tag: website performance

    Why User Experience (UX) Design Matters

    Posted on by Wall E
    UX design concept on chalkboard with SEO elements

    The Importance of UX Design

    In today’s digital world, first impressions matter. Your website needs to impress—and fast. Studies show that users decide within just a few seconds whether they’re going to stay on a site or leave. That split-second decision is often based on how easy your website is to use.

    This is where user experience design, or UX design, comes into play. Good UX design makes it simple for visitors to find what they’re looking for, understand what you want them to do, and have a positive feeling about your brand. It’s more than just pretty buttons and nice fonts; it’s about understanding your users and designing for their needs.

    How to Make Your Website UX-Friendly

    Various devices showcasing responsive web design

    Want more surprises? Half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, but many sites aren’t designed for small screens.

    Plus, less than 70% of people who search for local businesses online find what they’re looking for RIGHT AWAY.

    Your website has to be:

    • Fast: Websites that load slowly can quickly drive users away. To maintain user engagement, aim for a loading time of three seconds or less. Optimize images, leverage browser caching, and minimize HTTP requests to ensure swift page performance.
    • Easy to Navigate: A well-structured menu is crucial for user experience. Ensure that your navigation is intuitive, with clearly labeled categories and logical organization. Consider implementing breadcrumb trails and easily accessible search features. This helps users find what they need without confusion.
    • Responsive: Your website must provide a seamless experience across all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Utilize flexible grid layouts and media queries to adapt your design to different screen sizes. Prioritize touch-friendly elements for mobile users to enhance usability.
    • Accessible: It’s essential that your website is usable by everyone, including individuals with disabilities. Implement features like alt-text for images, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility. Adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) will help ensure inclusivity and broaden your audience.

    Small Changes That Make a Big UX Impact

    Person sketching a UX design layout on paper

    Sometimes, small tweaks lead to huge results.

    For example, adjusting button size and color can draw the eye and encourage clicks. Changing button text to action-oriented phrases like “Get Started” instead of just “Submit” can clarify what you want users to do.

    Having clear headings, short paragraphs, and plenty of white space make your content easier to scan.

    Every word, color, and click counts when creating a great customer experience.

    How Trek.ca Improves Website UX

    Dancing woman on pavement representing dynamic website UX improvements

    At Trek Digital, we take UX design seriously. Our website is designed with you in mind. We’ve organized our menu to make it simple to find what you’re looking for, streamlined our pages for faster loading times, and ensured everything is responsive.

    But we also know that even great websites need regular attention, so we constantly analyze how visitors use our site.

    Based on real user behavior, we:

    Next Steps in User Experience Design

    UX Design on a paper

    Understanding why user experience (UX) design matters is the first step. Making it a priority on your website is the next.

    Start by examining how users currently interact with your site. What’s working? What’s causing frustration? Use that information to get started.

    Don’t forget to continually test and refine your UX. A website isn’t “done” once it’s launched; it’s an ongoing project that evolves with your business and your users.

    Need help? Contact Trek Digital. As an experienced digital marketing agency in Vancouver, we combine great UX design with expert SEO, ensuring users not only enjoy your site but can also find it with ease.

    How Improving WooCommerce Site Speed Boosts SEO Rankings

    Posted on by Nurul Afsar
    A MacBook with lines of code on its screen on a busy desk

    The Link Between Site Speed and Google Rankings: Understanding Core Web Vitals

    A streamlined and efficient website is essential for achieving business success. An optimized online presence can distinguish you from your competitors and foster meaningful engagement with your audience. WooCommerce provides a powerful suite of tools designed to help you create a dynamic online store that not only attracts visitors but also converts them into loyal customers. With a variety of strategies at your disposal, you can effectively increase traffic and engagement. However, one major obstacle may hinder your success: a slow-loading website that drives potential customers away.

    Google’s always-evolving algorithms have been focused on Page Experience since 2021, when the Core Web Vitals metrics we now must meet were first introduced. Core Web Vitals are comprised of three key measurements that take user engagement and satisfaction — the core goals of any online business — into account:

    Person holding white mini bell alarm clock, representing page loading time

    1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance, or how quickly the most important content of a page loads.
    2. First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity or how quickly a page responds to user interactions.
    3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability, quantifying how often and how far visible elements shift during a page load.

    Pages with optimal Core Web Vitals metrics offer a better user experience, so Google assumes more users will stick around and reward the page with higher rankings. Pages with less optimal Core Web Vitals metrics are far less enjoyable to use, so Google assumes more users will bounce from the page and sink it.

    Check your site’s Core Web Vitals performance in Search Console to see exactly where you stand. You can then work on speed optimization strategies to improve performance and rankings.

    How Slow Load Times Impact Conversions: Case Studies and Data Insights

    Many website speed optimization strategies, such as caching, WooCommerce database cleaning, compressing images, and script load time management, also affect conversions, or the percentage of visitors who become buyers. It’s pretty simple: customers who spend their time and money building up carts are far more profitable than customers who bounce before they browse.

    Turned-on MacBook displaying conversion optimization analytics

    Here are some conversion stories from high-profile business websites to illustrate the real ROI on making users wait less:

    • A 71% increase in overall revenue following a 48.5% reduction in average load times (from 3.99 to 2.06 seconds) on the BBC.
    • A 43% increase in revenue on mobile (no mobile version of the site at the time) due in part to a 54% decrease in load times (from 4.6 to 2.1 seconds).
    • A 25% reduction in abandoned carts through implementing Google Page Insights suggestions that focused on reducing render-blocking code, the number of requests, and page size for the Boulanger home page.

    Optimizing WooCommerce Performance: Caching, Image Optimization, and Hosting Solutions

    Aerial view of road representing caching strategies for optimized website speed

    Front-end optimization strategies

    • Image and storefront media optimization: Compressing and resizing all images and other media files effectively speeds up the full-load time, allowing things to start showing sooner.
    • Caching: This must be done at multiple levels, including full-page caching, browser caching, and object caching.
    • Simplifying code: Using code minification, CSS and JavaScript combining, and asynchronous loading of JavaScript files reduces blocking time for users.
    • Lazy loading: This technique delays loading large images until they scroll into the user’s viewport, ensuring a smoother experience.

    Back-end optimization strategies

    • Fast hosting: Choosing a hosting provider with fast load times and server locations near your audience is key.
    • CDN: A Content Delivery Network keeps cached versions of your core files distributed at various data centers.
    • Database cleaning: Removing orphaned objects and clearing logs keeps WooCommerce’s database lightweight.
    • Optimized scripts: Fine-tuning scripts for efficiency improves back-end load times.

    Get Your Free WooCommerce Page Speed Audit

    Boosting Core Web Vitals through performance and speed improvements isn’t just something you have to do and then forget about. It’s a process. To prove we can, we can run a full page speed audit to identify issues and prioritize fixes.