In the world of digital marketing, the general appeal and usability of one’s user interface is a widely recognized ‘must’ for any product, service, or business hoping to attract consumers. However, though the visual presentation of a device or application might initially draw users to the product, an often underestimated yet crucial foundation of any successful site is a good User Experience. But how does this marketing element affect overall conversions? And why should you shift your attention toward enhanced User Experience first, before focusing on better SEO, heightened brand awareness, and higher rankings on Google Analytics?

The importance of UX for Marketing:

Context, Flow, and the Comfort of the Customer.

The User Experience (UX) refers to the various reactions that potential customers feel as they navigate through the digital “touch-points” of a business’ website or application. Taken together, these initial reactions result in a curated “experience” that can leave someone with either positive, negative, or neutral emotions toward the site. These emotions may not directly reflect how users feel about the product or device itself, but they do influence users’ overall comfort level with the brand, as consumers typically conflate their interface experiences with their understanding of the product being sold. Marketers want to create a context in which users’ problems are solved simplistically, with an easy entry point that flows toward a solution while engaging with the user throughout the journey.

In general, you want to create an attractive “front door” for your business, paying close attention to the visual details and words that one sees when they arrive at your site. If the front door then proceeds to give people splinters, or jams repeatedly as one tries to open it, visitors might begin to use a different, equally attractive front door that opens without a hitch. In the end, you want your users to sign up for a subscription, download a software, or purchase a item or service, but if the process leading up to the “sale” is too difficult or confusing, consumers will likely look elsewhere to fulfill their needs.

Using UX as a problem-solving tool

In order to avoid the loss of customers due to a troublesome or overly complicated interface, many marketers have begun consulting User Experience data to improve conversion rates and better cater to customer needs. By understanding exactly how customers navigate through an interface as they try to complete an action, you can better streamline the possible virtual journeys on a site, resulting in easier (and quicker) usability. Furthermore, you can better visualize how your application or website functions on different devices, and from there, adjust the interface for various screen sizes, operating systems, or social media sites, according to users’ typical application of choice.

With online sales, especially with brands that hope to attract groups of consumers from various ages, cultures, and backgrounds, knowing your customers’ values and how to satisfy them is key. Using live user recordings, customer service questionnaires, and feedback on a site’s general usability, you can identify the images, links, or phrases on a site that are distracting or misleading, paying special attention to the way these visuals or texts make members of different demographics feel across the globe. This information allows you to serve your target audience more effectively, with a more relatable, usable context on your site that is both comforting and appealing to your primary consumers. Ultimately, though user experience testimonies may not speak to the product or brand itself, a good experience “greases the wheel” for higher conversion rates down the road, making the User Experience crucial to every digital marketing campaign.