Can UX design really affect conversion rate? Any business looking to invest in improving its user experience will most probably ask this question. After all, who wouldn’t want their investment to pay off?
There is a common misconception about UX design unnecessarily lengthening the time and cost of product development. The purpose of this article is to show that if done right, UX design is indeed one of the best options in the age of digital advertising to convert your visitors into repeat buyers.
How are UX design and conversion rate optimization (CRO) related?
UX design and conversion rates go hand in hand. They both play a large role in generating new leads, acquiring new customers, as well as customer retention. In today’s competitive environment, the relationship between these has become essential. Finding the right balance between UX and CRO can be tricky, as going too far in one direction may be detrimental to the other. Still, a professional UX agency will make sure that user experience and CRO will complement each other’s efforts and work together to achieve your business goals.
Here’s a quick rundown on the differences and similarities between UX design and conversion rate optimization:
- UX design makes sure that the entire flow, structure, and feel of your digital product is in line with the expectations and needs of your potential customers. It includes elements that provide smoother navigation and discards any aspect or glitch that would cause frustration. The goal is to provide a memorable, satisfying customer experience.
- Conversion rate optimization analyzes the behaviour of your users – often based on previous data supplied by UX research – so that you may have a relevant basis for designing your platform. Popular CRO methods include A/B testing, where the UX agency tests different versions of your app or website to see which one performs better with your target audience. The goal is to identify and make modifications that have the greatest impact on your conversions.
Whatever the case, the relationship between UX design and conversion rate optimization is almost “symbiotic” in nature, so your investments towards improving your user experience are bound to have an effect on your conversions. If you can provide a memorable, smooth experience, customers are much more likely to require your services the next time they make a purchase, instead of looking for similar solutions among your competitors.
They may even recommend you to their family and friends. Everybody is looking for the best solution in the shortest amount of time possible. If someone they trust can point them to a service they were satisfied with, they will definitely give it a go. It’s your job to convince them to stay!
Improvements in conversion rate are a great way to measure the results of your UX design efforts
What is a good conversion rate? The answer can change a lot depending on your sector, but the best way to analyze what impact your efforts in UX design have made is to look at it from a relative standpoint. As opposed to conversion count, the conversion rate is a relative metric, which is why it is important to track it over time. If it is better than before, your investment in user experience has certainly paid off.
It’s also important to define your conversions. In most cases, a conversion is a visitor converting into a paying customer. Thus, the bigger the proportion of your visitors who didn’t just navigate through your site but also made a purchase, the better your conversion rate.
However, a conversion can be any required action you would like your customers to perform. Here are some examples to shed more light on some business goals that are closely linked with UX design:
- Making a purchase from a webshop
- Subscriptions
- Allowing your site to store your user’s credit-card info for easier checkouts for their next purchase
- Downloading any document that will result in your users progressing further in the sales funnel
- Requesting more information about your services and products, contact forms
- Using a specific feature of your app, especially if it’s new
- Upgrading their service level
- Spending a certain amount of time on your website, reading a set amount of articles
How does a UX design agency improve your conversion rate?
There are multiple ways a UX design agency like Ergomania can improve your conversion rate. You can click on the previous link to find out more about the different methods used by an agency, but here are some underrated examples in the meantime:
- Researching your users
If you expect your users to complete a certain action, you also need to know what would incite them to do so. UX design research provides an excellent basis for the design decisions that will improve your conversion rate.
- Testing your platform
It’s not about lengthening the product development phase unnecessarily. It’s about making sure that once you go live, you have the best-performing version of your digital product, so you don’t have to make costly and time-consuming changes post-launch.
