Features that Hurt: How to Improve the WordPress User Experience

User experience (UX) is a crucial factor in the success of any website, no matter its purpose. This is particularly important for websites built on the WordPress platform, one of the most popular CMSs globally.

UX encompasses all aspects of a user's interaction with a website. It includes not only ease of navigation but also design aesthetics, page loading speed, content accessibility, and overall user satisfaction with the site:

• Increasing user engagement: A well-designed UX encourages visitors to stay on the site longer, explore more pages, and return frequently.
• Improving conversion rates: If users can easily find the information they need and perform desired actions (such as making a purchase or subscribing), it will boost conversion rates.
• Positive impact on SEO: Search engines like Google consider behavioral factors when ranking websites. Better UX results in improved behavioral metrics, positively affecting SEO.
• Reduced bounce rate: Intuitive navigation and appealing design help reduce bounce rates, where users leave a website immediately after visiting it.

Website owners and developers are always seeking new ways to improve sales and customer experience. One approach is to implement various "features" that promise to increase conversions, attract more customers, and enhance user satisfaction. However, it's crucial to remember that not all features are beneficial. Some can have the opposite effect by distracting users, overloading pages, and slowing down your website.

Your website is more than just a business card; it's a tool for selling, attracting customers, and growing your business. By investing time and resources into creating a high-quality website, you can maximize the return on your online efforts. In this article, you'll learn about seven steps to create a simple, elegant, and informative website that meets the needs of your users.

Step 1: Slow Loading Is Your Main Enemy

Statistics are ruthless: more than 60% of users leave if a website takes more than 3 seconds to load. There's no point in improving other aspects if no one will see them due to slow loading speeds.

Fortunately, there are several ways to enhance the speed of your WordPress website.

First, you need a thorough diagnosis. Here are some methods:

• Use website speed testing tools: There are many free and paid tools available to test your website's loading speed. Popular options include Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and Pingdom Website Speed Test. These tools usually analyze the situation and provide structured information about what exactly is slowing down your website.
• Analyze log files: Log files can contain valuable information about why your website is slow. Pay attention to errors related to page loading and requests that take a long time.
• Conduct load testing: This method allows you to simulate a large number of users accessing your website simultaneously. It can help you determine if your website can handle peak loads.

Now that you understand what's causing the problems, it's time to fix them.

Optimize Images

Images are one of the most common factors that slow down websites. Optimize your images by reducing their size, using the correct file format, and applying compression.

Use Caching

Caching allows your website to store static content, such as images and CSS files, on users' computers. This can significantly reduce the loading time of pages that are opened repeatedly.

Minimize Code

Unused code can slow down your website. Minimize your code by removing unnecessary whitespace and comments.

Choose a Reliable Hosting Provider

Your hosting provider can significantly impact the speed of your WordPress website. Ensure you choose a provider that offers reliable servers and fast connections.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A CDN distributes your content worldwide, reducing page load times for users far from your server.

Remember, improving website speed is an ongoing process. Regularly test your website and make necessary changes to ensure optimal performance.

Step 2: A Simple, Clear Interface Is More Popular

Users don't want to solve complex quests. They visit your site with specific goals and want to achieve them with minimal time and effort. Irritation is definitely not the first impression you want to make on new visitors. Therefore, focus on creating a pleasant design. The WordPress platform provides many opportunities for this.

The structure and design of your site play a crucial role in ensuring a positive user experience (UX). A clear and logical site structure makes it easier for users to navigate and find the information they need, making their visit pleasant and time-efficient. A visually appealing and user-friendly design not only makes your site enjoyable to look at but also helps create a positive first impression. It can influence how users interact with your content and perform actions on the site.

Here are some tips for creating a WordPress website with a great UX:

• Make it easy to navigate: Use a clear and easy-to-understand menu. Place the most important pages of your site in prominent locations. Implement a site search that is easy to see and use. Use breadcrumbs so that users can easily see where they are on the site at any moment.
• Make the design responsive: Your website should look good and work properly on all devices, including computers, tablets, and smartphones. Use responsive layouts and images that automatically adjust to the size of the screen. Ensure that all elements of your website, including text, buttons, and links, are easily visible and usable on mobile devices.
• Choose expected layout approaches: Use a visual hierarchy to direct users' attention to the most important elements of your site. Use contrasting colors and fonts to make your content easy to read. Leave some “air” on the page to avoid information overload. Provide enough space between elements to make your site look neat and organized.

A little extra effort will help you create a WordPress website with a great UX.

Step 3: Make Sure Your Content Is Presented Well

Content is not just text but also impressions. Website owners and developers often focus on creating high-quality content filled with useful information. However, the presentation of this content is equally important.

The way you present information on your website can significantly impact how users perceive it. Clearly structured and visually appealing content will be easier to read, remember, and share.

• Use headings and subheadings: Good headings and subheadings help break up text into logical units, making it easier to scan. Use clear and concise wording that accurately reflects the content. A visually emphasized hierarchy of headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) helps users understand the structure of the text.
• Highlight important elements: Use bold, italics, colored text, or other visual elements to highlight important words, phrases, or numbers. This will help users focus on the most crucial information and notice it immediately.
• Use lists: Depending on the context, these can be bulleted or numbered lists. They make the text clearer and easier to read.
• Add images and videos: Visual content can make your website more attractive and engaging. Use images and videos that complement your text and make it easier to understand. Ensure all images and videos are optimized so they don't slow down your website.
• Provide enough space: Avoid overloading your pages with text. Leave enough space between lines and paragraphs to make the text easy to read. Use margins and indents to make your site more visually appealing.

Content is not just text; it's a way to communicate with your users and convey your message. By investing time and resources in creating content that is both informative and visually appealing, you can significantly improve communication with your target audience.

Step 4: Remove Unnecessary Plugins

Plugins are a great way to extend the capabilities of your WordPress website and add new features. However, it's important to remember that overusing plugins can negatively impact your website:

• Slowing down your site's speed: Each plugin adds an additional load to your website, which can cause it to slow down.
• Increased security risk: Plugins may contain vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to infiltrate your site.
• Plugin conflicts: Different plugins may conflict with each other, leading to unpredictable behavior on your website.
• Complexity of maintenance: The more plugins you use, the more difficult it will be to maintain and update them.

Evaluate each plugin carefully before installing it. Ask yourself: “Do I really need this feature? Are there other ways to get this feature without using a plugin?”

Only use plugins from trusted sources. Make sure the plugin has many positive reviews and isly updated.

Remove any plugins you don't use. Regularly review the list of installed plugins and remove those you no longer need.

Simplicity is the key to a successful website.

Step 5: Simplify Forms and Ensure Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)

Forms are an integral part of many websites. They are used to collect information from users, subscribe to newsletters, place orders, etc. However, complex and confusing forms can become a serious obstacle for users. Users don't like to spend time filling out forms. The longer and more complicated the form, the more likely it is that users will simply leave without completing it.

Complex forms can lead to errors. Users who don't understand how to fill out the form may make mistakes, leading to data loss or problems with request processing.

Complex forms have a negative impact on the user experience. Users who encounter complex forms are likely to be frustrated and dissatisfied with your site.

To achieve greater success:

• Use clear and concise titles and descriptions.
• Don't force users to provide information that is not relevant to your goal.
• Choose the type of field that best suits the type of information (text, number, date, select from a list, etc.).
• Add tooltips and explanations to each field so that users understand what information they need to enter.
• The name of the button should accurately reflect what will happen when the user clicks it.
• Break long forms into several steps. This makes the process of filling out the form more convenient and less intimidating.
• Offer users the option to save their information. This will allow them to return to the form later if they can't fill it out right away.
• Test your forms. Make sure the forms on your website are simple and easy to fill out.

Clear and understandable calls to action (CTAs) also play an important role in increasing conversions. Place CTAs in prominent locations and use bright and clear wording to encourage users to take action.

Step 6: Increase the Efficiency of Media Use

Images, videos, and podcasts enhance the information content of your website. More than 70% of users prefer a website with media. However, media content requires substantial resources and can significantly reduce loading speed. Optimizing media loading makes your website faster and more convenient:

• Use the right file format: Choose file formats that are compressed without losing quality, such as JPEG for images and MP4 for videos. Use WebP if possible, as it offers better compression than JPEG without sacrificing quality. Use SVG for icons and logos, as SVG is a vector image format that can scale without losing quality.
• Reduce file size: Use image compression tools to reduce the size of images without losing quality. Crop images to remove unnecessary space. Reduce the size of videos using online tools or video editing software.
• Use third-party resources: Instead of hosting videos on your own website, embed them from YouTube or other platforms. Use a CDN (content delivery network) to host images and other media files. A CDN distributes your files worldwide, resulting in faster loading times for users.
• Use lazy loading: This technology loads media files only when they become visible on the user's screen. This can significantly speed up page loading if you have a lot of media files on your pages.
• Optimize images for mobile devices: Use different image sizes for mobile and desktop devices to help reduce page load times on mobile devices.

By optimizing media loading, you can improve your website's SEO and attract more organic traffic.

Step 7: Follow the Rules of Web Content Accessibility (WCAG)

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of recommendations for creating websites and web content that are accessible to people with disabilities, including visual, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments.

Everyone has the right to access information and services online. WCAG helps create a more equitable and inclusive digital environment. Compliance with WCAG can improve your brand's reputation and show that you are sensitive to the needs of all users. Many countries have laws that require websites to be WCAG compliant, and WCAG-compliant websites often have better search engine rankings.

WCAG has three levels of compliance:

• Level A: This is the minimum level of compliance required for a website to be considered accessible.
• Level AA: This level provides a higher level of accessibility and is recommended for most websites.
• Level AAA: This is the highest level of compliance and provides maximum accessibility for users with severe disabilities.

What you can implement on your WordPress website:

• Use alt text for images: Alternative text describes an image to users who cannot see it.
• Provide transcripts for videos: Transcriptions make videos accessible to users who cannot hear them.
• Use a clear and contrasting structure: Visually impaired users should be able to easily see and understand the structure of your site.
• Provide keyboard controls: Users with mobility impairments should be able to navigate your site using a keyboard.
• Use clear language: Avoid complex words and phrases that may not be understood by people with cognitive disabilities.

Being inclusive increases the credibility of your business.

Conclusion

Creating a website that delivers a great UX for your target audience requires substantial work, including technical aspects, interface design, content presentation, and more. You can save time by choosing ready-made WooCommerce WordPress themes by 8Theme, which implement best practices in each template. Any additional features can be added with the help of plugins. Head over to our theme catalog to check out the stunning designs.