Checking the ease of use of an Internet project, the ability to easily navigate and perform operations in it without spending a lot of time – that’s what usability or site audit is for free. The process helps to measure the quality of user interaction based on such critical aspects as simplicity, clarity and speed. The strength of the method lies in the fact that it is tied directly to people – potential customers who create the main value of any company. Developing a resource without evaluating its effectiveness involves the risk of capital investment in vain. And to prevent this from happening, in the article we told you where you can check how good your website is.
But first of all, it is worth naming the main goals of the study:
- Understand the intentions of the target visitors.
- Identify the sources of interface flaws to prevent potential customer losses.
- Quickly and structurally make the necessary corrections to the Internet project.
- Make sure that users stay with you longer, read articles, browse the catalog and close it less often.
- Development of new alternatives to make the web resource more competitive.
- Provide a positive user experience.
- Create products or services that people will like.
Quality parameters: what to look at
There are five main points, such a small checklist that you need to pay close attention to when evaluating and checking the usability of the site:
- ease of content search, its accessibility;
- simplicity of the web interface;
- adaptability to screens of different sizes (PC, tablet, smartphone);
- page loading speed;
- design, visual component.
Convenience and navigation
Simplicity is a fundamental feature that affects UX, especially for mobile devices where space is limited. Users should be easy to navigate and navigate the website quickly. Adding unnecessary elements irritates people and makes it difficult to use the interface.
Convenient search
The intuitive structure of the site guarantees the accessibility of information to visitors, so links, buttons and calls to action should be obvious and be in the places where the user expects to find them. Here are some factors that increase the convenience of search.
They need to be taken into account when analyzing the usability of an online site.
A simple navigation menu at the top of the page with clear relevant items and sections.
A logical directory. The presence of elements in each section that facilitate the orientation of the user.
Adaptability
Any Internet platform must adapt to the needs of the user. The perception of information may change with the transition of the user to the version for PC, tablet or smartphone, but it does not get worse. In other words, all web pages should be adapted to screens of different sizes without compromising readability.
Download speed
A modern Internet user waits no more than 400 milliseconds for loading, which is equivalent to the blink of an eye. Then the user experience deteriorates, and if the page doesn’t open for a few seconds, then the person leaves and makes a purchase elsewhere. The interface should be compact to minimize the time you need to wait for all the content to load. This is also important for SEO.
Design
Now, in general, it is not difficult to make a visually pleasing platform, but we must be careful and avoid excesses. When evaluating the design of an online website, it is necessary to pay attention to graphics, texts and multimedia elements – they should be balanced and not argue with each other, not confuse the visitor, but help him. And, of course, to solve business problems. It is good if the listed details reflect the company’s style and mission, and the background and colors are made in neutral tones without sharp contrasts and correspond to the style.
Commercial traffic
Promotion for commercial traffic from the Studio SEMANTICA – engage target users of Google. We are working on internal and external ranking factors and site visibility in search engines. You get traffic growth and high coverage among your potential customers.
Tools for self-testing UX
To analyze UX indicators, third-party specialists with extensive experience are usually attracted, paid services for tests compete with them. But you can also conduct an assessment for free, using popular programs. We will tell you about them below.
Google Analytics
It offers grouped information about traffic and audience behavior and conversions. A variety of reports are provided. Google analytics allows you to identify inefficient web pages using the funnel visualization method. To test usability, there are also more advanced features, including user audience segmentation. And you can also perform A/B tests here.
Google Optimize
In fact, this service is an evolution of the previous program from Google. The tool is easier to use and contains more detailed reports. It is designed to test various theories to determine which is more effective and promising. A/B tests are created using a convenient editor that allows you to easily select elements for modification.
We audit the mobile version of the services website
In the article we will analyze what errors can occur in the mobile version of the site and how to avoid them. Technical errors in the mobile version of the site In order for the user to interact comfortably with the site, it is necessary to optimize the mobile version for search engines and for different types of mobile devices. In the mobile version, design elements and content should be in their place, the text should be readable, pictures should not block the view of other blocks, the page content should not go beyond the smartphone screen. Let’s take a closer look at typical technical errors that may occur in:
PageSpeed
It is enough to just enter the URL and the service will show its weaknesses and what slows down the loading of pages. After that, you will receive a list of recommendations for improving performance, divided into high, medium and low priorities. Page Speed is available online, as well as as an extension for Chrome and Firefox browsers.
Optimal Workshop
It is presented with a set of tools for improving navigation, and it also helps to determine the information architecture, conduct qualitative research and much more. In addition to the free version, there is also a paid version with advanced functionality.
Plerdy
This is a multifunctional program that shows where a potential client clicks in real time.The service offers several heat maps for analyzing elements such as:
- scroll depth;
- text selection;
- hovering the cursor;
- the sequence of clicks made.
To check the usability of the site using the Plerdy resource, you need to analyze user actions and understand in just a few clicks what works well and what works poorly. Here you can view individual videos to see changes in the behavior of specific users, and it also offers more than 25 pop-up windows for emails, reminders and feedback. All this can be customized for your own tasks.
The program can be used for free, and then if it comes in, buy the paid version.
Usabilla
The program is known all over the world thanks to Usabilla In-Page, which collects user reviews on web pages using emoticons. The platform provides feedback to understand the actions of users and what needs to be changed to make the resource more convenient and efficient.
It is possible to send targeted messages, create a feedback button, conduct targeted surveys and process results through an intuitive interface. You won’t believe it, but it all takes just a few minutes.
Loop11
But this is not just a survey tool, but a web service for implementing more complex scenarios of user tasks. For example, these are:
- how long will it take a person to solve the problem;
- what is the sequence of clicks;
- how long the user has been on the page,
- the percentage of successful tasks,
- the user satisfaction rating.
Lup11 has a number of advantages:
- creation of reports in XML, PDF, CSV, etc. formats;
- testing on any type of device;
- the ability to invite people through a pop-up window or link.
Usability Hub
A platform with a comprehensive set of test tools that allows you to identify design problems at an early stage. Analysis methods include first-click tests, preference testing, and five-second tests. The program is designed to test the usability of websites in the fields of e-commerce, information technology, retail, etc.
With the help of the service, you can analyze open texts with export to CSV.
The promotion of a blog is to increase the flow of users to the site and increase the brand’s expertise in the eyes of the target audience. We create in-demand content that responds to the requests of potential customers, optimize articles and set up commercial triggers. You get a significant increase in transitions to the catalog of goods and services from the blog section.
Mouseflow
Another example of an application that allows you to create accurate heat maps, determine the paths traveled by the mouse, find problems with landing pages and determine the feasibility of reducing the amount of information on the portal. The platform allows you to monitor visitors’ sessions in real time and configure funnels – so you can easily find out when and why users leave the resource.
WebPagetest
Designed to reduce the loading time of web pages by identifying problematic elements. To use it in usability, just go to the main section and enter the URL that you want to analyze.
Nothing complicated, just paste the address and click start test.
Hotjar
Software for analyzing visitor behavior, optimizing navigation and web page structure. This is one of the most popular and easy-to-use programs. It gives an excellent understanding of ways to improve interaction with users, and it is also possible to generate many types of heat maps divided into devices.
Integration with Hotjar is done by adding a short JavaScript code to the page. To test the usability of the service, you can try it for free on the Basic tariff, but it has limited functionality.
On the main page you can watch a video about the work, and we show the price list.
Site positions in the search engine: keyword analysis, methods, services and instructions.
To find out the position of a site in search engines manually, you need to drive each target query into the browser and count its place in the output. Of course, this is long and inconvenient – especially if the keys are more than 50. This is how long you have to sit in front of the computer and poke. And the accuracy of the display is not guaranteed, since PS usually personalizes the search. In a word, it will not be quite accurate. Although there is another way. In order for Google not to take into account the personal interests of the user and his visit history, it is necessary to check in private mode.
Crazy Egg
The tool collects information about customer clicks and then creates analytical reports on the behavior of visitors. So you can see the places where users do not linger, and where they stay longer. Another useful feature is Confetti, that is, filtering clicks by origin, search key and other indicators.
The first month is provided free of charge, then you will have to pay: the basic plan starts at $9 per month with an annual prepayment. The tariff includes analysis of up to 10,000 visits.
See how convenient it is
The tool allows you to view heat maps and includes a screen capture utility that records all actions during site visits, such as clicks, scrolls, keystrokes and cursor movements. When you create an account, the service will provide you with JavaScript code to register the operations performed by visitors. There are free and paid versions with a different set of functions.
Conclusion
Website usability analysis is a vital procedure, without which the success of an Internet project is impossible. Intuitive interfaces are appreciated by people, they stay on the platform longer and perform the necessary targeted actions. If you are in online sales, then you cannot do without this kind of analytics. And now you know that it can be held for free, and you have also received the resources for this.