Stop worrying about the finer details when it comes to SEO. If the goal is both to rank higher and to keep your customers happy, you can enjoy the best of both worlds by simply turning your attention to providing your consumer base with the best experience possible when they visit your ecommerce site. This is called optimizing user experience (UX).

Unfortunately, although it may seem relatively straightforward, you will quickly come to find that it is quite an art! Here is a list of four UX mistakes that you’re probably making and how to fix them.

Forgetting to design for your audience

Did you choose that font and layout simply because you liked it? The question is, are you aware of how your customers feel about it? Designing your website for yourself is mistake number one and can lead to a higher bounce rate and reduced conversions. Remedy the problem by conducting quantitative research on where and how you can make improvements based on where customers most commonly ‘drop off’ when browsing your site. Once implemented, don’t forget to put your fixes to the test to determine whether or not they’ve made a difference. Remember — it is not a once-off job. You need to be reinventing your website as consumer demands and desires evolve with the times.

Complicating the checkout process

Just getting your customers to make that all-important decision to convert takes a lot of time and effort. Therefore, it is imperative that you make the overall checkout process as quick and simple as possible to reduce the risk of cart abandonment at the last minute! Along with only requesting essential information from them, it also helps to invest in the right checkout and payment solution. This solution is designed to speed up the checkout process by up to 60%, optimize for mobile, and provide shoppers with a broader selection of payment options for maximum convenience.

Over-thinking your content

Are you determined to inject a bit of humor into your home page? Or perhaps you’re having plenty of fun throwing in a few puns here and there? A Clever copy has its place. However, it is important to ensure that in being clever and humorous, you aren’t negatively impacting the clarity of your content. Ultimately, you need to communicate clear, concise information to your customers right from the start of their browsing journey. Make sure you’ve achieved that before including witty elements as an embellishment.

Failing to adhere to the principles of content hierarchy

Just as a journalist strives to include the most important details at the top of their article, you should aim to do the same with your website. After all, almost all browsing consumers will read the first few lines on your home page, while only a small percentage will scroll and continue reading all the way down. Therefore, get across the most crucial USPs (unique selling points) immediately to grab and hold their attention.

Now that you know what not to do, you can start making improvements to bolster the success and longevity of your ecommerce store. Best of luck going forward!