Focusing On The Art Or Science Of The Website User Experience

Website designers often focus on creating a great looking website which is the art of website design. They also mostly overlook the most important part of the website user experience, the science which makes the website work for the business.

Web design should focus mainly on the science rather than the art.

Putting the focus wrongly on the art first and not the more important science can negatively affect how good your website brings new customers to you.

Designing an effective website for business is more about the science than the art.

Having a good balance between an artfully crafted business website and one that converts for your business is important. My estimate would be that a website should be one part art and nine parts science. Of course that’s an unscientific estimate but still conveys the importance of a website designed for business and not looks.

Your small business website should have a clear purpose to visitors. From where they should go to what they should do next needs to be obvious.

That’s why these two things are the most important to keep in mind for your website user experience.

Overall Website Goal

A small business website without a plan is like a business without a plan, it won’t work very well.

Sure you can have a business without a business plan but it’s hard and your path to success isn’t clear (probably because success hasn’t been defined!). Not only that but if you don’t make a plan for your website, visitors will notice. You’ll have some unhappy customers who find a mismatch between why they came and what they find.

I wrote about the importance of knowing your website goal before you do anything. That means your goal will help your visitors with their goal. All paths on your website should lead towards your overall goal.

The Tale of Two Goals

I’m not talking about the two goals I’m covering in this article. I’m talking about the two goals for your website.

• The goal your website meets for you.
• The goal your website meets for your visitor.

Your overall website goal will help you figure out how to match your goal to visitor’s goal. That’s where the magic of your website happens. It’s where your website starts working for you and generating business for you.

When your website goal matches between you and your visitors then visitors will start taking the journey more to become customers.

Primary Page Goal

Visitors to your website most often end up on your website because they are trying to find something.

They have a goal.

The best website user experience focuses on helping visitors do what they want. You’ll not only help visitors carry out their goal but you’ll also be more likely to increase website conversion.

Every page you create on your website needs a primary goal. That goal should match the reason a visitor comes to your website. With a primary goal that matches visitors intent, you’ll increase the likelihood of conversions.

Before you create a web page for your small business website, make sure there’s a necessary goal you’re trying to meet. It doesn’t have to be a monetary goal, either. A privacy policy page doesn’t have a monetary goal but it is important nonetheless.

The primary goal for each page of your website will help you match your goal with visitors. They came to the web page for a reason, you want them to do something. When there’s a match between what visitors came for and what you set up for them, you build trust and get one step closer to making a customer.

Every page on your website will have a primary goal but that doesn’t mean you can’t have more than one. The primary goal will be the most prominent and the first on the page but it probably won’t be the last.

There will more than likely be more than one goal to help a visitor meet their goal and go beyond expectations. In that case, don’t hesitate to have more, less prominent, goals.

Science First, Art Second

As you can see, website user experience doesn’t revolve around the art of web design but rather the science behind it.

Converting visitors into customers is more about the science than the art. The look of your website shouldn’t be completely ignored, though. A website that looks good and functions well helps visitors reach their goals.

Both are important but visitors came to your website for a reason which is probably not just to look at your nice website. Unless you’re a graphic designer or web designer, the goal of your website is different from making it look good.

There are many other things a website needs for the perfect website user experience but none as important as the goal.

Check Your Goal

An effective website is about reaching new customers and converting them into a lead. That could mean getting them to fill out a form, calling you, or booking an appointment. Whatever your goal is, a website with the proper science will help your business reach more people online.

When we work on a new web design project, we always focus on the most important part, the goal.