4 Key Signs to Spot Usability Issues in Website Design

You’re on a website, trying to quickly find answers or do some research, only to feel frustrated by a clunky menu system, poor mobile experience, or outdated layout. 

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. 

Many B2B buyers leave sites without reaching out for a quote or more information. That’s a part of life in sales or marketing, but buyers often leave because the website is difficult to navigate or takes too long to load.

In other words, they’ve encountered an issue with website usability.

In a world where every click matters, losing a visitor over usability problems means missed opportunities, potentially costing you a sale today or even 2 years from now. 

So, why is usability important in website design? It’s more important than ever to align your website with what today’s users expect: a smooth, intuitive experience that keeps them engaged instead of enraged.

Let’s look at four clear signs that your website usability may be in trouble and how to address them to keep users coming back.

Defining Website Usability & User Experience Issues

B2B website best practices have evolved a lot since the dawn of the Internet, as consumers know it. In the late 1990s, the idea of needing to be able to access a website on a pocket-sized screen was unheard of. Designing your website didn’t require separate considerations for both desktop and mobile.

Fast forward 25 years and a website that isn’t responsive on a mobile device is missing out on about 58% of the world’s website traffic (which doesn’t even include tablets). If the goal of your website is to drive leads and business, building and maintaining a fast, user-friendly, and accessible site is what you need to get there.

What Is Website User Experience?

User experience is how a visitor perceives your site's design and functionality regarding ease of use. You can apply this to just about anything in the physical world. You’ve undoubtedly used some sort of customer service process in the past that wasn’t laid out super well, and it most likely frustrated you.

Think of your website as your visitor’s first customer experience. A confusingly laid-out site with poorly explained products/services is like a grocery store putting the milk in the pasta section or a restaurant not telling you its soup du jour is extremely spicy.

What Is Website Usability?

How exactly does this translate to a website? In web design, the goal is to create an architecture that relies on extensive research on how users interact with the internet. Most of it is common sense:

• Don’t put dark text on a dark background
• Make sure links work
• Make the main menu and other navigation tools flow in a logical order

However, there are some new concepts that a lot of web marketing and development teams need to catch up on:

• Is the website fully responsive to smaller screen sizes like tablets and phones?
• Does the website use ADA guidelines and WCAG compliance for visitors with disabilities?
• How quickly does the website load?

Typically, the causes of your usability issues in website design will fall under the following:

Slow Page Load Speeds 

Simply put, your website takes too long to load, which could make the user give up and move on to a different website. Research says you have 8 seconds on average to capture someone’s attention on a website, so you’d better move quickly. 

There are many ways to diagnose and address this issue, but Google’s Lighthouse is a personal go-to.

The tool will run automated audits of your web pages and provide scores for Performance, Progressive Web App, Best Practices, Accessibility, and SEO for both desktop and mobile. This feature lets you see what prevents your page from loading buttery-smooth.

Website Design, Layout, & Mobile Responsiveness

Your design is everything. How you present your content will determine the likelihood of a user staying on your website. This can cover everything from displaying your menu navigation to how the design adjusts for smaller screen sizes.

You’ll want to ensure a consistent flow of your content and that users don’t need to look too hard to find what they are looking for.

Lack of Conversion Opportunities

If a user can’t find an excellent way to get additional information or contact you for more, they may look elsewhere. Every page should have a goal—avoid a dead-end design that lacks clear next steps for the visitor.

With the latest technological advances, AI has been transforming CRO strategies to gain a strategic advantage in tracking visitors and further strategizing in the future.

Content Optimization and Technical SEO Errors

Do the people you’re bringing to your website align with what you’re offering? Ignoring SEO (search engine optimization) can result in an underperforming website that prevents good-fit visitors from reaching your content. The best place to start is by identifying SEO issues through a website audit and resolving them.

Spotting the Red Flags: How to Detect Common Issues with Website Usability

There are four core metrics to keep an eye out for when you notice your website isn’t performing well:

1. High Bounce Rate

The bounce rate on your website is a good indicator of how well your design works. It’s a metric to determine the percentage of visitors who visit a page, don’t interact, and then leave. 

You’ve driven traffic to a page with direct and organic search. Now, the goal is to find how to keep people there.

The Importance of Bounce Rate

A higher bounce rate means more visitors to your website simply exited before making any meaningful impact. Using this metric as a baseline is a great way to find the root cause for low conversion rates (which we’ll discuss in a moment).

2. Low Average Time on Page & Session Duration

Similarly to bounce rate, these metrics shed light on what’s happening behind the scenes. Visitors may make it to a page and leave immediately, while some may stay for a few minutes before exiting. The average time on an individual page could be used to determine if the design and content are:

• Helpful (not overly sales-y)
• Engaging
• Thorough

Session duration tracks a little differently from page time. “Sessions” measure a visitor's average time on your website versus just one page.

3. Low Conversion Rate & New Contacts

This could be a symptom of a much larger problem. If the purpose of your website and business is to drive traffic that will convert into leads, a low conversion rate is detrimental. 

Some of the most immediate items to check are:

• Are you targeting the right buyer persona?
• Is something directly preventing users from converting, like a broken or missing link?
• Is the information you’re providing poorly written or incomplete?

One of the primary goals of a business website is to create new contacts. If you’re struggling to acquire new contacts, it’s a sign that potential contacts may be having trouble contacting you for information and services. 

You can apply quick solutions, such as conversion and contact generation, to increase your website's lead generation.

4. Mobile Responsiveness

How your website performs on smaller tablet and phone screens is more important than ever. Mobile-based searches are expected to continue rising as the infrastructure evolves.

If your website hasn’t been redesigned in 5 or more years, there’s a decent chance it isn’t fully optimized for smartphones and tablets. This results in a massive decrease in user experience, making your content less desirable. 

Coupled with an outdated design, a user who cannot accurately navigate your website due to awkward formatting will most likely leave.

Your Website Revamp: More Than Just a Cosmetic Facelift

Updating your website can feel daunting, especially when balancing multiple aspects like technical website usability design vs. pizzazz and visual appeal. But a successful revamp is about more than aesthetics – it’s also about ensuring visitors have a smooth, engaging experience. 

Whether dealing with website design usability problems, refreshing the look, or rethinking the entire customer journey, each improvement brings you closer to a site that truly serves its buyers’ purpose.

Need Help With Your Issues in Website Redesign?

Navigating a website overhaul doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Our free checklist guides you through every step, from identifying usability issues in website design to making impactful changes. Let’s make your next website project more organized, efficient, and successful.

(Editor's Note: This article was originally published in October 2021 and was recently updated.)