A website can have a beautiful design and still lose visitors because they do not know how to move around it. That is what usability is about, and it is a topic that always comes up when we design a website. In this article I go through what not to do in web usability, with mistakes I still see every day on all kinds of websites, and how to avoid them.
What is web usability?
Usability is the ability of a web page to be used easily, with reading and functionality that match what the user needs. It is part of user experience (UX), and its goal is for anyone to find what they are looking for without effort.
Poor usability can make content practically inaccessible to the visitor. This leads to a higher bounce rate, fewer conversions and, in the long run, it can affect SEO rankings, because Google takes into account user experience signals such as speed, mobile adaptation and ease of navigation.
What not to do in web usability
Poor usability is one of the main causes of frustration for visitors. These are the most common mistakes, especially in navigation.
1. Navigation with too many options
When a visitor lands on a menu with lots of options, we force them to read them all to find what interests them. That decision process is frustrating, eats up valuable time and clutters the interface. Solution: limit the main menu to the sections that really matter (as a guideline, between 5 and 7) and group the rest.
2. Unimportant links in the main menu
A common mistake is leaving irrelevant links in the menu without thinking about what your target audience needs. Solution: check in Google Analytics or Search Console which pages your audience visits most and prioritize them. Put secondary items in the footer.
3. Navigation designed only for large screens
Today a huge share of traffic comes from mobile, and Google indexes by prioritizing the mobile version of your website. If the menu only works well on a computer, navigation becomes useless on tablets and smartphones. Solution: design for mobile first, with a hamburger menu, large buttons and comfortable touch areas, and test it on real devices.
4. Too many dropdown submenus
On a small screen, floating submenus with many options become unmanageable, and on touch devices there is no “hover”. Some pages end up inaccessible. Solution: simplify the structure to one or two levels at most.
5. Links that do not stand out from the rest of the text
If links are not underlined, bold or a different color, the user does not know they can click. This is also an accessibility problem. Solution: use a color with good contrast and, if you can, underline, and make buttons look like buttons.
6. A different navigation bar on every page
This inconsistency is confusing and makes visitors feel uncomfortable moving around your website. Solution: keep the same header and menu across the whole site, with a logo that always leads to the homepage.
7. Menu labels that are too long
Long text in the menu increases the time needed to process the information. Users want to spend their time on the content, not on navigating to it. Solution: one or two clear words that reflect the tone of your website and your company.
8. Ignoring loading speed
A slow website is a website with poor usability: users do not wait. If you do not know how yours is doing, see my guide on how to measure a website’s loading speed.
9. Not thinking about accessibility
Poor contrast, tiny text, images without alt text or forms that cannot be used with a keyboard exclude part of your visitors. In addition, web accessibility is an increasingly strong requirement in Europe. An accessible website is a more usable website for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between usability and user experience (UX)?
Usability focuses on how easy the website is to use. UX is broader: it also includes the user’s emotions and perception throughout the whole visit.
Does usability affect SEO?
Yes, indirectly. An easy-to-use website reduces bounce rate, increases time on site and better meets the experience signals Google values.
How do I know if my website has usability problems?
Look at the data (pages with a high bounce rate, drop-offs in forms) and ask someone who does not know your website to try to complete a simple task. Whatever they struggle with will be your first list of improvements.
If you want more information or would like us to review your website’s usability together, you can contact me.
If you want to see how I apply this in real projects, take a look at my WordPress web design service.
