Wikipedia defines web usability “as the application of usability those domains where web browsing can be considered as a general paradigm (or “metaphor”) for constructing a graphical user interface.”

Wow. What a mouthful.

Personally, I find this definition very ironic. Although this might “technically” define web usability, it’s going against the basic code of what web usability should be. In the very wise words of Steve Krug, “Don’t Make Me Think“!

We as web professionals tend to be so knee deep in the projects that we are creating for our clients, that we overlook some “things”. We might not place as much value upon them as the super cool video implementation or the new advanced search bar that we are inserting onto the home page, but their value is… well… invaluable.

View these “things” as the steering wheel of your awesome site (yes, we know you think it’s awesome). And view your site as the road. And your conversion, whether it is a purchase, a lead, a download, etc., as your store. Your goal is to get them inside your store. But be aware that there are many other stores on either side of the road that they could turn into at any moment if they lose their way.

As a user is navigating your site, they are basically steering their way around through its many different elements, whether it is navigation, links, images, search bars or any other aspect, hoping to find what they are looking for. And if these aspects are thrown together, in no particular order or flow, guess what happens?

Ding. Ding. Ding. They lose their way. And what happens to your potential conversion?

It stays as that. Potential. No conversion attached to it. It is now one of your competitor’s potential conversions. Because the user that you spent so much time and energy attracting through search marketing and search optimization has since turned off the road into someone else’s store. All because you didn’t have the user in mind when you were designing your site.

Make it easy for them. Don’t Make Them Think! Make your site appealing. Make it intuitive. Make it navigable. Make it easy to read. Make it accessible. This stuff is not rocket science. It is actually common sense. But you and I see dozens of sites every day that violate this important rule. Because they are so involved in how “cool” it looks, they forget about this oh-so-important stuff.

So give us all a break. And design your site with the USER in mind. This is done from the ground up. From the coding up. Don’t decide how it is laid out after in is launched. And after it is optimized. Decide your user-friendly layout from inception. And watch your conversions do this weird thing.

Convert.