One of the best tools in a SEO’s tool kit is visitor recording software like Hotjar. Able to uncover friction points that real visitors are experiencing, you can be confident that the changes you make to your site will result in improved user experience (UX).
Such was the case with one of my fashion e-commerce clients. Read on to discover how I was able to increase product page views by 23% in two weeks with data uncovered from Hotjar visitor recordings.
The Data
There was one key theme that showed itself over and over again in the data. Collection page visitors were ‘rage clicking‘ the color swatch icons underneath the product images as if they were a button. Plus, 68% of all visitor exits during the test came from these set of pages.
All this to suggest that the current design of the collection page was creating a micro-friction point with users — perhaps because of its visually-limiting previews of the products.
The Optimizations:
Taking note of the rage clicks and high exit rates from collection pages, my client and I agreed that their UX design could be improved. We wanted to create a more visual experience — so users could “see” themselves in different shoe colors — and encourage them to click further down the conversion funnel.
The original collection page design only utilized a white background image of products — in one color option.
In the new design, users can now click on the color circles below each product to preview all color options. Plus, users can also more vividly picture what the product would look like on them with lifestyle imagery shown on hover. (Click on the video thumbnail below to see our changes in action!)
The Results:
To prove whether or not these changes aided in UX, I turned to Google Analytics data.
The UX changes went live on September 20, 2019. So, I compared the 19 days prior to that (September 1-19) to the 19 days after that (September 21-October 9). And the results were very positive. Google Analytics data showed:
- A 23% increase in product pageviews
- A 10% increase in collection pageviews
- A 10% increase in average time on site
- A 5% improvement in exit rate from collection pages
Note that e-commerce revenue also improved by 10% during this time period. However, it’s more of a stretch to directly attribute this data to UX changes made several degrees up on the conversion funnel.
The Business Implications:
The changes made to collection pages helped the business in two ways:
1) Improved SEO Rankings: Page views and average time on site are direct, positive SEO ranking factors — and high bounce rates are a direct, negative SEO ranking factor. By improving traffic quality, the site will be able to better rank in Google.
2) Improved E-commerce Conversions: By improving the UX on these set of pages, my fashion e-commerce client was able to better drive visitors down the conversion funnel (Collection > Product Page, vs. Collection > Bounce off website). Ultimately, helping with their bottom line.
Tell Me What You Think!
SEOs, what are some of your favorite UX testing tools? Site owners, what UX improvements have made big impacts on your bottom line?
