Utilizing good UX practices (user experience practices) is more important than you think. It is crucial to generating and retaining high-quality traffic on your website. Users who have a positive experience on your website are more likely to return, engage with your content, and ultimately become customers. From generating leads to attracting in-market prospects, your UX greatly impacts your website. Below are presented a multitude of expert tips on improving your website’s UX to increase the flow of high-quality traffic.

 What is UX/UI?

User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design are two closely related but distinct disciplines that play crucial roles in creating digital products that are both functional and enjoyable to use. While often mentioned together, UX focuses on the overall feel of the user’s interaction with a product, including its usability and accessibility. UI, on the other hand, deals with the visual and interactive elements that users directly engage with. Together, UX and UI design work to ensure that digital products not only look appealing but also provide a seamless, intuitive experience that meets user needs and expectations.

12 Tips for Having Good UX Practices

Implementing good UX practices is essential for creating digital products that truly resonate with users and drive business success. By focusing on user-centered design principles, you can significantly enhance the usability, accessibility, and overall satisfaction of your product. In the following sections, we’ll explore 13 valuable tips that can help you elevate your UX game. These insights are drawn from industry best practices and are designed to guide both newcomers and experienced designers in crafting exceptional user experiences. By incorporating these tips into your workflow, you’ll be well-equipped to create intuitive, engaging, and effective designs that keep users coming back for more.

Natural User Navigation Achieved Through Good UX Practices

Users need to be able to navigate through your website seamlessly. They also need to be able to find exactly what they are searching for in a pinch. Whether it be a particular product or service or maybe even simply your contact information, everything must be easily accessible and viewable. Follow the tips below to ensure great navigation UX.

#1 Intuitive Menus

A good UX practice would be to ensure your navigation menus are easy to find and understand. Use clear labels and a logical hierarchy, grouping related pages together. Prioritize the most important sections, such as Home, About, Products/Services, and Contact Us. Consider using sub-menus for related categories to keep the main menu uncluttered.

#2 Breadcrumb Trails

Implement breadcrumb trails as a good UX practice to help users keep track of their location on the website. Breadcrumbs provide a visual representation of the site structure, showing users the path from the homepage to their current page. Make sure each breadcrumb link is clickable, enabling users to jump to a higher-level page in the hierarchy easily.

#3 Search Functionality

Provide a powerful search function that allows users to quickly find what they’re looking for. A fast and functional search bar is one of the most underrated good UX practices. Remember, the search bar shouldn’t have to be a search itself! Make sure it is visible at the top of the page. When using the search function, when no results are found, provide users with helpful suggestions or alternative queries instead of a dead-end message.

#4 Consistent Design

Maintain a consistent design language throughout your website to avoid confusing users. Use a consistent color scheme, typography, and layout across all pages. This not only strengthens brand identity but also makes the site look professional and cohesive. You must also ensure that interactive elements, such as buttons and links, behave consistently throughout the site.

#5 Mobile-Friendly Layout

Through this first quarter of the 21st century, we’ve developed ways of using technology for ultimate power and convenience. Most if not all users who will end up on your website own a smartphone. They may not be using a smartphone the very first time they stumble upon your site but chances are they will return to it using one. Having a responsive and mobile-friendly website is not only a plus, it is a must. A tremendous amount of your potential website visitors will be on mobile devices, and so making their experience as smooth as possible will have a bigger impact that you might imagine.

Clear and Compelling Content As Good UX Practices

Well-written content is crucial for engaging your audience effectively. Use clear, concise, and engaging language that resonates with your readers.

#6 Informative Content

Improve readability as a good UX practice by breaking up long paragraphs into easily digestible chunks. Utilize subheadings, bullet points, and numbered lists to structure your content logically. Always proofread thoroughly to eliminate errors that could undermine your credibility. Well-crafted content not only keeps visitors on your page longer but also encourages them to explore more of your site.

#7 Relevant Content

Ensuring relevant content is key to attracting and retaining high-quality traffic. Your content should be valuable and directly applicable to your target audience. Conduct regular audience research to understand their needs, preferences, and pain points. Create detailed buyer personas to guide your content creation process. Address common questions and challenges your audience faces, using real-life examples and case studies to illustrate your points.

#8 Optimizing for SEO

Optimizing for SEO is essential for improving your search engine visibility and attracting organic traffic. Start by conducting thorough keyword research to identify high-value, relevant terms for your content. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your content, including headers, meta descriptions, and body text. Don’t forget to optimize image alt text and file names, as well as create descriptive, keyword-rich URLs. Good SEO practices not only help with visibility but also contribute to a better user experience.

#9 Visual Appeal

Visual appeal can significantly enhance your content and user engagement. Use high-quality images and videos that are not only visually striking but also relevant to your content. Optimize these visuals for fast loading times without sacrificing quality.

Good UX Practices Require Effective Call-to-Actions (CTAs):

Prominent CTAs are vital for guiding users towards desired actions on your site. Place your CTAs in strategic locations where users are most likely to notice and interact with them.

#10 CTA 101

Consider using sticky CTAs that remain visible as users scroll down the page. To optimize CTA placement, conduct A/B testing with different positions and designs. Ensure your CTAs are mobile-friendly and easily clickable on smaller screens. Also make them stand out from the surrounding content. Well-placed CTAs can significantly improve your conversion rates and user engagement.

#11 “Call To Action”: It’s In The Name

Clear and concise language in your CTAs is crucial for driving action. Make the benefit or action clear to the user. For example, use “Start Your Free Trial” instead of a generic “Submit”. Create a sense of urgency when appropriate, such as “Limited Time Offer”. When possible, personalize CTAs based on user behavior or preferences to increase relevance. Keep your CTA text short and impactful, aiming for 2-5 words that pack a punch. Clear CTAs reduce user hesitation and encourage immediate action.

#12 Strike A Good Balance

Strong visuals for your CTAs can dramatically increase their effectiveness. Experiment with different button shapes, sizes, and colors to find what works best for your audience. Consider using icons or small animations to make your CTAs more noticeable without being distracting. While making your CTAs stand out, maintain consistency with your overall design aesthetic. Visually striking CTAs catch the user’s eye and increase the likelihood of interaction. There is a balance to find within all of this. Making your CTAs too big or distracting can lead to users navigating off your website, increasing the bounce rate.

The UX Gateway To High Quality Traffic

Optimizing your website’s UX design for high-quality traffic is an ongoing process that requires attention to detail, creativity, and a deep understanding of your audience. By focusing on these key elements of UX design and implementing effective marketing strategies, you can create a website that attracts and converts high-quality traffic. Always think about the user and how smoothly and efficiently they want their requests met. A satisfied user will be a returning user!

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In recent months, millions of people around the world have seen something new at the top of their Google search results – AI-generated summaries. The brief answers, called AI Overviews, appear automatically in response to many searches, giving users a quick summary pulled from various online sources.

While it’s possible to hide these summaries, most people don’t. According to new research from Pew Research, many users are skipping the traditional list of links altogether. The data shows that users presented with an AI summary are much less likely to click on the search results beneath it.

In contrast, users who weren’t shown an AI summary were twice as likely to click on links and explore other sources. “Google users were less likely to click on result links when visiting search pages with an AI summary compared with those without one,” Pew wrote, based on data from over 900 participants who shared their browsing activity.

The shift in behaviour suggests growing trust in AI summaries – even though these summaries are known to contain errors or lack reliable sourcing. Most users “very rarely” clicked on the links provided in the AI summary itself, Pew said. That means fewer people are visiting the original sources, including news outlets and websites that rely on web traffic to survive.

The most common sources for Google’s AI summaries were Reddit, Wikipedia, and YouTube, according to the research. Government websites also appeared more frequently in AI summaries than in traditional search results, while the presence of news sites was about the same in both formats.

Longer search queries, especially those written as full sentences or questions, were more likely to trigger AI summaries. Shorter, one- or two-word searches were less likely to do so.

The change comes at a time when publishers are already under pressure. Google’s algorithm updates in 2023 and 2024 caused traffic to many news websites to fall sharply, as Google began to present news directly in search results pages. Some smaller outlets, like Turkey’s Gazete Duvar, were forced to shut down.

Now, AI Overviews are delivering another hit to publishers that depend on SEO and ad revenue. Sites offering information like travel guides, health tips, or product reviews have been especially affected. According to data from Similarweb, organic search traffic dropped 55% between April 2022 and April 2025.

The Wall Street Journal reported that HuffPost, the Washington Post, and other major news outlets have seen similar declines. At HuffPost, traffic from organic search has more than halved in three years. The NYT‘s share of traffic from Google searches fell to 36.5% in April 2025. Business Insider cut 21% of its staff this May, blaming a sharp and uncontrollable drop in search traffic.

Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, believes the trend will only get worse. “Google is changing from a search engine to an answer engine,” he told the Wall Street Journal. He and other publishers are now focusing on building direct relationships with readers instead of relying on Google.

Google maintains that it still drives valuable traffic to websites and that people who do click links after reading AI Overviews tend to spend more time on those pages. But the Pew data tells a different story. It shows that most users are satisfied with the AI summary and don’t click through to the original sources.

One troubling case involved 404 Media, a site that covers technology and internet culture. It found that a story it published about AI-assisted music production wasn’t appearing in Google search results. The content had been summarised in an AI Overview – but the summary didn’t link back to the original story.

“The AI Overview ensures that information is presented in such a way that the source itself is never clicked on,” the site said.

The situation is also reshaping how search engine optimisation works. According to The Register, click-through rates for the top-ranked result in searches with AI Overviews have dropped by an average of 34.5%. Being ranked on the first page no longer guarantees visibility or traffic.

There’s another issue: reliability. AI summaries can be inaccurate – and can cite other AI-generated content. In one case, 404 Media reported that a Google summary was built on another AI-generated response, which itself was based on AI-sourced material. Experts say this creates a loop of recycled, low-quality information, which will eventually degrade the quality of AI systems themselves.

When reliable sources are no longer getting traffic, and poor content circulates more easily, users are left with summaries that may be wrong, vague, or missing context.

At the heart of the issue is advertising, and most websites offer free content and earn money from ads shown to readers. Google sends users to these sites, where they can view ads. But if people stay on Google – reading the AI Overview and not clicking anything – then websites lose traffic and revenue.

Search drives much of the internet’s activity. The BBC reports that around 68% of internet sessions begin with a search engine, and 90% of those happen on Google. That dominance has shaped how publishers earn money. Now, AI summaries could break that system.

Still, Google isn’t losing money. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, posted record revenue in late 2024. Total revenue rose 14% year over year to $96.4 billion, with $54.2 billion coming from advertising. That’s partly because ads are now placed in or near the AI Overviews.

A study by SparkToro found that by 2024, only 36% of Google searches in the US resulted in clicks to websites with no Google elements such as ads. As AI summaries spread, that number could shrink further.

While Google remains dominant, alternatives like Perplexity – an AI-powered search engine – are starting to gain ground. According to Bank of America analyst Muhammad Rasulnejat, Google’s $14 billion investment in infrastructure last quarter shows “desperation in the face of competition,” not just rising demand.

Adding to the pressure is the US Department of Justice’s ongoing antitrust case against the company. The DOJ is pushing for Google to sell off its Chrome browser, citing monopolistic behaviour. Google’s moves in AI and advertising may only deepen scrutiny in the months ahead.

(Photo by Christian Wiediger)

See also: Google launches Web Guide: A bet on AI-curated results

Find out more about the Digital Marketing World Forum series and register here.

Tags: advertising, ai, customer experience, google, search

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