How to improve site performance with user testing

Gather insights from your target audience about their experience, pain points and expectations to inform your SEO and content efforts.

Do you understand who your customers are? Do you know what problems you’re solving for your users?

User testing can help you determine exactly who your website is for and what communication they’ll respond to.

You can find out how much they know and what they think about your website and competitors. And you can use that knowledge to improve your website’s SEO approach and content strategy.

Ask users about their experience

User testing lets you get inside your customers’ shoes. Start by finding out about the experience of using your product or site from their perspective.

Sample questions to ask:

• What research have you already done?
• What sources do you use to learn more?
• Start with a Google search. What would you search for?
• What factors are you considering to make this decision?
• What features are you looking for?
• What’s not important to you?
• What info/answers/experience do you expect to find?
• What’s your budget and timeline to make a decision?

See how your users’ answers compare to your assumptions. From there, you can follow up on more specific aspects of the experience and get perspectives from other types of users.

How to make your content better with user testing

Read through your content like your users and make sure your site meets user intent. This can help you improve engagement, bounce and conversion rate.

• Reorder content sections based on the most important factors to your users.
• Explain features users say they like using words they’ll understand.
• Make it easy to find answers to common questions.
• Address misconceptions or concerns in articles or FAQs.
• Include specific data, numbers and costs that users are looking for.

Bonus: Answering user questions well could help you appear in People Also Ask.

Find new keywords and topics

When you run a user test, pay attention to the phrases your customers use and search for. You could find new keyword synonyms or learn your users have very different understandings of common phrases.

• Does your user say they want to hire a handyman or a contractor? Or do they get more specific with a phrase like carpenter or plumber?
• Do they talk about making a budget like it’s a chore or a tool? Do they “get to” plan a budget, or do they “have to”?
• What words are different in their regional dialect? Do they say “shopping cart” or “buggy”?
• What about their search terms? For a local search, do they abbreviate their city name like “HHI” or spell out “Hilton Head Island” every time?

Plug these words into a keyword research tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to find any keyword gaps or synonyms you could be missing out on ranking for.

You might also discover new content ideas to build up your library to be more comprehensive.

Identify tone and emotion

Users will leave a site that’s frustrating, slow or unhelpful. Identifying users’ emotions and reducing friction points can help you improve site bounce and engagement.

Get users to browse your website and ask specific questions about their experience.

Look for emotional cues

When a user is frustrated, you might see signs like:

• Rapid clicking or scrolling
• Sighs or pauses
• Vocal disapproval sounds, like tongue-clicking
• Short, disjointed responses

When a user is confused, you might see:

• Pausing and slow scrolling
• Scrolling back up and re-reading sections
• Asking questions out loud
• Clicking back or top buttons

Ask about emotion

You can also ask users direct questions about their feelings during your user test. Then, see if their answers match their mouse’s “body language.”

Sample user questions:

• How do you feel about buying this product?
• Describe how this site makes you feel and why.
• On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied does this article make you feel?
• Is there anything frustrating or confusing on this page?
• How did you feel when you were researching this topic?
• What surprised you about this site?
• What would have made this experience delightful?

Make an empathy map

Apply your user test learnings to develop an empathy map for your users at each stage of the buying process.

Consider what your user wants to accomplish, what they’re thinking about and how they feel. You can also split this out into different types of users or products.

Then, you can create targeted content for your buyer personas to address their main concerns and emotions.

For example, let’s say you run a gardening shop. After user testing, you might develop a basic user map like this:

Connect keywords with emotions

This is a great exercise to pair with your keyword research, so you’re creating the most helpful content possible. And helpful sites can rank better.

Keywords with “what/is” are likely in the learning stage, so help these users learn the basics.

Include lots of beginner details, pictures, links and definitions so this user can indulge their curiosity.

Keywords with “cost/how” probably fall under comparison. This user needs help narrowing down their choices. Make sure you demonstrate E-E-A-T to help them feel confident about their decisions.

Avoid fake empathy

Don’t make the mistake of naming user emotions directly in copy. For example:

• “We know you hate cleaning gutters. Call us to deal with the chore that makes you miserable.” 

This kind of statement is obvious and can come across as inauthentic. Instead, talk about what the user gets out of it and how you can help address a specific concern or risk.

• “Get clean gutters in 30 minutes without climbing a ladder for only $100.”

You’re offering the solution the user wants with a clear reason to choose your company. You’re demonstrating you understand how they feel and what they want without spending precious space talking about it.

Refocusing CTA language on the user can increase your leads or conversion rate.