Stop Making Buyers Think: 4 Fixes to Improve Your Website User Experience

Last week, we hammered home a critical point: clarity is king. We explored how a clever but confusing tagline can actively harm your pipeline by failing to communicate your value.

Now, let’s take that same clarity-first mindset and apply it to your entire digital storefront: your website.

Because here’s the hard truth: your prospects are busy, distracted, and drowning in information. If your tagline needs to be clear, your website needs to be crystal clear. Its job isn’t to be fancy; it’s to be incredibly easy to understand in five seconds flat.

We’ve all been there. You land on a B2B website hoping for a quick answer, and instead, you’re met with a barrage of corporate jargon, a navigation menu that looks like a treasure map with no ‘X’ to mark the spot, and a value proposition so convoluted it would take a team of cryptographers to decipher. 

This, my friends, is what we call “cognitive load,” and it’s the silent killer of conversions.

What is cognitive load and why should you care?

Cognitive load, a term borrowed from psychology, refers to the mental effort required to process information. When you force a visitor to your website to think too hard, you’re increasing their cognitive load. As usability guru Steve Krug famously put it, “The more you make users think, the more likely they are to leave.” And leave they will, often in search of a competitor who has made things just a little bit easier.

The stakes are high. A foundational study by the Nielsen Norman Group found that users often leave web pages in just 10–20 seconds. That’s your window. Confuse them, and they’re gone (and a surefire way to send your bounce rate soaring). 

So, how do you reduce cognitive load and create a website that respects your buyer’s time and, well, they’re brainpower? Here are four straightforward fixes:

1. Simplify your navigation to the point of obviousness

Your website’s navigation should be as intuitive as a fork. You shouldn’t need a manual to figure out how to use it. Yet, so many B2B websites have navigation menus with vague labels like “Solutions,” “Insights,” or “Resources.” What do these even mean?

Instead, use the words your audience would actually search for.
Think:

• “Marketing Services” instead of “Solutions”
• “Blog” instead of “Insights”

Here are a few more tips for simplifying your navigation:

• Limit your main navigation items: aim for five to seven top-level menu items. Any more than that can lead to decision paralysis.
• Use a logical hierarchy: your most important pages should be easily accessible from the main navigation.
• Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your navigation: a “Contact Us” or “Get a Free Quote” button should be prominently displayed.

Ask yourself: Could someone guess where to go without thinking twice?

2. Write scannable copy that gets to the point

Nobody reads web pages word-for-word. They scan. They look for headlines, subheadings, bullet points, and keywords that are relevant to their needs. If your website is a wall of dense text, you’re making it impossible for visitors to find the information they’re looking for.

As copywriting expert Ann Handley says, “Assume your reader has the attention span of a gnat.” To write scannable copy, follow these simple rules:

• Use short sentences and paragraphs: break up long blocks of text.
• Use descriptive headlines and subheadings: these act as signposts for your readers.
• Incorporate bullet points and numbered lists: they’re easy on the eyes and help to break up the text.
• Bold key phrases and keywords: this helps to draw the reader’s attention to the most important information.

3. Create obvious calls-to-action (CTAs)

Your call-to-action is the most important element on your page. It’s the button you want your visitors to click. So why do so many websites hide their CTAs or use weak, generic language like “Learn More”?

A good CTA is clear, concise, and compelling. It tells the user exactly what to do and what they’ll get in return. For example, instead of “Submit,” try “Download Your Free Ebook.” Instead of “Click Here,” try “Get a Free Marketing Assessment.”

Here’s how to create CTAs that get clicked:

• Use action-oriented language: start your CTA with a verb.
• Make it stand out: use a contrasting color to make your CTA button pop.
• Place it strategically: your CTA should be visible above the fold and repeated throughout the page.
• Create a sense of urgency: phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “Get Started Today” can encourage immediate action. A WordStream article highlights that a single CTA in an email can increase clicks by 371%.

4. Craft a value proposition a fifth grader could understand

Simply put, your value proposition should tell visitors:

• What you do
• Who you do it for
• Why you’re different

It should also be the first thing a visitor sees when they land on your homepage.

Unfortunately, many B2B companies have value propositions that are filled with jargon and buzzwords. For example, “We leverage synergistic paradigms to empower enterprise-level businesses to achieve impactful results.” Yikes. 

As HubSpot explains, a great value prop is clear, concise, and customer-focused. 

You might be thinking “easy for you to say, you’re the marketing experts.” And you’d be right. But every great marketing journey starts somewhere, and yes, even we have to walk the talk. So in the spirit of practicing what we preach, we’re putting our own value proposition on the table.

For small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for real growth, DDE is a full-scale marketing partner combining strategy, digital marketing, and creative execution to deliver results. We are ready-to-go team that executes, optimizes, and scales to drive top-line revenue, grow the brand, and delivering measurable ROI.

The Bottom Line: Make It Easy for Your Buyers

Your buyers are overwhelmed. They don’t have time to decipher your navigation or decode your messaging. Respect their time, reduce their cognitive load, and show them a clear path forward.

Stop making them think so hard. Start making it easy for them to say “yes.”

Want a second opinion on your website?

It’s hard to read the label when you’re inside the jar. If you’re wondering where your website might be confusing your buyers or holding back conversions, let’s take a look, together.

Book a free 15-minute clarity consultation with our team. We’ll walk you through what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it, fast. Let’s find a time to chat.