What is "Information Scent"? And why is it important to your Conversion Rate?

The real problem in life

Have you ever? You intend to find information "price" of a product on the website. But when clicking into the menu that says "Our solution" or "product" only found a long -standing feature for the "price" or "package" button. Finally, you feel frustrated, wasting time and deciding to turn off the face immediately, even though at first he was interested in that product.

Or another case is You see advertisements on Facebook saying "Download E-Book for free! 10 marketing tips. "You click in hope, but the Landing Page face has a big topic" Welcome to the best marketing agency "and you have to scroll for a long time to find a small download link." I want to start ". This phenomenon is a sign of "Information Scent" that is severely weak.

Prompt for illustrations: computer screen images that users are confused and confused. There is an arrow pointing to the menu that uses vocabulary, such as "Discover" or "Solutions" with a question mark (?)

Why did that problem occur?

This problem arises because the website lacks what is called "Information Scent" (the smell of data) . Imagine the hunters who are following the victim's smell. If the navigation smell is clear It will focus on confidently. But if the smell fades or has other smells mixed It will start to be confused and may finally give up the chase.

In the online world as well. Users (User) are "hunters". "Information" or "target" that he wants (such as buying, filling in form) is "victims". The smell "is the words that we use on the link, button, menu, or heading. If you click, what will you find?

Most of the websites found are:

• Use vocabulary that "cool" but "vague": Instead of using the word "price" or "Pricing", use the word "your investment" or "explore packages" which users must interpret.
• The link does not match the destination content: the text on the link said. But when clicking to find another content Makes the user feel like being deceived
• Lack of consistency: Use the same term different on each page. Make the user confused

The main reason is often due to the web owner. "Knowing too well" until forgetting that the user does not have information in the head as us. Information Architecture is the foundation for creating a strong smell.

Prompt for illustrations: simple infographic images The image of a person who is fitting "odor" (line) that floats out of the word "See the price of the product" and guide the icon. "Order button" clearly

If left, how will it affect?

Ignoring the weak Information Scent is like opening a beautiful shop. But instead took the "entrance" sign to hide behind the shop The consequences are more serious than expected:

• CONVERSION RATE Down: This is the most painful impact. The user finds a "buying" button. In the end, they didn't do what we wanted to do.
• Boundce Rate is rising: when the user feels that "This website is hard to use" or "Here there is no thing that I find." The first thing he did was to press the back button immediately. This signal will be sent to Google that your website may not be useful.
• Wasting advertising budget: You pay enormous money to pull people in. But lost them because of the confusion. Landing Page. It was a unfortunate budget.
• Break the reliability: the website that can navigate badly Makes the user feel that your brand is not professional Not paying attention to customers And not trustworthy enough to provide personal information or credit cards
• Affecting SEO in the long run: Google is increasingly focusing on the user experience (User Experience). If your website has a high bounce rate and your low SEO, your SEO will also be negative. Because it is a sign that your website is Data architecture that has a negative effect on UX and SEO.

Prompt for illustrations: The graph showing the Conversion Rate line is plummeted while the BondCi Rate line rises with a picture icon. People are walking out of the website as a background.

Is there any solution? And where should it start?

The good news is to create a strong Information Scent. And you can start immediately by focusing on "clarity" rather than "creativity" in terms of navigation Important principles are as follows.

• Use the language of customers (Speak their Language): Stop using luxurious techniques or marketing words. Try to see what your customer uses the word to search. Then use that word on your menu and link
• Create a link and button that "Tell everything": Change from "Read more" to "Read the full sample case" Change from "Send" to "free quotation". The message must explain the results after clicking.
• Make Navigation the most obvious: your main menu should be like a table of books that anyone reads immediately. Each category has something. This is the heart of a good UX/UI design.
• Use Breadcrumps Navigation: Install the "sign" called Breadcrumbs to let the user always know where they are now on the website. And how to go back This is very important for both SEO and UX.
• Headline must be on the cover: the big topic (H1) of the page must match the text in the link or advertisement that brings users to this page. To confirm that he "It's the right place"
• Use images to help guide: icon or images that communicate well, can enhance "odor" more clearly, such as icon, baskets Or a letter of envelope for contact

Leading sources like the Nielsen Norman Group confirms that this is a basic principle that affects the success of the website.

Prompt for illustrations: Infovic images, summarized 4-5 techniques, such as icons, signs, menus, written "price" clear, CTA button icon that has the message that "Free trial", and Breadcrumbs showing the hierarchy of the webpage

Examples from the real thing that used to be successful

Imagine a SAAS (Software As a Service) website that provides customer relations management systems (CRM). In the beginning, their first page has a button. The main Call-to -ction says "Your Business Revolution", which sounds great but no one knows what to click. Most users do not dare to click.

The team has done A/B Testing by changing the text on the button to "Start the free trial for 14 days", which is a straightforward text and clearly tells the results. The results show that ... Click on this button up to 120%!

Not all on the "Features" page. Formerly, they explained the features with pure technical terms. Causing new customers who are not experts to read and do not understand So they renovated By organizing a group of features in accordance with the "benefits" that customers will receive, such as the "features for closing the sale faster" or "Faculty of old customers" as well as improving the onboarding process for new customers. To be easier to understand. The result is Engagement on the web page. And the actual application rate after the trial period (TRAL-TO-PAID Conversion) an increase of up to 35%. This is the power to improve the Information Scent that directly affects the company's revenue.

Prompt for illustrations: Before/After comparing the CTA buttons of the first button, written "Discover More" and another button, written "Get Your Free Demo" (After) with increased conversion percent numbers.

If wanting to follow, what to do? (Can be used immediately)

You can start "Detect the smell" on your website immediately with this easy checklist. Try to play a new customer that has never been to you before. And follow this:

1. Check the main menu (Main Navigation): If you only have 5 seconds, do you understand where each menu will take? Is the word "service" clear enough? Or should be "Website design service" and "SEO" service?
2. Chase for ambiguity links: Try using CTRL+F (or CMD+F) on your webpage. And find the word "Click here", "Read more", "more" and then solve it as a text that explains the destination clearly.
3. Assess the CTA button (Call-to -ction): The most important button on your page (such as the first page, the service). What do you say? It tells the results that the customer will receive or just tell "send information"?
4. Check the "cover" of the Landing Page page: Go to Google Ads ads or post on your social media. Read the message in it And click to the website ... Is the big topic on the webpage exactly what you just read?
5. Have a friend test: Send a web link to friends or family members. (Which has never used your website) and set up a simple problem, such as "Try to find information to contact us" or "Try to order this product to see" and sit quietly. Where he is stuck This is a precious information that cannot be found in any tools because it is UX/UI that directly affects the conversion.

Prompt for illustrations: Checklist images with 5 inspection items above with an enlarged glasses icon, clicking icon, and the icon of people who are using the website happily.

Questions that people tend to wonder And the answers that are cleared

Q1: Information Scent with Information Architecture (IA). How is it the same or different?

A: It's a very good question! In a simple explanation, Information Architecture (IA) is the "structure" or "green print" of your home, where to arrange the rooms (various windows) and how to connect. Information Scent is "signs" and "smell". Inside the house that will take you from the living room to the kitchen, the good IA is the foundation that is good. " The structure is true. Both of them must work closely to Create the best experience

Q2: If focusing on clear words And our website is not boring? Can't use Creative Copy, right?

A: Can you use it for sure! But must be used to "correctly", you can use the full creativity in the "content" section, such as interesting words, telling stories in the blog, or product descriptions that make you want to buy, but for "navigational elements" such as menus, links, CTA buttons, clearness must always come first. Because its duty is "Reduce the idea" of users, not "increase the burden to interpret"

Q3: How can we measure our Information Scent better?

A: You can measure the results from many dimensions, such as reduced bounce rate, higher Time on Page, and most importantly, the additional Conversion Rate. In addition, heatmap can also be used (to see where people click) or session recordings (to watch the actual use of the real smell) to find "the smell is missing" and correction points. Doing this is part of the CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) service that helps you make decisions from real information.

Prompt for illustrations: Image icon, a large question mark (?) In the middle, there are clear answers such as "IA = Structure", "IS = sign"

Summary to be easy to understand + want to try to do

In summary, Information Scent is not a complex technical terminology. But it is the heart of creating a "respect" website. It is to make every journey on your website "Easy", "clear" and "not waste time" when the user feels that he can "smell" and find what they want to find quickly. Trust and confidence will occur. Which is an important factor that leads to the decision "Buy", "Apply", or "contact" in the end

Do not let your beautiful website fail because the "odor" that is not good enough to try to bring the 5 simple checklist provided in this article to do immediately. Just changing the message on the main button only It may be unbelievably different for your sales.

It's time to change your website from "Mountain" into a "clear route", which leads to all customers to a joint success!

If you need an expert that will help you analyze and improve the Information Scent, as well as all UX/UI experiences on your website to be able to add concrete Rate, consult the Vision X Brain team immediately! We are ready to change the audience into your customers.

Prompt for illustrations: Powerful images Show the user's hand is clicking the CTA button that says "Add your conversion immediately" with a rising graph background. Conveys a clear action and results

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