Does Your Website User Journey Pass the Best Friend Test?
Imagine your website is your home and your website visitors are your best friends. When your best friend visits, they know exactly where to park, how to enter, and where to find you. They’re comfortable because you’ve made it that way. What if your website could create this same welcoming experience for visitors?
The Best Friend Test is a simple yet powerful way to evaluate your user journey. It measures how easily users can navigate your site, find what they need, and take action. Making visitors feel at home on your site can mean the difference between gaining loyal customers and losing them to confusion.
What is the Best Friend Test?
The Best Friend Test compares your website’s user journey to that of a close friend visiting your home. Let’s think about it…
Your best friend doesn’t awkwardly hover at the door waiting for you to tell them what to do or wander aimlessly around the house looking for the door—they know exactly where everything is, from the best parking to the snack drawer. They’re so comfortable, they’ll plop down on your couch without asking.
This analogy captures the essence of a great user journey: ease, comfort, and predictability. Your website should guide visitors naturally, just as a well-designed home and relationship welcomes friends. It’s about anticipating needs and removing uncertainty, so users feel confident at every step.
The Ideal User Journey (Best Friend Style)
Finding the Entrance (Navigation)
Best friends know exactly where to park and how to enter. Similarly, your website’s navigation should be intuitive. Users shouldn’t struggle to find the main menu or hunt for the “Contact Us” page. Clear navigation is like a well-lit driveway—it welcomes visitors and guides them effortlessly.
Accessing the Space (Homepage Clarity)
Your best friend knows where the spare key is and lets themselves in. For website users, this means a homepage that’s welcoming and clear. A confusing homepage is like making your friend wait in the rain while guessing which door to use. Clean design, clear headlines, and obvious entry points make all the difference.
Exploring Comfortably (Site Layout)
Once inside, your best friend knows where to grab snacks or find the bathroom. This mirrors the importance of logical site layout. Every section should serve a purpose, guiding users to their goal directly. Whether they want a product, service, or blog post, the path should be clear.
Reaching the Goal (Calls to Action)
Your best friend always knows where to find you because you’ve made it obvious. Your website needs the same clarity with strategically placed calls to action (CTAs). Whether it’s “Buy Now,” “Subscribe,” or “Book a Consultation,” CTAs are the signs guiding users to their destination.
Making Themselves at Home (Engagement)
Finally, your best friend feels so comfortable they stay awhile. This principle applies perfectly to user engagement. Visitors who feel welcome and are finding what they want are more likely to explore your content, return later, and become loyal customers. Trust and familiarity build lasting relationships—both online and off.
What Happens When the Journey Fails?
Picture this: your best friend arrives but can’t find parking. They’re stuck outside ringing the doorbell while you rush to answer. Once inside, they don’t know where to put their coat or shoes. Frustrating, right?
A failed website journey feels exactly like this. Visitors get confused, lose patience, and leave. Poor pathways lead to missed opportunities, leaving your valuable offerings undiscovered. A confusing user journey is like a locked door—keeping people out instead of welcoming them in.
How to Pass the Best Friend Test
Provide The Quickest Route
Begin by making sure your website loads quickly and doesn’t jump around (the dreaded cumulative layout shift…) when visitors first land on your site. You have less than 7 seconds to “let them in” and get them to stay.
Crafting the Journey
Align your website’s messaging, CTAs, and navigation with your audience’s needs. Your users should feel guided and supported throughout their visit. Don’t try to be clever or funny, get to the point and spell it out.
Connecting the Dots
Make sure every element flows naturally into the next. Take the time to test and assess! There might be a “dot” your visitors never think of using and you both miss out on an amazing opportunity. From first click to final action, eliminate all friction points. Maybe have your actual best friend connect the dots on your website 🤷♀️.
Focusing on Feel-Good Design
Your website should radiate the warmth of your home. Or cool and calm. Whatever the vibe of your brand is, your audience should feel it and should be consistent throughout your digital and actual presence. Colors, typography, and images work together to create an approachable, authentic space. Remember: when your audience feels good, your business “feels good”.
Who Benefits from a Seamless Journey?
Well, everyone of course!
For your business, this means higher engagement, better conversion rates, and loyal customers. For your audience, it means feeling seen, understood, and empowered to act. Your user’s journey should make each user feel like the path was crafted and tailored specifically for them.
Ready to level up your website and create a seamless user journey?
Take a moment to look at your website as if it were your house. Ask yourself: Does your user journey pass the Best Friend Test?
Download my Website Level Up Checklist and discover actionable tips to make your site as intuitive and welcoming as your best friend’s visit.
Whether you need to refine navigation, improve CTAs, or rethink layout, each adjustment brings you closer to a truly user-friendly space. Need help? Let’s connect and create a journey your audience will love.
Your website should feel like home—where visitors feel welcome, supported, and eager to return. When you design with the Best Friend Test in mind, you create an experience that’s both intuitive and engaging.
So, does your client journey pass the Best Friend Test? If not, it’s time to unlock the door to better experiences.
