I was watching a very interesting online presentation by David Meerman Scott today, and a metric he noted really caught my attention:

“The back button is the third most used web feature.”

How true – I use it so frequently throughout the day, rarely thinking of why I didn’t like the site and wanted to be elsewhere. It can be difficult to view your own web site objectively, so ask a friend or family member with a reputation for brutal honesty to tell you exactly what they don’t like about your site, and what they would prefer instead. Understanding your web site’s weaknesses and working to correct them can keep the back button from being the first used web feature on your site.

Never let your hard-earned SEO efforts go to waste with bad usability on your web site. Whether you’re professionally e-mailing surveys to your past customers and asking them for suggestions (in exchange for say, a coupon code!), or sitting down your best friend with a piece of paper and a glass of wine, it’s vital that you learn where your web site needs to improve.

Be strong, young web site caterpillar.