A WordPress UX checklist sounds boring until you watch a real customer miss the “Add to cart” button three times and then bounce. We have seen it happen, and it is painful in a very specific way. Quick answer: good UX on WordPress is not a redesign. It is a repeatable pass across goals, navigation, content, forms, mobile, speed, and trust so people can finish the job they came to do.
Key Takeaways
- A WordPress UX checklist starts by defining the primary user job, primary action, and success metrics so every change is measurable instead of opinion-based.
- Focus your WordPress UX checklist on the pages that drive the most traffic and revenue—homepage, key landing pages, and (if applicable) WooCommerce product, cart, and checkout.
- Reduce friction fast by tightening navigation (5–7 clear menu items), adding search/filters/breadcrumbs for “lots” of content, and keeping paths to key actions within two clicks.
- Make scanning the default with above-the-fold clarity (plain headline, one proof point, one CTA), consistent UI patterns, and readable typography that prevents hesitation.
- Improve conversions by minimizing form and checkout fields, using helpful inline validation, answering shipping/returns/safety questions inside the flow, and offering guest checkout when possible.
- Treat mobile, accessibility, and performance as non-negotiables by using thumb-friendly tap targets, meeting WCAG basics, improving Core Web Vitals, setting a plugin budget, and monitoring uptime and errors routinely.
Before You Start: Define The Primary User Job And Success Metrics
If you skip this step, every other step turns into taste and opinions. A WordPress UX checklist works best when you treat it like an experiment: you set a goal, you measure, you change one thing, and you check results.
Here is why: your site -> shapes -> user behavior, and user behavior -> affects -> revenue and support load. You need a scoreboard before you play.
Primary Audience, Primary Action, And Top Pages
Start with one sentence:
- Primary audience: Who do you want to serve first?
- Primary user job: What do they need to complete in one visit?
- Primary action: Buy, book, request a quote, subscribe, call, download, or log in.
A few quick examples we use with clients:
- A WooCommerce store: “Return customers -> buy -> their usual items fast.”
- A law firm: “Qualified leads -> request -> a consult with the right practice area.”
- A clinic: “Patients -> schedule -> an appointment without calling.”
Next, list your top pages by traffic and money. In WordPress, you can pull this from GA4 and Search Console, then sanity-check it with WooCommerce reports if you sell products. Your WordPress UX checklist should focus on the pages that already carry weight:
- Homepage
- Top landing pages
- Top blog posts that drive leads
- Product, category, cart, checkout, account pages
If you need a related read on the SEO side, we keep this simple guide handy: WordPress SEO services.
Baseline Measurements: Speed, Conversions, And Support Load
Pick a baseline week. Write the numbers down. Do not trust your memory.
Track:
- Speed: Core Web Vitals from PageSpeed Insights and Search Console.
- Conversions: Purchases, form submits, booked calls, email signups.
- Support load: “Where is my order?”, password resets, failed payments, “I cannot find X.”
Google’s research has been consistent here: as page load time rises, people leave more often. You can see the plain-language stats in Google’s page speed resources. Start there and let the numbers humble you a little.
Sources:
- Web.dev: Core Web Vitals, Google, 2024, https://web.dev/vitals/
- PageSpeed Insights Documentation, Google, 2025, https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
Navigation And Site Structure: Help Users Find Things In Two Clicks
If people cannot find it, they cannot buy it. Navigation -> reduces -> cognitive load. And when cognitive load drops, conversions usually climb.
Menu Hygiene, Labels, And Information Hierarchy
Run this fast menu audit:
- Remove dead-end items. Every menu link should pay rent.
- Replace cute labels with clear labels. “Solutions” often means nothing.
- Group items by user intent, not by your org chart.
- Keep the top menu short. Aim for 5 to 7 items.
We also like a “Start here” option for service businesses and creators. It gives new visitors a safe first click.
A practical WordPress move: use a clean menu location setup in your theme and avoid menu plugins unless you truly need mega menus. Plugins add weight, and weight slows pages.
Search, Filters, And Breadcrumbs For Content And WooCommerce
Search and filters matter most when your site has “lots.” Lots of products, lots of posts, lots of documentation.
For WooCommerce:
- Add product filters by price, size, color, category, rating.
- Add sorting that people expect.
- Add breadcrumbs so shoppers can jump up a level without smashing the back button.
For content sites:
- Add on-site search that returns useful results.
- Add category pages that explain what is inside, not just a feed.
WooCommerce includes breadcrumbs in many themes, and SEO plugins often support them too. Test the display, then test the click path.
Sources:
- WooCommerce Documentation: Navigation and Product Search, Automattic, 2025, https://woocommerce.com/documentation/
Page Layout And Readability: Make Scanning The Default
Most visitors do not read. They scan, they hesitate, then they leave. Your layout can help.
Above-The-Fold Clarity: Headline, Proof, And Next Step
Above the fold means: what the page shows before scrolling on a normal phone.
Your WordPress UX checklist for the top of key pages:
- Headline: say what you do in plain words.
- Proof: one tight proof element, like a review snippet, results metric, logos, or a guarantee.
- Next step: one clear CTA.
A quick pattern that works:
“We build WooCommerce sites that load fast and sell.”
Then one proof line:
“Average checkout drop-off fell 18% after our last rebuild.”
Then one button:
“Get a quote.”
If you run a service site, this pairs well with a focused services page. We keep ours simple here: WordPress website development.
Typography, Spacing, And Content Patterns That Reduce Friction
A few rules we use almost every week:
- Keep paragraphs to 2 to 4 lines.
- Use bullets for lists.
- Use descriptive subheads that answer questions.
- Use one primary font family, two weights, and predictable sizes.
- Keep line length readable. Very wide text blocks feel like work.
Also watch pattern consistency:
- Buttons should look like buttons everywhere.
- Links should look like links everywhere.
- Cards, grids, and product tiles should not change shape across pages.
Inconsistent UI -> increases -> hesitation. Hesitation kills checkout.
Sources:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, W3C, 2023, https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
Forms, Checkout, And CTAs: Remove The “Thinking Tax”
Every extra field asks for trust. Every unclear error message asks for patience. People have less of both than we wish.
Field Minimization, Validation, And Error States
Use this part of the WordPress UX checklist on every form:
- Remove fields you do not need.
- Mark optional fields as optional.
- Use clear labels, not just placeholders.
- Show inline validation early, not after a rage-click.
- Write error messages that say what happened and what to do next.
Bad: “Invalid input.”
Better: “Card number looks short. Please enter 16 digits.”
If you use WordPress form plugins, test keyboard behavior on mobile. A phone number field should trigger the numeric keypad. Small detail, big relief.
Checkout Confidence: Shipping, Returns, Trust Signals, And Guest Mode
Checkout anxiety is real. People ask silent questions:
- “When will this arrive?”
- “What if it does not fit?”
- “Is this site safe?”
Answer them inside the checkout flow:
- Show shipping costs early.
- Put your return policy one click away.
- Show real payment methods and badges, but do not wallpaper the page with them.
- Offer guest checkout unless your business model needs accounts.
In WooCommerce, most of this comes down to settings, clear copy, and fewer checkout distractions. And yes, you should place the CTA where the thumb lands.
Sources:
- WooCommerce Documentation: Checkout Settings, Automattic, 2025, https://woocommerce.com/documentation/
Mobile UX And Accessibility: The Non-Negotiables
Mobile is not a smaller desktop. It is a different posture, a different pace, and a different attention span.
Thumb-Friendly Targets, Sticky CTAs, And Responsive Media
Your mobile checks:
- Make buttons large enough for thumbs.
- Add space between tap targets.
- Keep a sticky “Add to cart” or “Book now” CTA on long pages.
- Compress and size images so they do not blow up layout.
- Avoid popups that trap the screen.
Google uses mobile-first indexing, so your mobile pages shape how search systems view your site.
Sources:
- Mobile-First Indexing Best Practices, Google Search Central, 2024, https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/mobile/mobile-first-indexing
Accessibility Checks: Contrast, Focus States, Labels, And Alt Text
Accessibility improves UX for everyone. It also reduces legal risk in the US.
Run this short list:
- Check color contrast.
- Confirm visible focus states for keyboard users.
- Confirm labels connect to fields.
- Add alt text that describes the image.
- Do not rely on color alone to show errors.
WCAG 2.2 gives the clearest standard language for what “accessible” means.
Sources:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, W3C, 2023, https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
Performance And Reliability: UX That Starts Before The Page Loads
If your site loads slowly, users feel it before they read a single word. Performance -> affects -> trust.
Core Web Vitals, Image Strategy, And Plugin Budget
Treat speed like a feature.
Check:
- LCP, INP, CLS in Core Web Vitals.
- Image sizes and formats.
- Lazy loading behavior.
- Caching and CDN.
Then set a plugin budget. Too many plugins usually cause:
- extra CSS and JS
- extra database calls
- extra breakpoints during updates
WordPress makes it easy to add plugins. That is a blessing and a trap.
If you want help keeping this stable long-term, this pairs with a maintenance plan: website maintenance services.
Sources:
- Web.dev: Core Web Vitals, Google, 2024, https://web.dev/vitals/
Downtime, Broken Links, And Ongoing Monitoring
Reliability feels invisible until it breaks.
Add lightweight monitoring:
- uptime alerts
- broken link checks
- 404 tracking
- form error logging
- checkout error logging
Also schedule a monthly “UX sweep.” Fifteen minutes can catch:
- expired banners
- broken images
- abandoned popups
- old shipping claims
Users notice these small cracks. They do not email you about them. They just leave.
Sources:
- WordPress Site Health, WordPress.org, 2025, https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/site-health-screen/
Trust, Privacy, And Compliance: UX For Regulated And High-Stakes Sites
If you work in healthcare, finance, legal, insurance, or anything with sensitive data, trust is part of the interface.
Consent, Disclosures, And Data Minimization On Forms
Data minimization means you only collect what you need.
Your WordPress UX checklist for privacy-forward forms:
- Ask for the minimum.
- Explain why you ask.
- Link to the privacy policy near the submit button.
- Avoid collecting sensitive data in general contact forms.
If you use AI tools in your workflow, never paste private client data into a chat tool without a written policy and vendor review. Keep humans in the loop.
The FTC has clear guidance on truthfulness and fairness in data practices. Use it as your north star.
Sources:
- Protecting Consumer Privacy and Security, Federal Trade Commission, 2024, https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/privacy-security
Security Signals And Safe Content Workflows For AI-Assisted Drafts
Security UX is not just a padlock icon.
Do the basics:
- Use HTTPS everywhere.
- Show secure payment methods clearly.
- Use strong login protection.
- Keep plugins and themes updated.
For AI-assisted drafts, we use a simple workflow:
- AI writes a draft -> human edits -> legal or clinical review approves -> WordPress publishes.
- We log prompts and keep a short checklist for claims, citations, and tone.
This reduces risk. It also prevents the “who approved this?” moment.
Sources:
- WordPress Security, WordPress.org, 2025, https://wordpress.org/about/security/
Conclusion
A WordPress UX checklist works when you treat it like a weekly habit, not a one-time project. Start with the primary user job, fix the pages that already matter, and measure what changes. If you want the safest path, run changes in small batches, keep humans in review for high-stakes copy, and log what you touched so you can roll back fast.
If you want us to run this checklist on your site and turn it into a short punch list your team can ship, our door is open at Zuleika LLC.
WordPress UX Checklist: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a WordPress UX checklist, and what does it cover?
A WordPress UX checklist is a repeatable process to improve how people complete a task on your site—without a full redesign. It typically covers goals and metrics, navigation, page clarity, readability, forms and checkout, mobile UX, accessibility, performance (Core Web Vitals), reliability monitoring, and trust/privacy signals.
How do I start a WordPress UX checklist if my team keeps arguing about design?
Start by defining the primary user job and success metrics so decisions aren’t based on taste. Write your primary audience, the one-visit job, and the primary action (buy, book, quote, subscribe). Then set a baseline week for speed, conversions, and support tickets to measure impact.
Which pages should I prioritize first in a WordPress UX checklist?
Focus on pages that already “carry weight” in traffic or revenue: your homepage, top landing pages, blog posts that drive leads, and (for WooCommerce) product, category, cart, checkout, and account pages. Pull candidates from GA4 and Search Console, and confirm with WooCommerce reports.
How can I improve WooCommerce UX with navigation, filters, and breadcrumbs?
For WooCommerce, add filters shoppers expect (price, size, color, category, rating), include sensible sorting, and use breadcrumbs so users can jump up a level without relying on the back button. Test the full click path from category to product to cart to checkout on mobile.
What are the biggest WordPress UX checklist fixes for forms and checkout?
Reduce the “thinking tax” by removing unnecessary fields, clearly marking optional fields, using real labels (not placeholders), and showing inline validation with helpful error messages. In checkout, reduce anxiety by showing shipping costs early, linking returns nearby, and offering guest checkout when possible.
How often should I run a WordPress UX checklist, and what tools should I use?
Run it as a weekly habit with a monthly “UX sweep” to catch small cracks like broken images, expired banners, and outdated shipping claims. Use PageSpeed Insights and Search Console for Core Web Vitals, plus uptime alerts, broken-link checks, 404 tracking, and form/checkout error logging.
Some of the links shared in this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link & make any purchase, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost of you.
We improve our products and advertising by using Microsoft Clarity to see how you use our website. By using our site, you agree that we and Microsoft can collect and use this data. Our privacy policy has more details.
