Sometimes everything looks like it is working perfectly. You have a beautiful website, great products or services, and you are investing money in marketing, but somehow the sales are just not coming in.

The problem might be simpler than you think. The customer journey test helps you understand whether someone who has never interacted with your business can actually understand what you sell and how to buy it.

Why the Customer Journey Test Matters

As a marketer, I can say that when you are too close to your business, you tend to miss some important factors.

You forget that you are not the one buying the product. You are not the one who needs to understand what you are selling or how to buy it.

The customer is the one who needs to understand this.

And if they cannot, you are making their decision much harder than it needs to be.

Sometimes the problem is not your product or service. Sometimes it is the way your website explains what you do.

And sometimes it is both.

What You Probably Think Is Causing the Problem

When sales are not coming in, the first thing most businesses think about is their marketing.

Maybe they need more ads. Maybe they need more traffic. Maybe they need to redesign their website or create more content.

And sometimes those things might help.

But before spending more money, it is worth asking yourself something much simpler.

Can someone who has never interacted with your business understand what you do and how to buy from you?

Because if they cannot, bringing more people to your website might not solve the problem.

You might simply be sending more people into a buying experience that is already confusing.

What Is Usually Actually Going On

One of the things we always suggest is getting two or three people who have nothing to do with your business to try and book or purchase something on your website.

These should be people who are not familiar with your company, your services, or the way you operate.

Ask them to navigate your website, find what they need, and complete the purchase or booking process without your help.

Then ask them a few simple questions:

• Do you understand what this business does?
• Do you understand what products or services they offer?
• Is it clear what you need to do to get started?
• Can you easily find the information you need?
• Is there anything that makes you hesitate before purchasing?

Pay close attention to where they get confused, what they struggle to find, and what questions they ask along the way.

Sometimes the problem is not that your product is bad or that your marketing is not working.

The problem is that your website is creating unnecessary friction between the customer and the purchase.

What the Customer Journey Test Looks Like from Your Customer’s Side

For example, you might have a great service, but your website does not explain what the customer gets, how much it costs, or what happens after they contact you.

You might have a clear call to action, but it is buried somewhere at the bottom of the page.

Or maybe your website looks beautiful, but the customer has no idea where to go next.

These are the kinds of problems that are easy to overlook when you are the person who built the website or knows the business inside and out.

You already understand what you sell.

You already know where to click.

You already know what happens after someone contacts you.

But the customer does not.

They are experiencing your business for the first time, and they should not have to figure everything out on their own.

What Actually Matters Instead

The goal of the customer journey test is to understand how someone experiences your business without your help.

And here is the important part.

Do not help them.

If you have to explain where to click, what a service means, or how to complete the purchase, that is exactly the problem you need to identify.

The goal is to see how someone who has never interacted with your business experiences it for the first time.

If they do not understand what your business does, what you are selling, or what the next step should be, then something is wrong and you have to fix it.

The customer journey should not feel like solving a puzzle.

It should feel natural, simple, and clear.

Every step should help the customer move closer to making a decision, not create another reason to leave.

What We Notice When We Look at a Business from the Customer’s Side

Sometimes the best way to improve your marketing is not to spend more money on ads, redesign your entire website, or create more content.

Sometimes all you need to do is look at your business through the eyes of someone who has never seen it before.

You might discover that the customer cannot find the information they need.

You might discover that the service is not explained clearly.

Or you might discover that the customer understands what you offer but has no idea what to do next.

These are important things to notice because they change how someone experiences your business.

And they are easy to miss when you already know everything about it.

Customer Journey Test: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test my customer journey?

Ask two or three people who are unfamiliar with your business to navigate your website and try to complete a purchase or booking without your help.

What should I look for during a customer journey test?

Pay attention to whether they understand what your business does, what you offer, what they need to do to get started, and whether they can easily find the information they need.

Should I help someone during the customer journey test?

No. The goal is to see how someone experiences your business without your help.

If you have to explain where to click or how to complete the purchase, that is something you need to identify.

What if people do not understand what my business does?

If someone who has never interacted with your business cannot understand what you do, what you sell, or what the next step should be, something needs to be fixed.

Do I need to redesign my website after a customer journey test?

Not necessarily.

Sometimes the problem is simply that the customer cannot find the information they need or does not understand what happens next.

The important thing is to identify the problem before assuming you need to spend more money.

Try Buying from Your Own Business

Try buying from your own business.

You might discover that the problem was never getting people to your website.

It was making it easy for them to buy.