In the search engine optimization business, we spend so much time thinking about Google algorithms, sitemaps, and backlinks that we sometimes lose sight of the main goal: providing useful information to human visitors.
In the past, it was easy to understand why. You could hide your page with keywords, slap on a few meta tags, and voila! Your page was on the first page of search engine results.
Google correctly recognized that this was not the best way to provide the highest quality answers to search queries, so it adjusted its algorithms. Google’s interest in improving user experience (UX) is evidenced with updates such as Panda in February 2011, Core Web Vitals, and other core updates that occur regularly.
That doesn’t mean you can completely forget aspects of traditional SEO and that keywords no longer matter. Search engines still consider basic SEO attributes.
But organic search now also relies on user-first action.
So how do you do that? Here is a list of five steps you can take to make your website more user-friendly, and hopefully climb further up the search engine results page rankings.
1. Learn Design Fundamentals
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You don’t have to master the skills of a graphic designer to improve UX, but having a better understanding of the principles that make up good design is an important tool to keep in your tool belt.
Understanding these principles will allow you to make decisions that will give your website users a better experience, flow more naturally, and generally enjoy using your website more.
When looking into design classes, make sure you’re going to be working with a teacher/instructor who can explain the psychology behind what they’re teaching you.
Understanding the psychological impact of design is the most essential element of what you should be learning – the “why” behind what you implement – so that your decisions have impact pleasant on your users.
2. Address Existing User Pain Points
If you’re working with a website that’s already been around for a while and you’re worried you’re running into user issues, don’t be afraid to use data to your advantage.
The first place you should start is Google Analytics. Assuming you have this setup right for your site, you can determine exactly where users are dropping off your site.
You may find it useful to set up heat mapping and recording.
Heat mapping software gives you the ability to see exactly how people are interacting with your pages.
Some systems even allow screen recording, so you have a direct view of how users move through your website – and what’s stopping them from converting.
Once you have this data, you can make better decisions about ways to improve your pages and give your users the experience they’re looking for.
Having this data could even help you reevaluate exactly what your users hope to get out of your website.
3. Test All The Things
Once you’ve collected your data, you shouldn’t jump straight into making changes to your website. While this data helped you identify potential problems, it wasn’t meant to give you all the answers.
When I’ve identified a problem or want to make a significant design change to a page, I always set up an A/B test to make sure this change is right for my users.
If you’re unfamiliar with A/B testing, this is where you take two variations of a page and split the traffic between them.
Then, over a certain period of time and number of users, you analyze which version of the page performed better for the goal you’re trying to improve (this is usually related to conversions)
If that statement piqued your interest, it might be time to learn more about Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).
The data you collect from your A/B testing efforts will inform you whether your hypothesis about addressable pain points is correct, while also telling you whether you are going to the correct direction to solve the problem.
If your new page variation doesn’t pass the test, you may need to go back to the drawing board and try something different.
While you’re not going to win every single test you try, you’ll at least be taking steps to improve your website, with data to back up your actions.
That’s why testing is so important; you want to make sure the changes you implement help – not hurt.
4. Give The People What They Want
In the long run, it’s all about balance. If you’re only focusing on appealing to search engines, you may be missing the mark with your audience.
If you only work on your website from the user’s perspective, chances are you’ll miss out on the other elements that search engines value.
Once you find that happy middle ground that allows you to keep users and search engines in mind, I’m confident you’ll see positive returns from your efforts on both sides .
5. Never Stop Learning
In any type of digital marketing, it’s important to maintain a hunger to keep learning and improving.
Just as Google will never stop changing its search algorithm, you should never stop exploring new ways to appeal to your website visitors and find ways to improve your search ranking.
Expanding knowledge, not only within your field but in other areas that can have an impact on your work, is one of the most essential skills a professional can have.
Experiences Are Everything
UX is not everyone’s cup of tea – that’s why there’s an entire field of web design devoted to it. You might even have a UX specialist or two at work in your company.
But it’s important to SEO, so you can’t afford to ignore it, or even minimize it.
You need to put yourself in the shoes of someone visiting your website.
Are they having a good experience? Or are they frustrated? Does your website respond to the needs of mobile users or are they trying to zoom in on a desktop version?
Never forget that the connection between user experiences and search visibility not only exists but seems to be growing in importance. And while your website doesn’t need a major overhaul, hopefully, taking a few steps to improve usability can bring big rewards.
Featured Image: fizkes/Shutterstock
What are the 3 steps to successful SEO?
The 3 Steps to Any Successful SEO Campaign
- Step #1 Get to Know Your Buyers and their Search Habits. …
- Step #2 Optimize Your Website and Add New Content. …
- Step #3 Maximize Conversions From Website Visitors.
Why user experience is important in SEO?
UX design can combine the aesthetics side of a website with SEO to improve usability and boost traffic. You can do this by including images and video; use a call to action throughout the site; use clear headings; organize and format content to make it easy to digest; or add links to other exchangeable content.
Why is user experience important to SEO in 2021? The mobile responsive design has gained exceptional importance for UX and SEO. Over 50% of all traffic is now driven by mobile search, and websites that are not mobile friendly will not have the best user experience. According to Google, mobile friendly websites have priority access to appear higher in search rankings.
Is user experience part of SEO?
Think of the SEO and UX partnership this way: SEO targets search engines, and UX targets your website visitors. Both share a common goal of providing the best user experience. Here are some common website elements that affect SEO and user experience.
Is user experience a ranking factor?
UX: an important SEO ranking factor.
Why is user experience so important?
User experience is important because it tries to meet the needs of the user. Its aim is to provide positive experiences that keep a user loyal to the product or brand. In addition, a meaningful user experience allows you to define customer journeys on your product that are most conducive to business success.
What is the point of user experience?
User experience (UX) focuses on gaining a deep understanding of users, what they need, what they value, their capabilities, and also their limitations. It also takes into account the business aims and objectives of the group managing the project.
Why end user experience is important?
A great user experience will engage customers. If you make your products easy to use and ensure they can do what users want effortlessly, customers are much more likely to use your products more often.
What are the benefits of user experience?
A good user experience is obviously good for business. Studies show that companies that invest in UX see lower cost of customer acquisition, lower cost of support, increased customer retention and increased market share, according to a study done by Forrester.
What are the two main parts of SEO quizlet?
1. Technical optimization: website tools to improve SEO that are not related to content. 2. On-page optimization: incorporating keywords into your website content.
What is the main keyword in SEO? When it comes to SEO, these are the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also known as “search queries.” If you boil everything on your page – all the images, video, copy, etc. – into simple words and phrases, those are your main keywords.
What is SEO quizlet?
SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is the process that improves the visibility of a website or web page in the organic (or organic) search results of a search engine. Google Analytics.
What is a SEO quizlet?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is the process that improves the visibility of a website or web page in the organic (or organic) search results of a search engine.
What effect does SEO have on your search quizlet?
SEO helps ensure that a website is known and accessible by search engines, increasing the likelihood of more visits to the website. Studies show that 87% of web searches end up on the first page of results, so a higher ranking page helps get more website visitors.
What is the general difference between SEO and SEM quizlet?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing. The biggest difference between the two is that SEO is free and SEM is paid. SEM includes pay-per-click advertising and display ads that are purchased. Despite the big difference between the two, they work best in unison.
What is SEO and why is it important?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In the simplest terms, good SEO is optimizing your online visibility. This means that the more people who see your website, the more your online traffic will increase, and the better your chances of providing your product or service to more people.
What is SEO and why do I need it?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a strategy for improving your website’s rankings in search engine results. It means identifying what keywords and phrases your target audience uses when searching for products or services like yours, then working towards ranking well for those searches.
Why is SEO still important?
Optimizing your website for SEO means you are more likely to generate organic traffic, which will turn into customers who buy your product or service. When people google, they usually do very specific searches, for example, ‘Honda specialist garage in Walthamstow’.
Why SEO is important for content?
SEO content improves your visibility on search engines which drives traffic to your website and encourages people to buy your products/services. By investing in SEO content, you can add real value to your business’s bottom line.
What are long tail keywords quizlet?
(Long tail keywords are multi-word phrases that are extended or more specific versions of a core fathead term.
What is long-tail and short tail keywords?
A short tail keyword, also known as a ‘main term’, is a general search term that usually consists of 1-3 words and covers a broad topic. Short tail keywords generally have a higher search volume than long tail keywords which means they attract more website visitors.
What is long tail keyword terms?
Long tail keywords are keywords or keyword phrases that are more specific – and usually longer – than more commonly used keywords. Long tail keywords get less search traffic, but will usually have a higher conversion value, as they are more specific.
What are long-tail keywords examples?
Long tail keywords are search queries that get a small number of searches each month. They tend to be longer and more specific than their counterparts and, therefore, often have a higher conversion rate. For example, the keyword “meditation†is a “head†keyword because it gets 211k searches every month.
What is good user experience?
The goal of good UX is to help users do what they want to do when interacting with your business. It can be tempting to think only of details that help convey what you want people to know (such as product information) and what you want them to do (such as clicking the “buy now” button ).
What are examples of user experience? The definition of user experience (UX) Let’s take an e-commerce website as an example. If a customer finds the purchase experience to be long, complex and complicated, then their UX will be poor. Say instead that her buying experience is easy and hassle-free, then the UX will be considered good.
What does user experience include?
User experience (UX) focuses on gaining a deep understanding of users, what they need, what they value, their capabilities, and also their limitations. It also takes into account the business aims and objectives of the group managing the project.
What does the user experience relate to? User experience (UX) and user interface design (UI) often go hand in hand, but the two areas have some important differences. While UX encompasses the overall experience a user has with a product or service, UI focuses on the graphic design and interface.
What are the five elements of user experience?
The five elements of UX design are one of the most common frameworks used by UX designers to create successful designs. The five elements (in order from abstract to concrete) include strategy, scope, structure, skeleton, and surface.
What are elements of user experience?
By breaking down the user experience into four constituent elements – Value, Usability, Adoption and Desirability, I have established a conceptual framework that can help UX professionals identify and work on the key elements of product design.
In which stage of five elements of UX design is the layout defined?
5. Surface. The final element of UX design is where everything comes together. In the surface phase, the designer completes the ‘face’ of the product, which includes visual design, colors, and more.
What is the principles of user experience?
The Interaction Design Foundation defines UX principles as “fundamental advice points for making enjoyable and easy-to-use designs as we select, create and organize elements and features in our work.” Design principles, therefore, form the heart. and the soul of UX design.
What are user experience skills?
UX describes all interactions a customer has with a company, its services, and its products, explains the Nielsen Norman Group. Designers who specialize in UX work to ensure that every touch point, from opening a product box to the layout of its digital interfaces, is easy and enjoyable to navigate.
What is a good user experience?
The goal of good UX is to help users do what they want to do when interacting with your business. It can be tempting to think only of details that help convey what you want people to know (such as product information) and what you want them to do (such as clicking the “buy now” button .