Getting users to your website is only half the battle.
What kind of experience do they have when they get there? Can users find what they need easily?
We’ve all felt the frustration of trying to navigate a poorly designed website – from waiting for pages to load slowly to clicking on disorganized content.
When you have to dig deep to do the simplest of tasks, it starts to feel counter-productive.
Information on a website should be clearly presented and easily accessible. Otherwise, users will quickly quit when they realize they can’t find what they’re looking for.
And what good is attracting lots of web traffic if you can’t get people to stick around, much less convert?
Why implement a search engine optimization strategy only to drop the ball when it comes to user experience?
It is important that your site has the best of both worlds: Content that is digestible for search engines and intuitive and user-friendly web design.
The key to successful websites is striking the right balance between UX and SEO and learning how to leverage their combined power.
In our latest eBook, “UX & SEO: Improving Online Findability and User Experience With a Combined Approach,” Loren Baker, founder of Search Engine Journal, details how these two concepts go hand in hand.
“If you want your content to outperform tough competitors, you need the power of UX and SEO combined,” writes Baker.
“They are so closely intertwined that there is no point where one ends and the other begins. You need a UX mindset to do SEO well and to optimize content so it can be found in relevant search results.”
The UX Factor: How User Experience Impacts Search Engines
An effective way to strengthen your search marketing strategy is to take a user-first approach.
Search engine optimization is not just about using the right keywords and schema markup.
If users have a subpar experience on your website, why would search engines continue to send people there?
Google has shifted focus to usability with updates like Core Web Vitals, which measure how a page actually looks to a user.
With user intent as the main driving force, search engines’ priority is to provide searchers with the best possible experience.
Google’s main goal is to get the best resource in front of the most relevant audience, which means original, high-quality content that consistently ranks higher.
“Every search is good UX at work; it’s a result that meets the searcher’s specific expectations and needs at that moment,” says Baker in our UX & Senior Book.
Leveraging The Combined Power Of UX & SEO
User experience design and search engine optimization are both critical to a website’s performance and profitability.
SEO works to attract more users, and UX factors determine whether they convert.
Focusing on one and not the other could jeopardize your site’s growth and conversion rates.
If all your emphasis is on appealing to search engines, with no regard for UX, you run the risk of leaving users dissatisfied with your site experience.
Conversely, if your audience is the only focus of your web strategy, you could be neglecting other important aspects that affect search rankings.
At the end of the day, it’s all about balance.
When you find that happy medium between the two, you will be rewarded by search engines and users alike.
For more information about the combined approach to UX and SEO, our new ebook has everything you need.
Ready to upgrade your web presence and boost results? In this quick reference guide, you’ll find Search Engine Journal’s best resources on UX and SEO.
Get your copy and find out more!