Best of Both Worlds: How to Make SEO and User Experience Work Together

When you dig into what search engine optimization (SEO) is at its core, you quickly realize that it’s all about user experience (UX).

Search engines like Google don’t want to recommend their users to sites with a poor UX, so they only rank sites who check certain boxes. And website owners want to rank high, so they try to do things that the search engines want, accidentally improving their UX in the process.

But if you simply focus on UX, you’ll notice that SEO becomes much easier and less complicated. In this article, we’ll tell you a few ways you can tackle both UX and SEO at the same time. Let’s get started!

Responsive Web Design

Did you know that, in 2018, over 52% of all web traffic came from mobile devices? That’s a number that is expected to continue to increase over the next few years, and because of this, search engines have begun to rank sites that are mobile-friendly higher.

By having a responsive website design, your site will look good and function well on multiple devices. And not only will your users enjoy being able to cleanly browse your site on their laptop, smartphone, or tablet but search engines will take notice, too.

Page Speed

It doesn’t matter how good your website looks or how strong your content is if your website won’t load quickly. Users aren’t sticking around to wait for something to load when there are a ton of options in their search results that will give them what they want… and fast.

By ensuring that your site loads quickly, you’re improving your UX and giving your site a better chance to rank higher. Not sure if your site is fast enough? Google offers a useful speed checker tool that will give you a grade, as well as some pointers on how to speed your site up.

Simple Navigation

It can’t be overstated how important speed is in regards to positive user experience. And while loading times play a huge role, user navigation is equally important, too.

Because let’s face it, if users can’t find something on your site in just a few clicks, they’re not going to stick around for long. And if too many users close out of your site too fast, search engines will take note and bump you down in the search results.

A great way to ensure your navigation is good is to follow the three clicks rule. If something on your site can’t be found in three clicks or less, your site’s navigation is too complicated.

Addressing UX and SEO at the Same Time

Well, there you have it! Those are a few ways you can address both UX and SEO at the same time!

Remember, search engines want to direct their users to sites that offer good UX. So by focusing on UX, you’re actually improving your site’s SEO at the same time.

Make sure your site’s website design is responsive, so it’ll work well on every device. Speed is important, too, so try to make sure your site is as fast as possible. Navigation is something that you should put a high priority on as well, especially if you want to keep users on your site for more than a few seconds.

Need help with your SEO strategy? Still have some questions? Contact us today, we’ll be glad to help you!