The way websites are ranked has changed over the years. A decade ago, website rankings were based solely on keywords and backlinks. Those times, users had a hard time finding websites that were relevant to their search query because spammy websites were easily outranking relevant websites.

Nowadays, website design and user engagement metrics like bounce rate, time spent on the site, and pages visited are used to determine how accurate and relevant your webpage is to a particular search query. As a result, usability and UX design have become essential elements of SEO.

We’ve outlined five UX components that can affect SEO to help you understand how UX and SEO are connected and ultimately know where to concentrate your efforts.

1. Site Usability and Navigation

It’s no secret that modern online users prefer simple-to-use websites.

A confusing or difficult-to-navigate site menu will disrupt your user’s experience and cause them to leave sooner. If you’re receiving a ton of daily traffic, but no one is converting because your website is challenging to use or the information is unclear, it’s all for nothing.

So how can navigation and SEO be improved simultaneously? Use categories and subcategories to help your users quickly find what they’re looking for. To avoid cluttering your menu, you can create a drop-down menu if a category contains multiple pages.

2. User-Friendly Page Layouts

SEO potential is disrupted by poor layout design and formatting. Users may find it challenging to read your site if it is overly crowded with information. At the same time, if your site isn’t appealing and simple to navigate, users are more likely to hit the back button as soon as they land on your page.

So, how do you make your layouts more UX and SEO-friendly?

  • Use headers and tags to specify what each page is about.
  • Use relevant pictures and videos to convey vital information and engage your audience.
  • Include elements that link to related content at the end of a page layout to keep visitors on your website longer.

3. Optimize for Site Load Speed

Site speed is an essential site metric that directly affects user experience and your rankings. Although there isn’t much you can do if the user’s internet connection is slow, you can make sure your site is optimized to load as quickly as possible by:

  • Minifying file sizes.
  • Optimizing images
  • Avoiding too many animations and visual effects on key landing pages.

4. Ensure Mobile Responsiveness

Usability and SEO now demand mobile-responsive design. Sites not mobile-responsive will lose a sizable portion of user engagement as more than 50% of web traffic is now driven by mobile search.

More and more people are shifting from desktop to mobile usage. By adapting your website’s content for mobile devices, you will be able to generate more user engagement.

5. Using Search Data To Inform Site Architecture

You can create a single, uncluttered landing page for each query rather than creating multiple ones for different queries. If a subject is too broad to be covered in one page, you can develop “pillar” content using your key terms. This involves using a single main page where you discuss each of the subjects you will cover. Then, you create several smaller subpages that point back to that main pillar. This aids users in finding the right information while assisting search engines in navigating and indexing your website’s pages.

Conclusion

Enhancing your SEO ranking with UX doesn’t just mean making your page load faster. Simple strategies, like ensuring a call-to-action button is clickable on a mobile page, can improve a website’s UX and SEO performance. In addition, adding images and alt text to a website simultaneously gives search engines more information and gives your content context. Understanding how SEO and UX work together is essential for success.

 

We are a web design and development team with a presence on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast that partners with businesses to create websites that impress your customers.

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