Search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience (UX) are both important for the success of a website. The problem is they can sometimes be conflicting. For instance, UX may prefer visually rich and interactive elements. Meanwhile, SEO strategies may suggest you remove them to improve site speed.
Thankfully, SEO and UX have been converging for the past decade. As a result, you don’t need to select one over the other. Several strategies allow you to design a high-performing website without ignoring SEO or UX.
In this article, you will learn how integrating SEO and UX can be done through some effective strategies. Here’s the first tip:
Make Your Website Easy to Navigate
Website visitors appreciate seamless navigation. It allows them to quickly find the information they are looking for. With days becoming busier and busier, its importance also increases. Therefore, it is a key to a pleasant user experience.
But that’s not all! Search engines also like easy-to-navigate websites. With a well-thought-out website structure, you make it easy for search engines to crawl and index your content. With that, you can increase your website’s ranking in the SERPs.
Prioritize Mobile-Friendliness
Always keep in mind that most people use their mobile phones to look for information on the internet. That said, mobile-friendliness plays a huge part in making a user-friendly website.
The thing is that mobile-friendliness is also a significant ranking factor. Google uses a mobile-first indexing approach, meaning it checks the mobile version of your website first. So, you are hitting two birds with one stone.
To make a website mobile-friendly, ensure it looks good even on smaller screens. Furthermore, optimize website speed. For images, use lossless formats so that they will be visually clear even when you compress them.
You should also enable browser caching and lazy loading, and minify your code.
Improve Website Security
Numerous websites deal with the users’ sensitive data. That is especially true for e-commerce. But even if you aren’t dealing with sensitive data, people will be afraid malicious actors are intercepting their connection. As such, cybersecurity is a big concern for users.
If your website is not secure, they will be constantly worried. Needless to say, that is not a good user experience. Therefore, you should ensure your website is secure. Install an SSL or TLS certificate and follow cybersecurity best practices. You may also want to reevaluate your website host, as it can also affect your site’s security. If you’re thinking about migrating your website, consider choosing the top shared hosting services that prioritize security and reliability.
Value User Intent in Keyword Research
Targeting high-ranking keywords that don’t have much competition is commonplace. However, it sometimes is not great for the user experience. That said, consider taking a different approach to keyword research. Pay more attention to user intent.
What is user intent? Put simply, it is what’s going on in the users’ minds when they type the keyword. The user’s intent could be to buy a product soon or to learn something new. By understanding their user intent, you can create content that better aligns with what people seek.
Add Alt Text to Images
Suppose your website did not load fully. There’s a high chance that the user will not be able to view the images. They will only see a blank space where it should be. In some cases, images are important to understand the content. So, you should prevent this from happening.
However, some things are out of your control. For example, the user’s internet connection may be slow. This highlights the importance of using alt text or image tags. It becomes visible even if the image fails to load, allowing users to understand what it is supposed to be. Furthermore, it is also great for accessibility. Image tags help people who rely on assistive tools like screen readers to understand what is on your website.
So, image tags are great for improving user experience, but how do they affect SEO? They allow you to use more keywords. However, remember to avoid keyword stuffing.
How To Measure the Effectiveness of Your UX and SEO Strategies?
You must understand the key metrics that give you insights into the effectiveness of your strategies. It allows you to make informed decisions.
Here are these metrics:
- Bounce Rate and Conversion Rate: Analyze how many of your visitors quickly leave and how many stay and make purchases.
- Click Depth and Page View: Look into how many views a page has, and how many clicks a user did to get there.
- Test Metrics: Conduct user tests to understand user behavior. See if it aligns with what you predicted in your strategies.
Need Assistance?
While there are intersections between UX and SEO, they can also be conflicting. Many times, you will find yourself at a crossroads where you will question which to prioritize. Experts in both UX and SEO may be able to find a way that does not make you sacrifice one for another.
That said, it is wise to collaborate with SEO and web design agencies to craft effective strategies. Let Shanty Town Design & Marketing be your partner. Shanty Town offers web design services, where skilled web designers and developers build websites that consider all angles of your brand’s online presence. The team is also versed in crafting SEO and digital marketing strategies that are sure to increase your brand’s online visibility.
Interested? Contact Shanty Town Design & Marketing now to get started.
Conclusion
Integrating SEO and UX helps create a high-performing website. Fortunately, these two often converge, allowing you to optimize for both simultaneously. Some things you can do include ensuring mobile-friendliness, aligning content with user intent, and designing an intuitive website structure.
Developing SEO and UX design strategies can be a daunting task, especially for new and small businesses. Identifying which to prioritize in situations where you have to select one or finding workarounds can be challenging. Consider finding help from marketing and design agencies like Shanty Town to make things easier and ensure strategy effectiveness.