A great deal of business is conducted online, and the COVID-19 pandemic drove even more businesses online.
Unfortunately, many businesses quickly realized that their websites were not ready to take on so many users and interactions. Many other websites discovered that their websites were not ranking high enough on search results for them to be noticed by their customers.
These are issues that have a profound impact on the user experience, or UX. Now, you may be wondering why the user experience is important for SEO, or search engine optimization. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that connect the user experience and SEO strategies.
Why is the User Experience So Important for SEO?
One of the foundations of every SEO strategy is following best practices for search engines like Google or Bing.
These search engines are composed of algorithms and quality guidelines that tell Google how authoritative, credible, and user-friendly the site is. If your site is not meeting user-friendliness guidelines, your site ranking may fall.
Today, Google in particular is highly focused on the user experience and user behavior. Google looks at how users interact with websites and how websites perform.
What is Google Looking For?
When someone searches in Google, Google collects data such as.
- How long they stayed on the site.
- The bounce rate (they left without exploring other pages).
- Pages visited per session.
- Whether the visitor is a return visitor.
They use this information to determine if your website is a user-friendly resource. If they deem it to be one, you will rank higher in search results.
Try a Human-Centered Approach
Now, you may be wondering what you should look for in user-friendliness on your website. First, think about your website. Does it answer a user’s question? Is your content offering value, usefulness, and credibility? Next, ask yourself these questions about your website.
- Does it help the user accomplish their goal?
- Does the site give the user easy access to information and functionality?
- Is the information they are searching for easy to find?
- Are users happy with their experience?
What about Functionality?
Another way that user experience and SEO are connected is through the functionality of your website. Search engines are looking for websites that are easy to navigate, load quickly and properly, and are optimized for computers and mobile devices. These websites rank higher and are viewed as more user-friendly. This makes search engines happy.
Of course, by optimizing your website to be user-friendly, you are also making users happy and more likely to return to your site.
Conclusion
While it is obvious that we cannot ignore search engines and their ever-evolving algorithms, now our focus must shift a bit to the user experience and the value that our sites bring to users. That is the true connection between SEO and user experience.
Still have questions about how to improve your user experience and overall SEO strategy? Reach out to our SEO experts to learn more.
