A good user experience is essential for any website, regardless of its size, content, or purpose. Even the most beautifully designed website will fail if it doesn’t offer a positive user experience. And as Google has stated on multiple occasions, user experience is a key ranking factor.
A Goodfirm Study has shown that almost 61% of users will leave a website if they find the navigation bad and 38% when the website layout is outdated or poorly designed. Another study showed that a single extra second of loading time can decrease conversion rates by 4.42%.
These statistics show just how important user experience is for any website that wants to be successful. If your website is difficult to use or takes too long to load, you’re going to lose visitors – and potential customers.
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to improve the user experience on your website. In this article, we’ll share some tips on how to optimize your website for a better user experience.
What is User Experience?
User experience (UX) refers to the way a person feels when using a website or app. It’s the overall experience that a user has with your website or app, taking into account everything from the design and layout to the speed and usability.
Google has also announced some Core Web Vitals which is a combination of the key performance metrics like page speed and user interaction measurements. It’s basically the way of Google to determine the overall UX of the page.
UX and SEO
User experience (UX) is a hot topic in the world of web design and development. But does it really matter to SEO? The answer is a resounding yes! UX plays a vital role in the success of any website, and that includes its search engine optimization.
Google has said that they use more than 200 different ranking factors in their algorithm, and user experience is definitely one of them. If you want to rank well in the search results, you need to make sure that your website is designed and optimized for a good user experience.
In a recent episode of Search off the Record, Martin Splitt, Gary Illyes, and Lizzi Sassman discussed user experience and SEO. Some interesting points discussed during this episode like how page experience differs from user experience and page experience mostly are technical aspects and a subset of user experience. Additionally, topics discussed around how you write content for users, reading level, site navigation, URL structure, etc., and yes, there is going to be a series of episodes on UX and SEO.
Why is UX important for SEO?
User experience has become increasingly important in the world of SEO. This is because Google has been focusing more on the user experience of websites when it comes to ranking them in search results. This means that if your website provides a good user experience, it is more likely to rank higher in Google search results.
There are a number of factors that contribute to a good user experience, such as website speed, mobile-friendliness, and whether the website is easy to use. If your website ticks all of these boxes, then it is more likely to provide a good user experience and, as a result, rank higher in Google search results. Here’s why:
1. User experience is important for overall website success.
UX is the top factor that determines how successful a website is. It can affect whether or not a visitor will return, what pages they visit, and how likely they are to recommend your site to others. All of these factors are critical to SEO success.
User Experience makes websites more engaging. Engaging websites are those that keep visitors hooked. They’re easy to use, filled with interesting content, and provide helpful tips and instructions along the way. Good UX also makes it easy for visitors to find the information and products they’re looking for. In short, good UX makes users happy, and they are more likely to recommend your site to their friends.
Similarly, User experience is essential for a comfortable website. Comfortable websites are those that are easy to use and navigate. They’re also easy on the eyes, which makes them more appealing to users. Good UX makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for, and it provides helpful tips and instructions along the way. In simple words, good UX makes websites easy to use and navigate.
2. User experience affects search engine ranking.
At its core, SEO is the practice of driving traffic to a website from search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher a site’s rank, the more likely people are to find it. That’s why UX is so important: A well-designed and user-friendly site will be more likely to rank well in Google and other search engines.
For e.g. Great Learning’s Career Path had a bad UX design which acted as a hindrance to its success. The page developed with the purpose of guiding students for different career paths they can take, actually distracted them due to a lot of cluttered information (Please refer to the image below):
Now, if you look at the improved UX of the page, you can clearly see that the webpage design has been refined, and focused on clear CTA, easy navigation, and user engagement. (See the image below)
Source: https://www.mygreatlearning.com/academy/career-paths/data-analyst
This resulted in a 50%+ improvement in organic traffic.
3. User experience boosts conversions.
Conversions are the number of visitors who become customers. Good UX can help improve conversions by making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for and to get the information they need. It can also help them navigate the website securely and quickly. In other words, good UX makes it more likely that visitors will take the next step and buy something from you.
4. User experience promotes site content.
Site content is the information you put on your website. It includes text, images, and videos. Good UX helps promote site content by making it easy for visitors to find and access it. It can also help them find the information they need quickly and easily.
5. User experience is important for people with disabilities.
People with disabilities may have difficulty using websites that are difficult to understand or navigate. Good UX makes websites easy to use and navigate, regardless of a visitor’s disability. That means that people with disabilities will be able to access and use your website as easily as anyone else.
It means if you create a good user experience on your website, that can even be useful for people having poor internet connections, or for the people who have an excessively dull physical environment or very brightly lit rooms. In short, we can say that it’s beneficial for users with disabilities.
6. User experience establishes trust.
Trust is the most important factor in any online relationship. Good UX creates trust by making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for and to get the information they need. It also promotes ease of use, which builds trust. Finally, good UX makes it easy for visitors to find and engage with your website’s content. All of these factors help establish trust between you and your visitors.
A good User Experience provides credibility and authority to the website. It also improves website accessibility which means people are able to use or crawl the website easily. They are able to perceive and understand what the website is trying to convey. The accessibility of the website, in return, improves the user experience of the website.
7. UX creates a positive user experience.
A positive user experience is when users enjoy using your website. It’s the opposite of a negative user experience, which is when users have a negative experience that injures their overall online experience. Good UX helps create a positive user experience by making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for, get the information they need, and stay engaged with your site.
8. User experience is essential for customer retention and satisfaction.
Customer retention is the percentage of customers who continue to use a product or service over a period of time. Customer satisfaction is the opinion of customers regarding the quality, performance, and satisfaction of a product or service. In other words, good UX makes it easy for your visitors to stick around.
How to improve User Experience and SEO
There are many best practices that you can do to improve the user experience on your website for better SEO performance, and we have listed a few of them below:
1. Make sure your website is easy to use and navigate
Make it easy for visitors to find information on your website by using a clear navigation system. You need to focus on how to make your website’s navigation better, whether that’s by making sure you have a sitemap or by improving the way you’re using internal linking. The complex architecture and navigation throughout the website really hamper the SEO.
A good example of a sitemap from apple.com showcases all the different products, and sections through an HTML sitemap, similarly Class Central provides the option to view all subjects/topics for different learning domains which users can navigate. These sitemaps are not just helpful to improve user experience but also help in passing the link equity to different categories, and sub-section of the website which helps in rankings too.
Source: Class Central
Simplified navigation enhances the user experience and makes users stay more on the webpage. Websites should have simplified menus. A menu is a set of links that allow visitors to navigate to different pages on a website. Menus are typically the guide for the users, which should not be complex.
Pro-tip: Use categories and subcategories in menus to list the most significant pages of the website. Also, consider providing a drop-down menu for multiple pages of a category.
Just like in the above image. There is a drop-down menu for every product category. You need to synthesize your menu components and categorize them for creating a better user experience and for more user engagement.
2. Improve your overall website structure
When you have a well-structured website that’s easy to use, it becomes much easier for both your potential customers and for search engines to find your content. Try to find a balance between a website that’s well-designed and easy to use, but also a website that’s easy for search engines to index.
When it comes to website structure, there are a few key things to keep in mind to ensure a good user experience. First, the structure should be simple and easy to navigate. Second, the most important content should be easy to find and accessible from the home page. Finally, the website should be designed to work well on both desktop and mobile devices.
For a well-structured website you need clear and concise navigation, use descriptive and keyword-rich titles and headings, and have a well-organized hierarchy of information. Good website structure helps search engines understand the relationships between different pieces of content on your website, and makes it easier for users to find the information they are looking for.
On the technical side, a better structure with links to different sections improves crawlability of the site which allows Google to discover, crawl and index your website, this involves navigating different parts of the website to understand the website well.
3. User-friendly URL Structures
URL structures are extremely important for creating a good User Experience. It really helps users to be familiar with the web pages; they could sense where they are on your website.
A URL like this is really confusing for the users, and it also puzzles search engines. The search engines are unable to find the right keywords in this kind of URL and get confused in indexing the page. It can really hamper the SEO rankings of your webpage.
Instead of this, use URL structures that are clear and easily understandable. For e.g. https://www.mygreatlearning.com/digital-marketing/courses
In this URL, you can clearly understand that it is about Digital Marketing Courses. These URLs are definitely better structured than lengthy and complex ones.
4. Improve your website’s overall usability
When you make sure that your website is easy to use and your content is easy to access, your potential customers will spend more time on your website and that will have a direct impact on how your website ranks on search engine results pages. Try to improve your website’s overall usability by making sure it’s designed in a way that makes it easier for your potential customers to find your content.
5. Make your information easier to find
While this may sound simple enough, a lot of people make the mistake of disregarding the importance of making their information easier to find. Having too much content on your website can leave users feeling overwhelmed, with them going over to your competitor’s website to find the information they are looking for instead.
For example, Zillow, a real estate group’s website, is the most visited real estate website in the US. And, the image below shows why. The website is aesthetically designed with features and functions. Using minimal options, it has seamless navigation and provides the right information to the right audience.
Source: https://www.zillow.com/
6. Use clear and concise headings and titles
Headings and titles are an important part of any well-written document, but they’re especially important when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). Titles and headings that are clear, concise, and keyword-rich help users quickly learn what’s important, and they also help Google optimize your document for the most relevant search results.
For example, writing the title for this article is important because we want to keep the reader to know what they expect when they land on this article. It involves adding your primary keyword which is ‘UX and SEO’, we searched for relevant terms to understand different intent searched by users and incorporated them in our title, and subheadings. This way, your readers will know exactly what to expect, and they’ll be able to find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily.
7. Use high-quality images and videos
Search engines crawl and index websites based on the quality of their content. If your site is filled with low-quality images and videos, it is less likely to rank high in search results. On the other hand, if your site features high-quality images and videos and follows best practices, it is more likely to get better engagement which indirectly helps in rankings. This is because search engines recognize that sites with high-quality content are more likely to provide a good user experience.
In addition to helping improve your SEO, high-quality responsive images and videos also help to improve the overall look and feel of your site. This can make a big difference in the amount of traffic that you receive, as well as the conversion rate. A site that looks professional and is easy to navigate is more likely to attract and retain visitors than a site that is poorly designed and difficult to use.
For e.g. Refer to the image below, this is a perfect example of how clear, high-quality images and colorful backgrounds can improve the website design and offer a good User experience.
Source: https://us.coca-cola.com/
Of course, other benefits like images appearing in featured snippets if the images are relevant to the user query and matches the intent or showing images within the search snippet in the case of eCommerce.
8. Improve content readability with understandable and well-written content
Make sure your pages are focused and easy to understand. Write well-organized and concise text that is easy to read, useful, and relevant to your target audience. The vast majority of website users browse the content without reading it. They are in search of the information they need to find out.
It’s not enough that you write great content, because if that’s not content your audience is interested in, then it’s not going to get any attention. Try to determine your audience as good as you can, and then write content that they will find valuable and interesting.
Just ask yourself: How can you make your content clearer to the users?
This is how the process of content creation enhances user experience and hence, boosts SEO processes too.
9. Optimize your website for mobile devices
Giving mobile users a great user experience is a major requirement for good SEO performance, particularly for sites that have a lot of visitors from mobile devices. More than half of the internet traffic comes through mobile devices nowadays. The growing popularity of mobile devices and the increased usage creates a need for a Mobile-friendly website. If a business does not have a mobile-friendly website, they tend to lose most of its SEO traffic. A mobile-friendly layout should be designed by UX designers that can complement the SEO optimization for mobile devices.
For Example, Etsy is an eCommerce platform for buying or selling unique items. The mobile site of this marketplace is not only easy to navigate but also informative. This helps Etsy to attract customers who search for specific items or categories.
Source: Hubspot
It is necessary to keep the layout of your Website simple, effective and informative. If the user finds the navigation through your site easy and the design engaging, the likelihood of a return visit increases dramatically. Mobile-first responsive design is an especially important component for an approachable layout, as it ensures that users on the go can access the same content on their mobile device as those on the desktop.
10. Make sure your website loads quickly
Ensure your website loads quickly and that there are no broken links on your pages. Your website needs to be quicker to load than ever before, with a recent study conducted by Google finding that 53% of users will leave if they have to wait 3 seconds for a page to load. As page load time goes from 1 second to 10 seconds, the probability of a mobile site visitor bouncing increases 123%.
That’s a huge number, right?
A website that is easy to navigate, user-friendly and loads fast is preferred by the users. With user experience on your website being so important to your success and SEO ranking, you can no longer afford to neglect your website loading times.
11. Improve your website’s visual appeal
You want your site to be well-designed so that search engines can better understand it, and because that can help you engage with your audience better. The speed of your website, its layout, and easy use of your search bar, will improve the overall usability of your website. Try to avoid clutter and cluttered designs that may reflect poorly on your website. Also keep in mind that the mobile aspect of your website is very important because more and more search engine users are doing their research from mobile devices.
The UX design of the website should be such that it does not disrupt SEO. Having the perfect sized layouts, headers, and text can really help SEO to boost website traffic. Some tips to improve the usability and traffic of the website are to include images and videos, call-to-action throughout the website, and add relevant content to which the user can relate. These UX layouts will help boost SEO.
12. Optimize your CTAs
Your content can be of the best quality and based on in-depth research and data, but if you have issues with your website’s conversion rates (leads, profits earned) your efforts are pointless. You need to make sure that the calls to action you’ve placed elsewhere can be visible on your website, using proportional, visible font, button and contrasting colors that allow users to recognize the content and find links to other web pages.
For Example, Great Learning, India’s most trusted education platform has optimized CTAs on its website in a way that is clearly visible and allows users to take action. The CTAs “Explore Programs” and “Start Now” are placed in contrasting colors and are clearly distinguishable from the rest of the content on the website.
Source: https://www.mygreatlearning.com/
13. Make it easy for your visitors to contact you
We know that your website should look good and be user-friendly, but the basics have to be there too; you aren’t going to get any sales if your customers can’t contact you!
Almost all websites these days will share a telephone number and an email address (sometimes a social media account), and that’s ideal – some customers may feel more comfortable with telephone calls, some may prefer email, but ensure that anyone looking to speak to you can easily do so if they need to. This is vital if there are issues with sales, stock, or payment.
Conclusion
User experience matters to SEO because it is one of the KEY factors that can ultimately help customers connect with your site and recommend it to others. User experience includes how your site looks and feels, how easy it is to find what you need, and how well your site responds to user input. Poor user experience can frustrate customers, decrease site traffic, and ultimately harm your SEO efforts. By taking steps to improve your user experience, you can encourage more people to visit your site, help them find what they need quickly, and provide a positive experience that will encourage them to recommend your site to others.
Poor user experience can be caused by a variety of factors, including Design flaws, Incorrect or incomplete information, Error messages, Slow site response times, and Inadequate navigation. By addressing these issues, you can instill confidence in your customers and improve the overall user experience on your site.
Overall, improving your user experience is one of the most important things you can do to improve your SEO. By making sure your site is easy to use, providing accurate information, and responding quickly to user input, you can create a positive experience that will encourage customers to return and recommend your site to their friends.