Creating an online business plan, must include a website. And a website must be well optimized for a great user experience (UX). Most businesses end up focusing on just ranking their website higher. But, did you know, UX matters a lot when brushing up your SEO?
To understand this, let’s dig deeper into the relation of UX and SEO.
What is User Experience?
The most important thing about your website is that it should be user-friendly. From the site menu to the header, the images, links, etc. all become a part of UX. It also includes the way the text is written and how the categories have been arranged on the website. Even more so, the ways of presenting content in alternative ways such as videos, graphics, etc. are also applicable.
But, user experience also ties up with how easily a user can find your website on search. Is it really user-friendly, if it is not locatable? Definitely not.
Combining a great user experience with the right keywords will give you the website you need for your business. To do this, you must first know what SEO means.
What is SEO?
SEO or Search Engine Optimization, is inherently the practise of optimizing your website’s content based on the search engine algorithms and metrics. Search engines rank websites by comparing quality, relevance and authority of its content.
Your online business plan must be around a certain product or service that you’re selling. Therefore, your website must also be optimized around the same, so that every time a user looks for the same, your website is discoverable to them.This starts with choosing the right keywords for your business and using them the correct number of times. Placing them strategically, and following best practices when choosing keywords and where to use them could help you reach the first-page results of a search engine.
Correct keywords usage is part of what will enhance a user’s experience on your site.
How does UX and SEO go together?
The Google Panda update in 2011 focused on eliminating sites with low quality content and reduced the content to ad ratios on site pages.
Then, the Penguin update that followed a year later was included to improve user experiences.
Since then, an effective SEO strategy must include optimizing your pages, titles and meta descriptions with the proper keywords. You must also use the appropriate H1, H2 and H3 headings that search engines like. Having a well-designed site ensures that your visitors return. If people keep coming back to your site, it increases your domain authority, and it keeps rising further to the top of search results.
Here are some tips and tricks to align your website’s UX and SEO efficiently:
- Do not try to spam the content with keywords just so you can elevate your rank on a search engine.
- Providing content with multiple forms of accessibility would improve experience for the sight and hearing impaired, and provide basic html versions as it helps users load your site pages even if they, for example, only temporarily have slow, unsecured Wifi. Therefore, include alt text, descriptions or captions with images.
- Carefully plan a layout for your website design. To increase the convenience of your visitors, include a search bar at the top of your page, in case they cannot find something on the menu. Break long chunks of text with images and bulleted lists if you can, to decrease the monotony of the content. Just make sure that your images do not load slowly.
While creating a menu, make sure all your subcategories belong under the main category menu items. Try avoiding menu drop-down options as mobile users cannot see them when navigating your site pages. - The page speed is another issue that could affect people who are experiencing internet connectivity problems. You can make use of content management systems that provide plugins to automatically optimize images and graphics to improve page loading. Also, choosing the right web host would help your pages to respond faster over pages that respond more slowly. Sites often load too slowly because the host has poor infrastructure which doesn’t support the website efficiently.
- A quick trick, but a useful one. Always provide a quick way back “Home”.
While creating your online business plan, keep in mind the necessities of creating an intuitive website for your customers and visitors. If you face any difficulty with the same, we are here to help you. Contact us today!
