Have you ever involved an SEO specialist and a UX specialist in the same project? There can easily be disagreements when each specialist should make recommendations on how to optimize a website. As a client, it is not always easy to know who to listen to. But do you have to choose a page?
No, not necessarily.
Ok, SEO targets search engines while user experience (UX) targets site visitors. But both parties have a common goal. They want to give users the best possible experience.
Despite differing views, there are areas where both teams can benefit from a joint effort. Here are seven synergies between SEO and UX, where working towards a common goal favors both sides.
1. Clear URL structure
SEO: By having a clear URL structure, you clarify to the visitor where your website ends up if you click on the search result. It increases the chance that the visitor clicks on the search result compared to a messy URL that contains difficult-to-understand symbols and characters such as the image below.
UX: A clear and well-structured URL provides a better pedagogy and credibility on the site. The visitor can easily see where the site is and how deep the structure is.
A messy vs. structured URL structure
2. Good and structured content
SEO: As we all know, Google aims to offer its visitors as relevant and qualitative content as possible. To determine if the website offers it, Google looks at a number of hygiene factors. Among other things, the structure of the page, the headings, if the content is spelled correctly and that images have been marked with alt tags.
UX: UX: The above is of course something that a UX specialist is also constantly working on. By providing the visitor with relevant, interesting and easy-to-understand, high-quality content, we meet the basic needs of the visitor. This is necessary for the visitor to appreciate the site and potentially convert.
But did you know that...
… Approximately 1.3% of all internet users * use screen readers, due to disabilities, to access content on a website. By having clear content and tagged images, you cater to the needs of all visitors - and Google's!
3. Internal links
SEO: We all know that it is important to have links to gain authority in the search results. But we must not forget internal links! The number of internal links to a page indicates how important the page is.
UX: As a UX specialist, you have the opportunity to convey more relevant content to the visitor by linking to other products or articles on the page. This way, you open up the opportunity to keep visitors a little longer on the site. And every extra second gives the company the opportunity to build a brand, inform, and finally convert.
Different ways to use internal links on a page
4. Logical navigation
SEO: The navigation of a site goes hand in hand with internal links. A logical navigation is the same as a logical site structure and is extra important for crawl ability if the site does not have a sitemap. Although there is a sitemap, Google tries to crawl all sites manually to see that it matches the reality.
UX: Logical navigation is essential for a good user experience. It helps the visitor to easily find the website, step by step in the buying process.
5. Reduces pogo-sticking
Have you ever clicked on one of Google's search results but were not completely satisfied with the results on the web page, so you click back to the search results and click on another suggestion instead? This behavior is called pogo-sticking and indicates that the visitor did not find what they were looking for in the proposed search result. The behavior gives Google the signal that the visitors did not find what they were looking for on that page and in other words, the page might not rank as high on that keyword.
SEO: As SEOs, we want to reduce this behavior. To do that, we need to make sure that what we promise in the metadata in the search result is what we deliver on the page the visitor lands on.
UX: Good UX can do wonders for lowering pogo-sticking. By offering a good user experience that captures the visitor and makes them want to stay on the page, we can lower pogo-sticking and also achieve a reduced bounce rate.
6. Short loading time
SEO: Load time is one of the most important ranking factors that Google is looking at. If it takes Google to get to your site, Google will most likely not award your site to its visitors.
UX: Regardless of the traffic source, a short load time reduces the risk of the visitor bouncing and never even comes to step one of the company's offer. If the visitor can't wait for a slow page... then the visitor will not even have the opportunity to see all the work the UX specialist has done...
7. Content based on local search
SEO: Local search is a good source of inspiration for creating more relevant and search-friendly content. By customizing landing pages by city or area, companies have the ability to take advantage of long-tail search terms, which also convert better.
UX: Not only that. This also opens up the opportunity to provide a more specific user experience for someone living in a specific city or area.
Let me give you an example. Say you own a restaurant chain with three restaurants located in three different districts in Stockholm - Södermalm, Vasastan, and Östermalm. In addition to the location, the menu at each restaurant also differs. By creating a landing page for each restaurant, you have the opportunity to capture searches such as "lunch sushi Södermalm" and provide the visitor with accurate information, instead of directing all visitors to a general landing page.
Ready to collaborate?
Hopefully, both the SEO team, the UX team, and the clientele have now received some inspiration in how both sides can collaborate and work towards simple common goals.
Need help getting organized on SEO and UX? Then we are ready to cooperate with you. Email or give us a call and we'll solve the rest!
Sabine Ljunggren
SEO Specialist
