As a business owner, you should know how to maximize the potential of your website.
The digital world works uniquely. Before, keyword stuffing and backlinking may work in boosting your rankings. But, search engine algorithms have changed. Google and other search engines are now shifting their focus to two things: (1) user experience (UX) and (2) human behavior.
An improved website usability enables you to reap astounding benefits, including increased website traffic, better engagement, and higher rankings.
You should better understand all the aspects — website speed, mobile-friendliness, navigation, and content. All of these have a role to play in the overall user experience of your website.
What Is User Experience and Its Role in SEO?
Web design has different parts, and one of them is UX optimization. User experience optimization focuses on the time the user reaches your website, and it happens onsite. On the other hand, offsite UX usually refers to customer experience. The three components of overall website UX are layout, design, and user interaction.
There had been a time when website designers were mainly concerned with search engine standards. Content, keywords, and backlinks used to be enough to have a decent ranking. Nowadays, Google and other search engines are more inclined to a user’s behavior because it helps produce more targeted SERPs for a specific user.
Search engines collect user data and crawl websites. If your website has poor data, you’ll likely see your ranking go down. One of the many things that Google measures is the rate of pogo-sticking. It is where users visit a site, don’t find what they’re looking for, and find another search result that might satisfy their intent.
If your website has a high pogo-sticking and bounce rate, it could only mean one thing: your website doesn’t deliver the results your visitors want. Websites with lower bounce rates will rank higher across search engines.
User Experience Design and SEO Practices: What Can You Do?
Search engines don’t have the slightest idea why a website has a high bounce rate. All they monitor is the amount of website traffic you get. Have a look at your website and determine which aspect you need to improve. Here are some things you can work on:
1. Mobile-Friendliness
A large percentage of website visits come from mobile devices. For that reason, you should upgrade your website. Your website’s appearance, feel, and ease of navigation can make or break your attempt for a higher ranking. If your website doesn’t have a mobile-friendly version, now is the perfect time to set up one.
Remember that the point of a mobile-friendly website is to give the users a straightforward experience. Keep the design and layout simple. Deliver high-quality content and keep your website clutter-free. Ensure that your website’s content is displayed no matter what the screen size.
2. Page Speed
The rate at which your website loads is a ranking factor. The faster the loading times, the better. If it takes more than 30 seconds for every element on your website to load, users will bounce off. They will find another website with a better page speed.
There are a few things you can do to improve your site speed:
- Compress images: Keeping full-screen or large images to 1 MB is advisable. On the other hand, small web graphics should be in a minimum of 300 KB or less.
- Use a clean code: Your code should be secure and easy to modify. A clean code is reliable, predictable, and stable.
- Invest in a faster web-host server: There are different web host servers. Some of them are DreamHost, SiteGround, and Hostinger.
- Optimize other elements of your website: There are several practices you can do, such as reducing redirects, leveraging browser caching, and using a content distribution network.
3. Site Navigation
When a website’s navigation is straight to the point, users will have an easier time. Straightforward navigation helps avoid confusion. They’ll find it uncomplicated to do the things they set out to do. If your website has multiple web pages, make sure that there are quick links they can access.
Always put your feet in the shoes of your target market. In doing so, you’ll be able to come up with something that addresses their needs.
4. Headings
Another way to improve the user experience of your website is to use headings. Headings are a great way to highlight and sort your content. It will also allow users to scroll through and go straight to the part that answers their query. It is also an opportunity to use keywords and boost your rankings.
Search engines like Google use headings to know what your content is all about. There should only be one H1 tag on a page. The other subheadings can use H2 to H6 title tags. Use them accordingly.
How ADMS Can Help
With search engines’ ever-changing algorithms, it will be hard to keep up. Advanced Digital Media Services has a team of seasoned web designers, web developers, content creators, and SEO specialists. We know what makes a website in demand to users and search engines. If you’re looking for quality web design services, call us!
Let our team improve your website’s user experience design to bring the right traffic to you. Book a call with us today, and let’s talk!
