{"id":1417,"date":"2019-04-11T14:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dazzlepop.net\/site\/?p=1417"},"modified":"2019-04-01T11:38:21","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T09:38:21","slug":"why-bother-with-user-experience-ux-tips-for-seo-experts-and-business-owners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dazzlepop.net\/site\/why-bother-with-user-experience-ux-tips-for-seo-experts-and-business-owners\/","title":{"rendered":"Why bother with user experience: UX tips for SEO experts and business owners"},"content":{"rendered":"
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he times when ranking high in search results as the final goal have passed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As search algorithms are improving and there\u2019s no place for keyword stuffing anymore, SEO experts should adopt for trends coming and replacing each other too fast.<\/p>\n

Today SEO involves loads of practices including link building, technical optimization, proper keyword research, and more. Although the process of boosting websites\u2019 rankings is challenging enough, it isn\u2019t the only task SEO specialists should cope with. To help businesses engage their target audience and make them convert is the problem falling to SEO practitioners as well.<\/p>\n

Here comes the need for UX optimization, which is impossible not knowing what matters most of all for the target audience coming to the specific website. In this article, I\u2019ll tell you about the most important steps to focus on for your customers and how to improve the user experience.<\/p>\n

The debate rages: How much does UX count?<\/h2>\n

UX = CTR in some way. The debate about CTR among SEOs is evergreen, really. Everyone tries to defend his or her point of view despite Google\u2019s statements on this issue. And recently, a new wave of discussion sparked up after the\u00a0tweet of Moz SEO, Britney Muller<\/a>. She tweeted about a new\u00a0Google document<\/a>\u00a0that implies CTR matters for ranking.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

Different SEO specialists expressed their opinions and tried to confirm or deny this fact, as several weeks before that Google also said\u00a0CTR for ranking is made up<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example,\u00a0Barry Schwartz said<\/a>\u00a0that this new doc is \u201cConfusing. Google did write \u201cwhen you click a link in Google Search, Google considers your click when ranking that search result in future queries.\u201d They should clarify that it is used for personalized search.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of all these debates, CTR and UX itself is a great practice. Even if it doesn\u2019t improve your rankings, it\u2019ll make your site more understandable, comfortable, and informative for visitors.<\/p>\n

Why should SEO pros bother with user experience?<\/h2>\n

It may seem that\u00a0being number one on Google search results<\/a>\u00a0is key to an engaging audience and driving conversions. It\u2019s not quite so.\u00a0Every improvement of search algorithms<\/a>\u00a0Google brought in recent years is focused on providing user-friendly results. Of course, domain authority and quality links are still important, but if the website ranked top has poor user experience, it may lose its positions soon.<\/p>\n

How does it happen? Well, let\u2019s assume your website is technically optimized, has a perfect content-to-keywords balance, and has links even from .edu domains. All these factors are most likely to result in high rankings.<\/p>\n

But if the site is not fulfilling users\u2019 expectations, it may take a dip as quickly as it\u2019s rocketed. Once people that clicked through your website aren\u2019t satisfied with the result, they\u2019ll leave it quickly. The next time Google updates search results, it\u2019ll see that your page\u2019s bounce rate is too high.<\/p>\n

The numbers will point to the fact your site isn\u2019t relevant to the query, and it shouldn\u2019t rank that high.<\/p>\n

Bounce rate<\/a>\u00a0isn\u2019t the only factor search engines consider when analyzing user experience. There are also such signals as pages per session, dwell-time, and organic CTR. As you see, the tasks of an experienced SEO specialist are much broader than it used to be several years ago. But the results cost the effort.<\/p>\n

Best practices for UX improvement<\/h2>\n

The good news is that you already know these practices. The only difference is that using them now, you should concentrate not on the search engines\u2019 requirements but on meeting the needs of your visitors.<\/p>\n

Let me take you through the user\u2019s journey point by point and emphasize on crucial aspects influencing his or her decisions. Here we go.<\/p>\n

Search query<\/h2>\n

Where does the search journey start? Right, everything starts from the query. Once users have questions, they go to search engines and ask them. That\u2019s why knowing what your potential customers are likely to look for is half-way to success.<\/p>\n

The knowledge of queries your target audience conducts helps you come up not only with content ideas but also with key phrases your page should rank for. There are several questions you should answer to make your keyword research user-focused:<\/p>\n

1. Do you consider user intent?<\/h3>\n

The thing is that every user conducting a search query has a certain intent. In other words, there\u2019s always the reason why a person searches for something. If I search for \u201ciPhone price\u201d, there\u2019s a 90 percent probability that I want to buy the smartphone. In this case, Google will provide me with various online stores. Searching for \u201cApple or Samsung\u201d, it\u2019s most likely I want to read the articles where authors compare devices produced by these two companies. And again, the search engine will get it.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it\u2019s essential to denote the intent of the content you provide. If you own an online shop, you should mark transactional intent on your page. Add \u201cbuy\u201d, \u201cprice\u201d, \u201cpurchase\u201d, \u201con sale\u201d, and other related keywords. If you run a blog, use the phrases with \u201chow to\u201d, \u201cwhat is\u201d, \u201cbest tips\u201d, and more. Denoting intent not only helps search engines rank your website for the relevant queries but also provides users with a better understanding of what they\u2019ll see on your page.<\/p>\n

Moreover, users quite often don\u2019t mark their intent in their search queries. One can type \u201cwomen jeans\u201d, and the machine won\u2019t be 100 percent sure whether a person wants to get some fashion tips or purchase jeans. In this case, the search results will contain both informational and transactional websites. To help your prospects understand if they should click through your site, you\u2019d better denote what type of service you provide.<\/p>\n

\"Example<\/p>\n

2. What queries do your prospects conduct?<\/h3>\n

Even if you think you understand what kind of information concerning your product your target audience may be interested in, don\u2019t jump to conclusions. Working in a niche is pretty different from being a consumer. The words you use to describe what you do may be absolutely unknown for people searching for your product at first.<\/p>\n

As we concluded it\u2019s important to know what kind of search queries your potential customer\u2019s conduct. I\u2019ll show you the quickest ways to identify these queries.<\/p>\n