User Experience and SEO – Why Your Website Needs It
When it comes to your website, it’s important to create a great user experience (UX) and to optimize it properly using SEO tactics. Ask yourself this – do you want people to find and visit your website? And then do you want them to re-visit it? If yes, then both proper UX design and a great SEO strategy is the focus your company should make to accomplish this.
What does a UX design even do?
UX design is essentially the “look and feel” of a website or product. However, it goes beyond a merely attractive looking design. UX designers focus on how a user will feel using a specific product or in this case, your website. The emphasis is placed on empathy. What I mean is – put yourself in your audiences’ shoes and see how you feel navigating certain websites. Some, as we know, are just a pain with overwhelming designs and effects, while others are easy to use and often have a clean design.
UX design is sometimes overlooked when creating a website because well, we’re usually just focused on having something to showcase our company and forget about the actual viewers. Thing is, it’s essential to remember who you’re targeting because you want them to have a good experience upon visiting your site. If all goes well, they’ll revisit it and that is what you want… or is it? (Answer: Of course it is!)
How would I utilize SEO?
A great SEO strategy will ultimately get your website noticed on search engines such as Google. Again, ask yourself if you want your site to be noticed because if not, then SEO probably won’t be a priority for your company. However, not being noticed would just mean less revenue, and that’s not what a business is about. So moving forward, an easy way to generate revenue is through SEO.
SEO tactics, like keyword usage and back-linking, push your company website closer to the top of search engines which brings in not just current, but new customers as well. For smaller companies, this is key so that your company can grow.
Coexisting
Despite the myths about UX design and SEO not working together, it turns out that if UX design and SEO coexist, your website will be more successful. The two concepts are often intertwining and it’s important to know how to utilize both so that your website can thrive.
Quality content is an important aspect of SEO, but it also leads to a good user experience. Visitors want to see content with substance on your website, not irrelevant nonsense. For example, when using keywords you want to make sure that they make sense within your website. Don’t just add keywords for the sake of doing so because it will be noticed by those using your site and will just be a turn off.
Remember, you want these people to return to your website, so don’t drive them away.
Kelsey Belgrave is a digital media coordinator at MSM DesignZ, Inc.. MSM DesignZ is a full service advertising and design firm based in Westchester County, New York.