How UX Affects SEOBy: Misty Faucheux

Faucheux EnterprisesMistyfaucheux.com

What Is UX?

UX is short for “user experience”. Google defines this as:◦ the overall experience of a person using a product

such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use.

The Meaning of “UX”

UX is important for a variety of factors:◦ Improves the chances of someone doing an action

on the site◦ Makes it easier for users to find what they’re

looking for◦ Improves site flow◦ Ensures the site meets the needs of the customer◦ Overall, a good UX makes a good website

Why Is It Important

The UX Rumor Mill

Google manually checking sites for UX◦ True? Probably not, but….

Scrolling sites not good for business◦ Scrolling sites don’t get ranked well◦ While probably not true, there is some anecdotal

evidence for this◦ Why? Again – just a rumor - Div tags not actually

individual pages so Google takes it as a single page as opposed to multiple pages.

Rumors

UX and SEO Ranking Factors

Bad UX is Bad for Business

Page load issues◦ Increases bounce rate◦ Reduces conversions◦ Hard to navigate with mobile

How Bad UX Hurts SEO

Site Navigability◦ People quickly leave hard to navigate sites◦ Won’t come back to site if they can’t find what

they’re looking for◦ They’re not going deeper into your site affecting

pages per visit◦ If content is hard to find, then the consumer isn’t

going looking for it. They need to be directed to quality content like blogs, products, etc.

How Bad UX Hurts SEO

URL Structure◦ URL structure is for BOTH robots and people – but

people first!◦ URLs should be easy to remember and not overly

long◦ Should also incorporate keywords – without

stuffing◦ If URLs are too long, figure out where categorical

information can be logically cut

How Bad UX Hurts SEO

External Sites Won’t Link to You◦ If other quality sites think your site is bad, then

they won’t link to hit.◦ No backlink juice

How Bad UX Hurts SEO

Bad 301 Redirects Tank Current SEO Standings◦ If pages are moved and not directed correctly,

you lose all the ranking factors for those pages. If done correctly, the PageRank will be transferred to the new page.

◦ Redirects not sent to a comparable page could confuse the user

◦ Always make sure 301 redirects are done for all deleted or moved pages. If not, you’ll waste good backlinks from other sites.

How Bad UX Hurts SEO

Mobile Factor

Google’s new emphasis on mobile◦A site that’s not optimized for mobile is bad

for business – both for SEO and for conversions

◦Google has put a huge emphasis on sites being mobile-friendly since the vast majority of people are using mobile for search and that trend is supposed to only accelerate.

Mobile Factor

Takeaways

Google knows how people are using your site◦ And they know if people are finding what they’re

looking for or not◦ Especially with Chrome, they can see how many

pages people visit, how long they stay on the site, did they find what they’re looking for

◦ If not, then they’re back searching

◦All of this signals to Google that your site is not satisfying the consumer causing a lower page rank

Key Takeaways

Build sites for people – not search engines

A good experience is a must nowadays◦ See where people are most often exiting your site and

fix the page if it’s an issue

Use the suggestions in Webmaster Tools◦ Provides guidelines◦ Will crawl your site for potential issues and give

suggestions

Key Takeaways

Try doing your own user flow and bug tests◦ Get people to beta test your site◦ Use some tools

Xenu – Checks for broken links Webmaster Tools/Analytics Web Performance/LoadComplete – Load testing Open Site Explorer/Majestic SEO Tools – Inbound link

analysis

Key Takeaways

◦ http://www.searchenginejournal.com/two-examples-of-how-one-line-of-code-could-kill-your-seo-case-studies/37004/

◦ http://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-to-avoid-seo-disaster-during-a-website-redesign/

◦ http://usabilitygeek.com/4-ways-bad-ux-hurting-seo/

◦ http://moz.com/blog/ux-myths-that-hurt-seo-whiteboard-friday

References