Many factors that ensure a good user experience will also positively impact your website’s SEO. Here are five aspects of your website design to focus on if you want to win at both UX and SEO.
1. Page speed
Websites that take an age to load are terrible for the user experience and detrimental to SEO. Page speed is a proven ranking factor for Google and you don’t need to be a UX expert to know that slow-loading pages are incredibly frustrating from a user perspective.
So what can you do to speed up your website? There are several best practices you can follow. Some are design-related, like lazy loading —a design pattern which delays the rendering of certain objects until they’re absolutely necessary (for example, only loading below-the-fold images when a user starts to scroll). Others are more technical and may require the help of a developer, such as optimising images and minifying CSS, JavaScript and HTML code.
2. Responsive design
People expect a smooth experience, no matter what device they’re using to access your website. Responsive design might not be a confirmed ranking factor but it’s explicitly recommended by Google — and, of course, it keeps the UX positive and consistent across all devices.
Given that over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, responsive design should be a priority when creating and optimising your website. If you’re new to the concept, follow these responsive design best practices and examples.
3. Website copy
Google wants to know that when it sends people to your website, they are able to find the information they are searching for. Among other things, it’ll look at how long they spend on your website (or how quickly they bounce). A major pillar of user experience which will influence how long a user stays on your site— and, therefore, your website’s SEO —is copy.
Copy is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to guiding the user around your website and directing them to the information they’re looking for. Website copy is like the road signs that guide drivers; it points your users in the right direction without requiring them to search too hard or think too much.
The better your website copy is, the easier it will be for users to find what they’re looking for — and the longer they’ll stay on your site. That’s a big win for SEO.
4. Navigation and layout
In a similar vein, your website’s overall navigation and layout should be designed in a way that makes it as easy as possible for the user to find their way around.
The structure of your site serves two purposes: on the UX side, it should provide a clear, logical path for your users to follow as they move around your website. On the SEO side, it provides a roadmap for search engines, giving an overview of all the content on your site and how it’s linked together.
When it comes to website structure and navigation, prioritise the user. Err on the side of simplicity and clarity, creating pathways that are easy for a human user to follow and navigate. The same applies to the layout of individual pages. Order your content logically and clearly with menus, headers and CTAs.
If users can navigate your website with ease, you’re not only ticking the usability checkbox. You’ll also benefit from an SEO boost, too.
5. UI design
Last but not least, make sure your website’s UI design is set to make a good impression.
Of course, Google doesn’t assess a website’s visual appeal — but human users do and they do so very quickly. If your website is a horror to behold, many users won’t stick around to find out what’s beneath the surface. They’ll click out in search of a more aesthetically pleasing website. For Google, this translates to a high bounce rate, which will inevitably affect your ranking.
User interface (UI) design isn’t just about making sure your website looks good. All the principles and guidelines of UI are geared towards providing a consistent brand experience and facilitating the user journey that the UX designer has laid out. Indeed, while UX and UI are two different things, they go firmly hand-in-hand, and you can’t have one without the other.