Know the Importance of User Experience in SEO

In the digital world, the role of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is very important for the success of a website. However, there is an aspect that you should not miss in your efforts to improve your SEO ranking, namely user experience (UX). The importance of user experience in SEO cannot be underestimated.

Let’s take a deeper look at the role and importance of UX in supporting a successful SEO strategy!

What is User Experience?
The Importance of User Experience in SEO
Strategy to Improve User Experience on Websites

What is User Experience?

User experience is the overall experience felt by a user when interacting with a website, application, or digital product. This includes factors such as usability, engagement, accessibility, and user satisfaction.

UX aims to ensure users have a good, informative, and satisfying experience while on a particular website. The quality of user experience on a website can be considered good when users find it easy to interact with it.

The Importance of User Experience in SEO

The importance of user experience in SEO is closely connected to the concept of Core Web Vitals. Core Web Vitals is a set of metrics used by Google to evaluate your website.

Google in 2020 announced three main metrics that make up Core Web Vitals, which is a measure of user experience for Google. The explanation regarding these three metrics is as follows.

1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a measure to assess the time it takes a page to display the main content that can be seen by users. This main content includes the largest visual elements such as images or text that appear in the viewport.

2. First Input Delay (FID)

First Input Delay (FID) is a measurement of the time it takes for a web page to respond to user input. This user input can be a click on a button, link, video, or audio on the page. FID focuses on responsiveness in the RAIL performance model.

3. Cumulative Layout Shift

Cumulative Layout Shift is used by Google to assess visual stability and measure unexpected shifts in page layout. This shift refers to changes that occur in page elements, such as shifts in buttons, images, and text while the page is still loading. This kind of shift can disrupt the user experience.

The influence of user experience on SEO is related to the three metrics above. Google uses this metric to assess the user experience presented by a web page and makes it a ranking factor on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

The higher the metric value of the three aspects above, the greater the impact on page ranking in Google SERPs. Therefore, websites need to ensure that the values of these metrics are optimal to rank better in Google search results.

Strategy to Improve User Experience on Websites

The following are several strategies for improving user experience on a website.

1. Simple and Responsive Design

Simple and responsive design is essential for a good user experience. Complicated designs tend to result in a less-than-satisfactory experience, possibly leading users to leave the site.

Design site pages with a clear purpose. For example, on product pages, focus on ease of information exploration and transactions. Design consistency also needs to be considered to ensure uniformity on each page, including icons, fonts, and layouts.

2. Adequate Mobile Friendly Website

Because half of Google users use mobile devices, you need to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly also called a mobile-friendly website. This includes attention to layout, appearance, images, text, and other elements when accessed via mobile devices.

The advantage of mobile-friendliness will improve user experience and also has the potential to have a positive impact on SEO rankings on SERP.

3. Website Speed Optimization

Improving website page loading speed is also an important step in maximizing user experience. The faster your website loads, the better the experience will be for visitors.

There are many ways to increase page loading speed, such as compressing image files, using a quality hosting service, implementing clean code, using a light website theme, and implementing caching techniques, and updating the CMS version.

4. Easy to Understand Navigation

Ensuring that your website has easy-to-understand navigation is of key importance. This navigation includes main menus, dropdown menus, search boxes, labels, and other elements that make it easier for users to explore products or pages on your website.

5. Use Correct Headings

The use of headings on website pages also plays an important role in making it easier for users to understand the context of the page. A clear hierarchical structure of headings (H1, H2, and so on) helps users navigate and understand the content without having to read from the beginning.

6. Use a clear logo

A logo is not only a design element but can also be an important navigation tool for website visitors. A logo that is clear and functions well as a link to the site’s home page can increase the ease of navigation for visitors.

7. Appropriate Ad Placement

Paying attention to ad placement on a website is very important. Excessive ads that interfere with reading content can provide a bad user experience.

8. Avoid misleading headlines

Misleading titles or headlines can affect the bounce rate. A bad user experience will increase the likelihood of visitors leaving the site without interacting.

9. Clear Content and Appropriate Call-to-Action (CTA).

Make sure your website content is clear and easy to understand. Avoid confusing language. Users must also be guided with the right call to action that suits the purpose of the page.

10. Measurement with Appropriate Tools

Using tools like Google Search Console, Pagespeed Insight, and Lighthouse can help you monitor your website’s overall performance and user experience. With this, you can identify the problem and make the necessary repairs.

By implementing these steps, you can improve your website’s user experience, which in turn will support improved SEO rankings and make your site more attractive to visitors.