You cannot always be in everybody’s good books. This is a fact. And it turns very true when it comes to websites satisfying search engines and viewers with equal efficiency.
Of course, you should never give up.
However, with a huge expansion of the Internet of Things and new technologies, there has also been a rising threat of spamming (well, at least in the way Google takes it to be).
So, there are coming up frequent changes in its search algorithms, with many a criteria being introduced time and again. Yes, it’s difficult to cope with the uncertainties. But, it isn’t impossible.
Primarily, the idea is to stop following outdated orders. Whatever is new should be embraced. And, right now, Google’s literally drooling over the user experience of websites. So, if you are not concerned about the ‘landing page experience,’ forget ranks.
According to the popular platform Moz, Google always keeps changing its plans for ranking websites. Sometimes the changes are subtle, and sometimes massive. But, from Pandas, to Pigeons, Hummingbirds, Penguins, and Phantoms, UX has never been given less importance.
Here’s what the search engine giant has to say to us:
“ Landing page experience refers to how good we think someone’s experience will be when they get to your landing page.”
Quality link building is still important. But, somehow, UX shall be the king of the coming times. Thus, sacrificing it merely for some contextual links is going to be very bad.
Top professionals have come up with incredible explanations as to why UX has become the oxygen for search marketing. Here are a few:
The Words of Eric Enge:
Host of the ‘The Digital Marketing Excellence Show,’ and founder and CEO of Stone Temple Consulting, Eric Enge speaks about the current trend of UX for search marketing:
“Pages with thin content are routinely ranked poor in their search rankings. If there are enough of them, then Google may lower rankings for the entire site.”
Yes, Google has never officially said that UX is a ranking signal. But, because its Panda algorithm is about the quality of web pages and sites, this is understood without any official statement.
This is also clear from the fact that the search engine can comprehend the layout of a web page. May be that is why it has urged everyone to make lavish use of JavaScript and CSS files.
The entire idea is to focus on a visitor’s engagement upon the site. Bounce rates should be less. And with thin content, this is never possible.
From the Mouth of Wil Reynolds:
Reynolds is the founder of Sheer Interactive, and heads SEO for Fortune 500 clients. He has been into Internet marketing since ’99, and takes the work of driving traffic as his passion.
He speaks about UX, “Those who work on getting a site to rank well, must work as hard to ensure that the ranking solves the user’s problem well.”
According to him, the impact of UX on SEO is obvious. And simple. The search engine king, in many ways, has been trying to convey this message through its frequent updates. It is also trying to get the hang of what users prefer searching for or how they engage with content on websites and pages.
Its work is not complete as of yet. It’s dynamic, and ever changing. But, very soon, in the future, this is going to be part and parcel of every site that pops up on the World Wide Web. Yes, sites really have to go that extra mile to make users happy with quality content.
For instance, say you have managed a good rank for a florist site with keywords related to seed production. Google will automatically understand how you have ditched it and penalise the site accordingly.
What Tad Chef Has to Say About UX:
Tad has been writing for SEO blogs worldwide. He is also a regular content contributor for his own site, SEO 2.0. He has something very interesting to say about user engagement on websites:
“Content needs to be useful for users onsite, but also be able to attract users to the site in the first place.”
His statement, again, is hinting toward UX out-and-out. It is one way of saying that UX and SEO are interlinked now. According to him, user experience cannot be a separate discipline. And no matter now alien the role of content is, for this, if treated otherwise, it is going to create huge conflicts.
One trick is to use website designs based on content. Rather than using ‘lorem ipsum’ and then forcing some made-up, useless text into the spaces, the approach should be the other way round.
Rand Fishkin, the ‘Moz’ Wizard, Speaks About UX:
“User experience’s greatest impact to SEO is through the increase it creates in organic sharing.”
Indeed, if website A gets a share in some social media platform, or via an email or link for every 1000 visits on an average, then, an improvement of UX can lead to an increase in the rate of share and enhance its visibility on search engine result pages.
For instance, if it’s an eCommerce site, a lengthy registration process or the absence of a guest buying step can lead to low traffic. Again, a site full of only text can make visitors run away. A graphic or two, and certain elements like bullet points and spacing can do the magic. And there are so many more of such little things that often go unnoticed.
So true, Rand, so true.
Josh Patrice, the UX Maestro, Makes a Clear-Cut Statement:
“What really impacts SEO to me, is that the importance of UX makes SEO better.”
Known as the ‘king of search nerds,’ Josh is the director of online marketing at Rhapsody. According to him, UX of a website impacts SEO more than rankings. He claims that Google is definitely making use of UX of websites as a ranking signal.
His statement seems very convincing because, at the end of the day, it is only those sites with awesome and relevant content that pass the Google’s dreaded radar. Josh also says that optimisation cannot be only about getting a rank or huge traffic.
Every attempt will go into the dumping zone if the UX is unappealing. And, about conversion, well, it’s going to be a far cry, not to mention how linking will be given to oblivion.
Time to Wake Up!
You’ll end up messing your ranks and losing customers if you miss out on a grand UX for your site. Google’s the daddy, and it’s tough to please this guy. Simply building link and heaping useless traffic will never work. You’ll be disappointed, big time. So, start working on the UX of your website today.
Remember, Google helps those you help their audience.
