{"id":1741,"date":"2018-08-08T10:22:47","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T15:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/digitalstriked.wpengine.com\/?p=1741"},"modified":"2025-05-14T10:42:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T15:42:26","slug":"how-does-ux-affect-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalstrike.com\/how-does-ux-affect-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does UX Affect SEO? SEO + UX 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone knows that <\/span>search engine optimization, or SEO<\/span><\/a>, affects search rankings. But not everyone knows that user experience (UX) can affect SEO and, by extension, rankings and traffic. Here\u2019s how… as well as what SEO and UX metrics to consider for improving your site.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is UX (User Experience)?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"3<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s back up. What exactly <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> user experience?<\/span><\/p>\n

You know when you go to a website and it\u2019s just\u2026 bad? You can\u2019t find the navigation menu, the page isn\u2019t loading correctly, and pop-ups are keeping you from seeing the page at all. That\u2019s a bad user experience (UX).<\/span><\/p>\n

A user experience designer works to enhance user satisfaction with a website by improving the accessibility, usability, and pleasure provided in the interaction with the site. You\u2019re not supposed to notice good user experience design. You just find the information you want and leave satisfied\u2014a complete user journey with no obstacles, so to speak.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can UX Impact Search Rankings?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Websites with a poor UX design will see people exit the site unsatisfied; they\u2019re going to find a better site that can give them what they want. Google will take notice of this dissatisfaction and push the first site lower in search results and the second site higher.<\/span><\/p>\n

That means that UX can directly impact search rankings, which in turn can <\/span>influence SEO strategy<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Search Engine Algorithms\u2019 Role in Web Design<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Google\u2019s core purpose is to provide the best possible results for every search query. While \u201cbest\u201d is a subjective term, Google has a pretty good idea of the kinds of pages and sites that will satisfy its searchers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are what those sites tend to have in common. They:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Are easy to use, navigate, and understand<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Provide direct, actionable information relevant to the query<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Are professionally designed and accessible to modern browsers<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Deliver high-quality, credible website content<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Google\u2019s ranking algorithm is complicated (there are hundreds of ranking factors), but <\/span>Google is paying attention<\/span><\/a> to your user experience more than you may think, which can directly affect SEO rankings. The four points mentioned above, for instance, are all in the realm of UX design as well as SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Does UX affect SEO?<\/b><\/h2>\n

    The short answer:<\/b> Yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The long answer:<\/b> Yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s how.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Google pays attention to user experience because it\u2019s how Google measures if a site was helpful or not (and <\/span>Google is all about rewarding helpful content<\/span><\/a>). If users immediately click away from the first choice on the organic search engine results page (SERPs) and then visit the second choice, that first result is likely going to rank lower eventually because it didn\u2019t provide the experience the user wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n

    So while SEO might have placed the site first in SERPs initially, poor UX drove users away and eventually penalized the site. In other words: getting users to a website is only part of the process. You have to keep them there with good content and an easy user experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4 SEO and UX Elements<\/b><\/h2>\n

    In digital marketing<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s rare for SEO to not touch something <\/span>somehow<\/span><\/i>. Everything affects SEO and SEO affects everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That means that there are elements of UX that are in the SEO realm and vice versa, especially in regards to the following elements.<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Page Speed<\/b><\/h3>\n

    The longer it takes a website to load, the greater the odds users will leave your site<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Slow loading times is a UX problem because a slow site will frustrate your users. It\u2019s an SEO problem because page speed directly influences your search engine rankings. When you resolve the issue, it\u2019ll help both SEO and UX teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Way to <\/span>boost page loading speed<\/span><\/a> include:<\/span><\/p>\n