Website Usability: Definition, Principles and Optimization
The SEO family wants to flood Webrona (pun intended) with keywords, alt titles, tags, and such to reach a higher position in the search ranking, whereas the Usability testing clan shouts, “This shan’t stand!” as they believe bloating websites leads to worse user experience – a belief they will to give their life for.
This drama must end.
Especially since both serve the same goal – increasing the user traffic and engagement on a website. Google, the lord of search engines, decided that both can and should go arm in arm and changed the way in which pages are indexed. That is why finding the perfect golden mean is pivotal for your website’s success. Good website usability can dramatically increase conversion rates on your website, and that is why it is terrible to ignore it.
As a marketer working at a company specializing in testing user experience, I have learned how important combining both is. Continue reading to find out the importance of website usability, why it’s required for SEO, and factors to consider when optimizing both SEO and website usability.
What is Website Usability: A Basic Definition
So, what does "website usability" really mean? Basically, it's about how easy it is for people to use your website. Think of it like a friendly neighborhood store: you want it to be easy to find, easy to navigate, and easy to get what you need.
One big thing to think about is responsive design. This means your website looks great on big screens like laptops, but also on tiny phones. It's like having a website that can shrink or grow to fit any screen. More and more websites are doing this to make sure everyone can use them easily.
There are other things that make a website user-friendly too. Things like using the right font size and color, and making sure the content is easy to read and understand. Testing your website is also important to make sure it works smoothly for everyone.
By making your website more user-friendly, you're not just making it easier for people to use. You're also making it more likely that they'll come back and use it again. And that's good for business!
Why is Website Usability Required for SEO?
Remember the old days when SEO was all about stuffing keywords into your website? Those days are long gone. Today, SEO is about creating a website that's not only easy to find but also easy to use and enjoyable to visit.
Think of it this way: SEO is like throwing a party. You want people to show up (get found by search engines), but you also want them to have a great time (have a good user experience). If your party is a total mess, no one will want to come back.
So, what makes a website party a good one? It's all about the details. Things like how fast your website loads, how easy it is to navigate, and how clear and helpful your content is. Search engines are getting smarter, and they're rewarding websites that offer a great user experience.
In short, SEO is about providing value to your visitors. It's about making your website a place where people can find what they're looking for quickly and easily. And when you do that, search engines will take notice and reward you with higher rankings.
Key Principles of Website Usability
Website usability is a crucial aspect of web design that directly impacts user experience and overall success. A usable website is intuitive, easy to navigate, and visually appealing, making it a pleasure for visitors to interact with. Here are some key principles to consider when designing or redesigning your website:
1. Availability
- Accessibility: Ensure your website is accessible to users with disabilities, adhering to guidelines like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
- Cross-Browser Compatibility: Test your website on various browsers and devices to guarantee consistent performance and appearance.
- Uptime: Maintain a high uptime to minimize downtime and ensure visitors can always access your site.
- Load Time: Optimize your website's loading speed to enhance user experience and improve search engine rankings.
2. Clarity
- Clear Navigation: Implement intuitive navigation menus and breadcrumbs to guide users through your site.
- Consistent Design: Maintain a consistent visual language throughout your website, using a cohesive color palette, typography, and layout.
- Informative Content: Create clear, concise, and well-organized content that is easy to understand and scan.
- Error Messages: Provide helpful and informative error messages to guide users if they encounter issues.
3. Recognition
- Familiar Elements: Use familiar design patterns and elements that users are accustomed to, such as shopping carts, search bars, and contact forms.
- Visual Cues: Employ visual cues like icons, images, and headings to help users quickly identify and understand content.
- Consistent Branding: Maintain a consistent brand identity throughout your website, reinforcing your brand message and values.
4. Credibility
- Trustworthiness: Establish trust with your audience by providing accurate, up-to-date information and avoiding misleading content.
- Security: Implement security measures to protect user data and instill confidence in your website.
- Testimonials and Reviews: Showcase positive feedback from satisfied customers to build credibility.
- Professional Design: A well-designed website with a professional appearance can enhance credibility.
5. Relevance
- Targeted Content: Tailor your content to your target audience's interests and needs.
- Keyword Optimization: Use relevant keywords throughout your website to improve search engine visibility.
- User-Centered Design: Prioritize the needs and preferences of your users when making design decisions.
- Call to Action: Clearly define your desired actions (e.g., purchases, sign-ups) with prominent calls to action.
How to Optimize both SEO and Website Usability
Here is a list of tips that you can implement on your website to increase the value of both aspects:
1. Bury the Dead
Dead links, those broken links that lead to the dreaded 404 page, can significantly harm your website's reputation and SEO rankings. Search engines and website usability experts alike view dead links as a sign of neglect and unreliability. When users encounter broken links, it can lead to frustration and a negative user experience, potentially driving them away from your site.
Why Dead Links Matter
- SEO Impact: Search engines prioritize websites with well-maintained and relevant links. Dead links can signal to search engines that your content is outdated or that you haven't updated your site in a while. This can negatively impact your search engine rankings.
- User Experience: Dead links disrupt the user journey and create a frustrating experience. When users click on a link expecting to find valuable information, only to be greeted with a 404 error, it can lead to a loss of trust and confidence in your website.
- Website Credibility: A website with numerous dead links can damage your credibility and reputation. It suggests that you are not maintaining your content and may not be reliable as a source of information.
How to Find and Fix Dead Links
- Regular Audits: Conduct regular audits of your website to identify and fix broken links. Use tools like Google Search Console or broken link checkers to streamline this process.
- Internal Linking: Ensure that internal links within your website are accurate and up-to-date. Regularly review your internal linking structure to identify and fix any broken links.
- External Link Monitoring: Keep track of external links that point to your website. If you notice that a linked page has been removed, update the link or remove it altogether.
- 301 Redirects: For broken links that point to important content, implement 301 redirects to guide users to the correct page. This helps maintain your website's authority and prevents search engines from penalizing you for dead links.
2. Text Matters
While visuals play a crucial role in attracting users, search engines primarily rely on text to understand your website's content. When optimizing for SEO, prioritize the textual elements of your pages. Craft informative, engaging, and keyword-rich content that addresses your target audience's needs. Use relevant keywords naturally throughout your text, without overstuffing, to improve your search engine rankings. Remember, quality content that provides value to users is essential for both SEO and user experience.
3. Language Matters
Once you create a user persona, you should know who your target user is. They also have certain preferences when it comes to their language – be sure to create a webpage that offers the language they use.
Moreover, optimize the language itself – do not use complicated vocabulary and focus on clarity. People find your pages through the search, and they search by using keywords in the search bar, so make sure that your page contains the keywords they might use. Plain and clear language is the best bet.
4. Be a Link Magnet
Acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites is a fundamental aspect of SEO success. By creating valuable and engaging content that resonates with your audience, you encourage them to share it with others. This organic sharing can lead to other websites linking to your content, boosting your website's authority and visibility in search engine results.
Beyond SEO benefits, backlinks also enhance your website's user experience. When other websites link to your content, it signals to visitors that your information is credible and relevant. This can increase trust and encourage them to explore your website further.
To attract backlinks, focus on creating content that is informative, unique, and shareable. Share your content on social media platforms, engage with other websites in your industry, and participate in online communities to build relationships and generate backlinks organically.
5. Offer Smooth Sailing
The navigation structure is very important on websites. If the search engine algorithms cannot figure out what a given page is focused on, then you are in trouble.
You can use the help of a card sorting study: it is a study that allows people to show you how they think. With its help, you can obtain the greatest variant of your navigation architecture.
Card sorting is a simple yet powerful technique for understanding how users categorize information. Participants are presented with a set of cards, each labeled with a piece of content, and asked to group them into logical categories. This helps you design an intuitive information architecture (IA), menu structure, or website navigation.
Card sorting is a low-cost and flexible method. It can be conducted in person using physical cards or online tools like Optimal Sort. By observing how users group and label content, you gain valuable insights into their expectations and preferences. While card sorting won't provide a definitive IA or menu structure, it can help identify trends and potential categories.
6. Make Your Websites Fast
When people wait ages for a page to load, they are frustrated. That is why Google also considers those when ranking pages. Another example is when Website Usability and SEO go hand in hand. Make sure your webpages work swiftly; otherwise, you will be disappointed to find yourself on the third page of the Google Search.
Google, in particular, considers website speed as a significant ranking factor. Websites with slower load times may be penalized in search results, potentially hindering their visibility and organic traffic. To ensure your website ranks well and provides a positive user experience, optimize for speed.
Tips for Improving Website Speed:
- Optimize Images: Compress images to reduce file size without compromising quality.
- Minify Code: Remove unnecessary code and whitespace to streamline your website's structure.
- Leverage Caching: Implement caching to store frequently accessed resources locally, reducing loading times.
- Choose a Reliable Web Host: A fast and reliable web hosting provider is crucial for website speed.
- Minimize Redirects: Limit the number of redirects on your website to avoid unnecessary delays.
7. Optimize the Tags in Titles
The basic structure of your website revolves around the world of tags, as it is the basic framework of your website. It is used for SEO, as it is almost like the braille for the algorithms. It also gives order to a webpage your users read, thus increasing its website usability.
Key Tagging Strategies:
- Strategic Keyword Placement: Incorporate relevant keywords strategically throughout your website's content, including titles, headings, and body text. This helps search engines understand your website's topic and improves your chances of ranking for targeted keywords.
- Unique Titles for Each Page: Every page on your website should have a distinct and descriptive title. The title tag appears in search engine results and provides a brief summary of the page's content.
- Descriptive Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling meta descriptions that accurately summarize your page's content and include relevant keywords. Meta descriptions appear below your page's title in search results and can entice users to click through.
- Leverage Adjectives and Adverbs: Incorporate descriptive language, such as adjectives and adverbs, to make your content more engaging and informative. This can also help improve your search engine rankings.
- Utilize Header Tags: Structure your content using header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to indicate the hierarchy and importance of different sections. This helps both search engines and users understand the organization of your page.
8. Optimize the HTML
Once we start talking about the basic framework of a website, it is impossible to miss the topic of HTML. Once you optimize the content of your HTML code, you will increase your website’s usability and your SEO ranking.
Key HTML Optimization Tips:
- Semantic HTML: Use appropriate HTML elements (e.g., headings, paragraphs, lists) to structure your content semantically. This helps search engines understand your page's content and improves accessibility for users with disabilities.
- Valid HTML: Ensure your HTML code is valid according to W3C standards. Use a validator to check for errors and ensure your website renders correctly in different browsers.
- Minimize Code Bloat: Remove unnecessary code, such as comments and whitespace, to reduce file size and improve loading speed.
- Optimize Image Alt Text: Use descriptive and keyword-rich alt text for your images. This helps visually impaired users understand the image content and also improves your website's SEO.
- Compress CSS and JavaScript: Minimize the size of your CSS and JavaScript files to reduce loading times.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure your HTML code is optimized for mobile devices to provide a seamless user experience across different platforms.
9. Optimize the Images
As it has been said, websites are structured around text, even when it comes to images. Be sure to use descriptive names for your images, for keyword purposes, use alt text that is not repetitive, or use captions that specify the picture.
Key Image Optimization Tips:
- Descriptive File Names: Use clear and descriptive file names for your images that accurately reflect their content. For example, instead of "image123.jpg," use a name like "product-image-red.jpg." This helps search engines understand the image's relevance and improves your website's SEO.
- Alt Text: Provide meaningful and descriptive alt text for each image. Alt text serves as an alternative text description for visually impaired users and also helps search engines understand the image content. Avoid using repetitive or generic alt text.
- Captions and Descriptions: Add captions or descriptions below your images to provide additional context and information. This enhances user understanding and can also improve your website's SEO.
- Image Compression: Optimize your images for size without compromising quality. Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress images and reduce loading times.
- Lazy Loading: Implement lazy loading to defer the loading of images until they are visible on the screen, improving page load speed.
10. Close the Theme Park
To be concise – Forget about carousels. Search Engine Land, in their article, proves that carousels are bad for both SEO and Usability. If you have trouble finding inspiration for an alternative, here is a nice guide for you on how to organize content.
SEO Implications of Carousels
- Reduced Click-Through Rates: Carousels can decrease click-through rates as users may be less likely to engage with multiple rotating elements.
- Poor User Experience: Carousels can be distracting and difficult to navigate, leading to a negative user experience.
- Mobile Compatibility Issues: Carousels can sometimes be problematic on mobile devices, further impacting user experience and SEO.
Alternatives to Carousels
If you're looking for ways to showcase multiple pieces of content without relying on carousels, consider these alternative approaches:
- Grid Layouts: Arrange content in a grid format, allowing users to easily scan and select items.
- Infinite Scroll: Implement an infinite scroll feature to load more content as users scroll down the page.
- Accordion Menus: Use accordion menus to expand and collapse content sections, providing a compact and organized way to present information.
- Tabs: Allow users to switch between different content sections using tabs.
11. Close the Doorways
Doorway pages, also known as landing pages or gateway pages, are pages created solely for search engine optimization purposes, often containing little to no original content. These pages are considered deceptive and can harm your website's rankings. Google's algorithm now penalizes websites that utilize doorway pages, recognizing them as a spammy practice.
To improve your website's SEO and user experience, it's essential to eliminate any doorway pages. Focus on creating high-quality, informative content on each page of your website, providing a valuable experience for visitors and search engines alike.
12. All Screens Matter
With the increasing number of mobile users, it's crucial to ensure your website is fully optimized for mobile devices. Google has prioritized mobile-friendly websites in search rankings, meaning websites that are not optimized for mobile may be penalized.
To provide a seamless user experience across all devices, implement responsive design. This ensures your website automatically adjusts to different screen sizes, making it easy to navigate and read on smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
13. Be an Efficient Content Crafter
For the last tip, something rather quick and easy – if you are using WordPress for publishing your content, and chances are you probably do, you can use WordPress plugins that are focused on increasing your SEO and Website Usability.
Some popular plugins to consider include:
Yoast SEO: A comprehensive SEO plugin that helps you optimize your content, titles, and meta descriptions.
W3 Total Cache: Improves website speed by caching static content and optimizing resources.
Google Analytics: Track website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates to gain valuable insights into your audience.
Elementor: A drag-and-drop page builder that makes it easy to create custom website designs without coding knowledge.
Contact Form 7: A simple and customizable contact form plugin that helps you capture leads and manage inquiries.
Conclusion
As you can see, love will fix all the things. Especially a healthy relationship between Website Usability and SEO. Improving both increases the conversion, traffic, and satisfaction on your website, so it is good to do it.
Unfortunately, the misconceptions and prejudice present among experts led to unnecessary sacrifices. We do not need to kill one to let the other live (and in a Romeo and Juliet fashion, both will actually die) – we can make it work.