| 1888 Articles Home | Internet & E Commerce Articles | SEO Articles | SEO RSS |  |
||
Search Engine Optimization and Usability |
||||
|
Explanation of the relationship between Search Engine Optimization and Usability and why both practices should be implemented. |
||||||||||||
| Author: Kelly Johnson |
|
|||||||||||
Many website owners focus on achieving high search engine rankings through search engine optimization efforts. The goal of search engine optimization (SEO) is to drive qualified end users, consumers, or leads to a website. Search engine optimization is extremely important to usability.
SEO: The first step in Usability
Search engine optimization is a form of Internet marketing, but can also be considered the first step in usability - getting users to your website naturally.
Search engines are designed to help users find information. Therefore, the basic elements of search engine optimization are also usability best practices and website design standards. Search engine optimization begins by optimizing website code and content for keywords or phrases related to the business, website and user needs. SEO also effectively formats the technical structure or website code so every website page can be crawled and indexed by the search engines.
Keyword Research: Business, Website, and User Needs
Choosing the right keywords is a crucial part of search engine optimization. This process should incorporate usability best practices and user behavior statistics, in addition to online research to determine the popularity of related terms and phrases.
Effective keyword research targets keywords and phrases that your target audience or user is using to search online. Keywords should be used throughout the website page content, META tags, ALT attributes, page names, images names, and other technical code.
Keyword research and analysis should be conducted to determine the keywords and phrases that are important to the business, website, and user needs. Optimizing for the right keywords will result in qualified traffic and will bring the right audience through search engine rankings.
Descriptive Content on Every Page
Search engine love content because it tells them what the web page is about. Content is important because search engines cannot read images, only the ALT text and image name. To obtain high search engine rankings, website pages must contain content that is keyword rich.
Users benefit from well-written, descriptive content that speaks directly to them using keywords and persuasive marketing messages. Website content should address the user and speak in their language, making the user experience more enjoyable. Because keywords are incorporated into the content, the tone of the website content will be more user friendly.
Content and keywords must be relevant to users in order to keep them on the website and address their needs. A relevant keyword content strategy ensures that when a user searches for a particular subject on a search engine, the website page will address their need or answer their question. If a website is able to do this, conversion or sales are more likely.
The challenge, is writing content that:
* is user friendly
* includes marketing messages and persuasive language
* is full of keywords.
The key is combine SEO and usability strategies and find an effective balance.
Technical Optimization
The format of website code has a huge impact on search engine optimization as it determines if the website is visible, or able to be crawled, by search engines. This relates to usability because a clean, well-formatted technical structure will improve the user experience and is a characteristic of a well designed and effectively developed website.
Several practices have a negative effect on SEO and can reduce visibility or even result in penalties from the search engines. The examples below also have a negative effect on usability and should not be used:
* Link Farming
* Javascript
* Websites built entirely in images or flash
* Hidden text or links
* Doorway pages
* Mirrored or duplicate content
* Spamming
Optimizing the technical structure of a website will improve the website code and technical back end to improve visibility and incorporate keywords. This process ensures that the website follows usability best practices and website design standards, and is accessible for all users.
Technical optimization includes:
* Optimizing code structure
* Validation
* Accessibility
* Page names
* Linking
* Navigation
Every website must have:
* META tags
* Unique Title tags
* Keywords
* Content
* ALT attributes
* Effective navigation
* Sitemap
* External CSS file
* External JavaScript file
All of the efforts to optimize the technical structure will improve the efficiency, scalability, and overall quality of the website from both the user perspective and search engines.
Website Usability and Search Engine Optimization
Searching online is expressed intent. When a user types a search word or phrase into a search engine, they are already thinking about the topic, are interested in it, or perhaps could already know exactly what they want. This type of traffic is qualified and provides an advantage to well optimized, user friendly websites.
What good are high rankings worth if users do not convert because they have trouble finding what they really wanted or cannot complete the call to action? A website with a high number of visitors and conversions will be successful.
High rankings on search engines will bring more visitors to a website. Usability makes websites easy to use and appealing to users. Websites that clearly address user needs will have more conversions or sales.
SEO and Usability
The convergence of SEO andUsability is the foundation of Conversion Design, which integrates website design and Internet marketing stategies to encourage website visitors to take action and convert into buyers or prospects.
Implementing both usability and search engine optimization practices is critical to the success of your website. The best approach is to implement SEO and usability practices simultaneously, so they can work together to bring the right user to a website that provides an effective user experience.
About Author
Kelly Johnson is the CEO of Converta Design, Inc., a website design and internet marketing company located in Raleigh, NC. She developed the process of Conversion Design, which combines information architecture, usability, search engine optimization, and internet marketing strategies with website design and development to increase online conversions or sales. Kelly implements usability and search engine optimization techniques at the design level and integrates websites with business and marketing goals. Kelly has a proven record of combining intelligent website design and internet marketing strategies that result in overall website improvement by improving the user experience and driving qualified traffic to websites through search engine rankings.
Article Source:
http://www.1888articles.com
Other Related Articles Meet Your Needs with Bad debt unsecured personal loans by Tim Kelly Understanding Asset Finance Leasing by Richie Morgan Easy Way to Finance Your Needs: Bad Credit Loans by AntonGabriel Search Engine Optimization and Usability by Kelly Johnson Start Your Business with Business Start up Loans by Tim Kelly Quickest Way to Meet Your Needs: Unsecured cash loans by Angela Alderton India travel tips by sandeep godiyal |
