No less than Google has emphasized the importance of user experience in the effectiveness of a website and the improvement of its SEO. While the leading search engine doesn’t count it as an official ranking signal, UX has a direct influence on the signals that directly impact your website rankings. MOZ lists these metrics: number of shares, bookmarks, return visits and inbound links, which are “all signals that trickle down to the search engines and contribute to high rankings."

So how do you attain improved SEO results through better user experience? Ask any leading and reputable leading Arizona SEO company and they will confirm that the following are some proven tips to consider.

Invest in smart, easy and intuitive navigation. An effective website structure is easy to explore and understand. Any first-time visitor should be able to immediately see the purpose of the site and access the content and sections he or she is looking for without any complications. Fortunately, some of the essential techniques for establishing good SEO (particularly building and submitting XML sitemaps for website indexing and search engine discovery) are also useful for improving user experience.

Share user-focused content. Another UX element that is also considered a basic requirement for solid SEO is quality content. And the first step to creating quality content is making sure it is relevant to your target users. It has to deliver information, insights or value that they can take action on. It also needs to be positioned in your website in such a way that will benefit both humans and search spiders. The usual SEO content factors, such as keywords and on-page optimization, if used well, also directly add to enhanced user experience.

Showcase visual appeal. A website that’s visually appealing is important for creating good UX because great design translates to ease of use and better understanding. Studies have shown that people process information better if it’s delivered via the visual format. Moreover, the right choice of graphic elements, from colors to layout to shapes and more, can make content easier to find and access. If a website is a pleasure to use, your audience will be enticed to come back again, increasing its traffic and visibility.

Make it speedy. While you’re investing in all these website elements, don’t forget to ensure that they don’t weigh down your website and make it sluggish. Google has declared site speed as a high-value ranking factor. And evidence also shows that people can easily abandon sites that don’t load fast enough. Luckily for you, techniques for measuring and improving speed are well-documented, making it easy for website owners to implement, test and fine-tune.