Impact of UI UX Design on SEO Rankings

Imagine if you are requested to sit for an exam and expected to score the highest marks while you have zero knowledge of the subject. All you can do is guess the answers, right? Will this guesswork generate the desired score? Most probably not. Similarly, expecting a higher SEO rating without proper knowledge of UI and UX is like shooting a shot in the dark.

Each passing day, search engines are promoting sites with the best user experience as they move towards becoming more user-centric. And here’s where one cherishes the work of a UI/UX designer. A smooth user experience is the key for generating credibility and trust amongst the users. If the site navigation challenges a user in any way, they are more likely to drift towards other alternatives, hindering the SEO ranking of your site.

How, though? 

Let’s give you an insight on how some small but significant UI and UX elements can boost the SEO ranking of your site.

• Conversion rate
  Make the navigation to your conversion features - sales forms, login, inquiry form, checkouts, etc. - easier and smoother. Help users get quick access to options that can help them take immediate action according to their requirements. Search engines consider conversion rate as a pivotal element in SEO ranking.
   
• Mobile-responsive design
  A study by Statcounter shows that around 50.48% of traffic on sites come from mobile users, while the other 46.51% comprises desktop users, apart from the remaining 3% of tablet users. This shows that having a mobile-responsive design is a crucial element to attract users and make them spare some time on your web page.
   
• Page speed 
  Would you stare at an empty screen with a loading sign for more than 2 minutes? We know you won’t. Having said that, the page speed of a website matters significantly for a better user experience to increase the dwell time (amount of time spent by a user on the page) of your website. 
  
  Even search engines reprimand sites with a slow loading speed. Hence, the design of the user interface for a better user experience becomes a necessity, in such cases, for a better ranking.
   
• Simplified language and font 
  A well designed interface does no good till one does not work on improving user experience. If the user cannot decode the language of your website/app, it obstructs the urge to visit the product again as one fails to understand the working of your portal. Hence, the use of simplified and to-the-point language with easy to understand fonts for better readability is a must to indicate traffic on your website for the search engines.
   
• Content
  We all know that at the end of the day, content is king. The placement of your content and the use of appropriate keywords is the most concentrated component for SEO ranking by search engines. Delivering well-written SEO-optimized copy can go a long way. In such instances, no one knows better than a UX writer. 
   

Turning a blind eye towards the UI and UX of your application or website while aiming for a better SEO, is nothing but a lesson coming your way. It is crucial to understand that guess work can never give you promising results, and if achieved, these results will not be a long term companion. Better safe than sorry!