How can you enhance your content using SEO- and UX-friendly methods?
“Form is substance rising to the surface,” Victor Hugo. This is proof that the close relationship between form and content is nothing new. And this holds true regardless of the medium.
When applied to the web, this theory clearly illustrates that, from a conversion perspective, SEO and user experience (UX) must work together. Content layout and wireframes are not only useful for providing visitors with a pleasant reading experience; they must also meet visitors’ needs by taking into account the context of their search and the user’s intent.
Why and how should you create SEO- and UX-friendly content? How can you improve your ranking in SERPs to generate conversions, traffic, leads, and clicks?
For this article, we’d like to focus on content creation and writing rather than the technical aspects of web performance. We’re also delighted to have a special guest: Laura Blanchard, founder of the web marketing agency KHOSI and an expert in UX and SEO (among other things!).
UX and SEO: The Web's #strongertogether
On the one hand, SEO aims to improve a website’s visibility and ranking in the SERP by providing content that best addresses a user’s needs. On the other hand, the goal of UX is to understand the user’s context (needs, usage, situation) in order to offer them an engaging content experience that drives conversions.
Have you ever heard of SXO? It’s an acronym for an approach that combines SEO and UX: Search eXperience Optimization. In practice, it involves providing high-quality content that meets user intent within a structure designed with the user in mind and that facilitates conversion. This approach is in line with the evolution of search engine algorithms—the “way of thinking” and how search engines operate. It’s no secret: the dominance of keywords is over; UX and content quality are now Google’s top priorities.
Recent search engine updates (E-A-T, Google Page Experience, and Core Web Vitals) continue to support this logic. Core Web Vitals demonstrate the importance of UX in website rankings by introducing metrics to measure a site’s performance and user experience.
Form and content therefore go hand in hand. With the goal of driving conversions, improving visibility on SERPs, and boosting your page’s ranking, it’s essential not to neglect SEO in favor of UX—or vice versa—but to consider them together.
Often considered the poor relation of web marketing, SEO has long been relegated to the bottom of the page, explains Laura Blanchard. Let’s give credit where credit is due and view SEO as a genuine opportunity. In light of changes to search engines, the specialist recommends taking time to analyze the situation and not taking these changes at face value.
UX and Layout: For a Clear and Enjoyable Reading Experience
Reading an article online is like watching a Marvel movie at the theater: not all viewers stick around until the end of the credits to see the post-credits scene. Especially if the movie is mediocre.
With the advent of new media, the way we read and consume online content has evolved and continues to evolve. As early as 1997, the Nielsen Norman Group—a company specializing in UX—explained in its study *How People Read Online* that 79% of respondents scanned a new page, compared to 16% who read it word for word. The study highlighted certain techniques for making text easy to scan, such as bold keywords, lists, informative subheadings, one idea per paragraph, an inverted pyramid structure, and a realistic length.
In his recent talk "How to Do UX When You’re an SEO?" (SEO Garden Party 2021 by Linksgarden.com), Laura Blanchard explained that it is the form (wireframe, template) that adapts to the content—or even the information itself—and not the other way around. The key is to design the usability of a website or page based on the user’s intent, which the page must fulfill. “UX design serves the information, not the other way around.”
For Laura Blanchard, founder of KHOSI, it is indeed necessary to design the wireframe based on the content so that it aligns with the strategy to drive conversions. Creating a smart and effective wireframe is a step-by-step process that requires common sense, empathy, and a few best practices in writing.
"Workas a team and involve the developers in the creation of your website or wireframes. Web Performance + UX + SEO = a winning combination!
"
A Few UX and SEO-Friendly Tips to Enhance Your Content
Don't overlook the phase of immersing yourself in the subject and the market, or the time spent gathering information from your customers.
Draw on your empathy and create personas to better understand visitors’ needs, their context, and how they conduct their searches. The mistake is to create a single persona that more closely resembles your idealized vision of the perfect user.
See what the competition is doing.
Take a look at the results and formats displayed by Google in the SERP for the search queries you want to rank for.
Analyze trends using tools such as Semrush and its Keyword Magic Tool, Yourtextguru and its Question Explorer, answerthepublic.com, Google Trends, or Google Keyword Planner.
List the search queries and user intent in your field, and determine to what extent they could trigger the display of a Featured Snippet. If so, which one? In that case, write your content accordingly.
Optimize and organize your content using tags.
Vary the formats and layout (bulleted or numbered lists, tables, etc.).
Put some thought into your titles and keep them varied: use affirmative sentences, questions, etc.
Focus on clear, concise, and engaging writing.
Basically: “If you understand the user’s intent and know how to address it, you can’t go wrong.” (Laura Blanchard)
Featured & Rich Snippets: Your Content Highlighted by Google
-
Google offers a tool to test your structured data and check your page's compatibility with rich results.
Reaching the No. 1 spot on Google is a bit like climbing onto the Iron Throne: an ambitious and uncertain journey. While a good sword and networking skills (or “netlinking”!) may prove effective for the former, for the latter you’ll need to arm yourself (ahem) with patience and a solid SXO strategy.
The number 0 position in Google is now occupied by what’s known as a Featured Snippet. Securing this prime spot has a significant impact on your website’s click-through rate (CTR) and its search engine rankings.
Featured Snippets are designed to directly answer users’ queries, illustrating Google’s shift toward becoming an “answer engine.” As Google explains, Featured Snippets are displayed when its system determines that this format will better help users find what they’re looking for. For a user experience as smooth as a latte.
Featured Snippets should not be confused with Rich Snippets. Rich Snippets are generated from the information contained in the structured data on a page of your website. Rich Snippets appear only if you have structured data on your site. They are coded and standardized using markup. They help Google understand your site’s content. Note that Rich Snippets have a higher CTR than a standard link.
Example of a Featured Snippet
Example of Rich Snippets (stars, rating, reviews, duration)
The emergence of Featured Snippets is not without consequences. They can be blamed for the decline in click-through rates, since by providing an answer directly, there’s no longer any need to explore the site. Featured Snippets can take several forms depending on the type of query and response: text block (Google Answer Box), bulleted list, table, videos…
How do I appear in Featured Snippets?
You can't decide whether to appear in a Featured Snippet—Google is the sole decision-maker. However, you can improve your chances by following the tips mentioned above.
Always put yourself in the user’s shoes, analyze the semantics and SERP results (including related searches and other frequently asked questions), and choose the best format (bulleted list, comparison table, etc.).
Sample Bulleted List for Protecting Your Salads
And what about the writer in all this?
For a web editor, thinking in terms of UX allows them to vary both the formats of their texts and their content. It’s a real mental workout that helps avoid monotony and the feeling of being nothing more than a creator of blocks of content. Web editor and content designer: same struggle!
When writing, you can’t always reinvent the wheel, especially when working on topics that have been covered time and time again. By adopting a UX mindset, you inherently enrich not only your content but also your writing experience. Thinking about other formats better suited to your purpose (comparison tables, bulleted lists) also helps you stand out from some of your competitors.
