Behind the scenes, Google is analysing every search term from every user to understand the need they are trying to fulfill through that search query. It will then find and rank the websites with content that is most relevant, fresh and useful for that particular user’s need. Google then collects data on the user’s behaviour and interaction with your site, including how long they stay, if they click through, and if they navigate to other pages. This data is used to help Google understand user searches, and adjustments are made to the algorithm based on this.
So, with this in mind, developing a great user experience is essential and certainly influences SEO. Users need to be able to find relevant content to answer their search term and fulfill needs quickly and easily. The most relevant, fresh and high-quality websites that best meet the searcher’s needs – essentially provide a good user experience – are likely to rank well.
So, what can be done to ensure your site is giving a positive user experience? See below for some tips:
The content on every page should offer the answer to the user’s search – simply and quickly. Each page of content should fulfill a user’s single need. So, all content should focus on meeting this need, be that contacting a practice through a form to book an appointment, or persuading them to choose you for their dental Implants. Ideally, each page should answer one ‘need’, so creating separate pages and content for every treatment is recommended.
It is well known that a website’s ‘freshness’ – how recently the content has been updated – is an important ranking factor. Therefore, frequently updating your website with relevant content, images and videos is very important. By doing this, Google will see your site as more relevant for the user and is more likely to rank your site well.
Providing high-quality Title Tags and Metadata (how you appear on Google), will help you gain all-important clicks. Metadata and Title Tags need to answer and fulfill the searcher’s intent, as well as grab their attention. This will encourage them to click through to your site.
While getting potential patients to click through to your site is very important, it is essential that once they do this, they find the answer to their needs. This avoids them simply clicking away and returning to the search list – and your competitor’s website! Furthermore, if lots of users click away from your site immediately, it will signal to Google that your website isn’t relevant and can impact rankings.
So, to avoid this, every landing page should confirm to the user that they are in the right place, display the right information, and encourage them to get in touch. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including:
So, to improve your user experience, think from a website visitor perspective. Take some time to navigate through your site as if you were a first time user and make some notes on the experience. You could even ask a friend or family member to do this as they wont be as familiar with the site as you are.
Try to answer the searcher’s needs in your website content and ensure your website is fully optimised for an easy journey. By improving user experience, your SEO will not only benefit, but you’ll retain visitors that can lead to new patients!