The days when we wanted to appeal just to Google and other search engines are over. Don’t get us wrong – SEO is and will continue to be, an important part of marketing efforts. But today, taking care of users’ comfort is more important than ever.
Search engine users are looking for answers, quality content, and information that meets their expectations. Nonetheless, even if they don’t directly express it, the “user needs” revolve around having an amazing experience.
As a consequence, Search Experience Optimization (SXO) is a must these days. Still, just to clarify, it is safe to mention that SEO and UX are not a mix – they are two different things that perfectly complement each other. SEO aims at search engines, while SXO aims at audiences, so even though they may look like similar terms, there’s a significant difference.
Today, GamerSEO will provide you with the latest information regarding this subject. After reading this article, you will now comprehend:
- The importance of SXO in search algorithms;
- Why a good site structure is necessary to improve visibility and provide relevance;
- Top factors to provide a better SXO;
- How to please internet users and search engines simultaneously (it’s all connected!).
What is Search Experience Optimization?
The first step to comprehend what SXO is is to ask yourself this question: who conducts searches on search engines? Users do. So, content relevancy is important, but thinking about the people is way more vital than just finding the right keywords for them to click in.
When someone makes a search query, they expect to find a website that answers their questions. The algorithm is just a means to an end. And this end transcends the search term or a certain word typed in just to find something at the end of a search result.
The goal of SXO is to appeal to the end-user. Obviously, search intent can’t be ignored. Hence, the approach your website must achieve is based on providing credibility, usability, and answers to an audience.
In order to achieve this, it’s essential to understand and optimize specific metrics that assess our project success, but we’ll get to it later on. Just keep in mind that visitors are humans just like me and you – hence, search queries are done by a human searcher, not a robot.
Why Is User Experience So Important?
It’s all about the user. It has always been, and it will always be like that. If a visitor can’t remember the experience of using an app or website, they probably have a bad user experience.
We want to turn visitors into customers, but how do we make them repeat visits? Our products can be sensational, and our traffic might be increasing. But if we don’t provide a reason for them to remember our site, searchers will forget about us in the blink of an eye.
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Now, think about the opposite scenario. A user opens your website in a browser and finds a terrible experience. It is so bad that the feedback and opinions are all negative stuff. These problems must be solved regardless of the platform we are talking about.
What failed, then? Users couldn’t easily find what they were looking for. You optimized all the aspects of the user search, such as relevant terms and other SEO elements, but you forgot about the experience. Site architecture goes beyond technical aspects – forgetting about the person behind the screen is a big sin that makes marketers and companies pay a high price.
Search Engine Optimization vs. SXO
Some experts in the field says that SXO is the next evolution of SEO. This new methodology doesn’t just consider competition or user consent. After all, user experience starts in Google. We know there are other search engines available, but without a doubt, Google has the best data, easiest navigation, and intuitive menu and design.
Therefore, if user experience begins in Google, it makes sense to implement SEO to improve the process. So, it’s not like SXO can live without SEO and vice versa – it’s about finding the keys to providing a fantastic experience and touching the mind and heart of every person who gets to your page.
We know what SEO is about. Getting powerful links from authority sites, creating varied contents to appeal to an audience, improving site speed, looking at every single on-page and off-page element, and more. All of these practices are performed thinking about users, of course. However, it is safe to say that a significant percentage of these actions are planned to appeal to search engines.
Nevertheless, when we focus on SXO, the fewer interactions the user has with web pages to reach certain objectives, the better the experience will be. This will result in improving certain SEO metrics, such as the bounce rate, and will keep everybody happy. Remember that every issue that exists within the limits of your website represents a problem for your company, your possible clients, and virtually everyone.
4 SXO Best Practices For Your Project
Now that you have full insights about what SXO is and why it is really important for your business, it is time to know the best user experience changes you can implement in your site.
Always consider that the gaming industry is rapidly growing, which creates fiercer competition and more challenges to face. The power to make a change in search engine rankings depends on more than just one factor. Thus, it is time to take action and start thinking outside the box.
Answer Users’ Questions
Forget about getting the email address or a social network database of your clients (such as Facebook and Twitter) and start thinking about their permanence on your site. The best way to achieve this is by creating several questions and answers that your business must answer with criteria and helpful context.
In the beginning, ask yourself what your visitors are typing into Google in order to click on your page’s link. Understanding their search intent will grant you a broader point of view on why they access your site and not another one.
As simple as this thing might sound, you can have a strong starting point thanks to this powerful insight. In the gaming industry, users usually write a keyword stretchy related to their query.
For example, imagine that you have a new platform video game that’s about to be launched in the market. When users research for a new game to play, they invest their attention in game platforms that give them chances to actually play the game.
So, they ask themselves something like this:
Hence, the search term “platform video games for PC” has turned into this question. Answering this question is the first step to providing an outstanding user experience.
Don’t Ignore Mobile Optimization
Almost all of us use mobile devices. This is not a secret to anyone, so you must embrace mobile and its rules to reach more people and, therefore, have better results for your project.
So, it is not optional to optimize the user experience on mobile devices. Mobile traffic is powerful – Google knows it, and you know it too.
That being said, your website must experience significant changes so it’s actually optimized for mobiles. This will help you avoid indexing issues while appealing to visitors using a different system than a PC.
User Experience Metrics Matter
Now that your website is optimized for mobile and PC experience, it’s time to understand what happens when people interact with your website.
Think beyond multimedia content, such as images and videos, and focus your efforts on comprehending the process of a user trying to reach a particular goal.
Here’s why Google Analytics is such an amazing tool to receive and analyze certain metrics.
So, are the visitors enjoying their time on your website? What’s their average duration on your site? The most important metrics you should take care of are:
- Time on site;
- bounce rate;
- pages per visit;
- return visitor rates;
- and, of course, conversion rates.
After you have analyzed the metrics, it is time to optimize them.
Optimize Interaction Metrics
Interaction metrics are measurable parameters that provide information about how users interact with your website. Optimizing success metrics is the best way to provide a memorable experience for all of your visitors. This will directly affect the rate of users now converted into buyers. Nevertheless, keep in mind that these metrics are different from website to website.
Remember that, at the end of the day, we are talking about your clients, not Google’s clients. For instance, a high bounce rate indicates that people are not finding what they are looking for; hence, they leave the site.
On the other hand, a purchase represents valuable information on how the experience is working for customers. It’s normal that users might also engage with your website’s content without providing conversion, but at this point, it’s crucial to understand why that happens so you can think of a possible solution.
SEO and UX Are Vital Parts of Your Business
Some people say that SXO is the next big step in digital marketing. Achieving and providing a unique user experience is not easy at all, but it’s necessary to be one step in such a competitive world.
Luckily, you have arrived at GamerSEO – the best digital marketing agency specialized in the gaming industry that’ll create an optimized, memorable, and powerful experience for all of your customers. Contact us today, and let’s start bringing results.
FAQ
What Does Search Experience Mean?
When a user needs to find an answer to a question, or information on a topic, they usually go to search engines. In this case, all the steps of this process are considered part of the search experience. It’s a fact that the experience will be better if the user gets an answer quickly, efficiently, and conveniently, all in just one place.
How Do You Optimize Your Customer Experience?
Think like a user, understand how to reach a goal quicker and simpler, and analyze important metrics using the right tools to comprehend your business’s best course of action.
Is SXO The Next Evolution Of SEO?
It certainly can be. SXO and SEO magnificently complement each other. It’s more than just providing optimization for search engines; you need to see the value behind the experience. At the end of the day, the concepts of SEO and SXO are tightly related, even though they are not the same.
SEO enthusiast and digital marketing strategist. My expertise lies in optimizing websites for organic traffic growth and search engine visibility. I carry out, among others, SEO tests, keyword research and analytical activities using Google Analytics. Privately, he is a lover of mountains and bicycle trips.