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Web Design
ARTICLE #16
UI/UX and SEO: A winning combination for higher rankings
Web Design
Written by:
7 min read
Updated on: March 22, 2024
Toni Hukkanen
Head of Design
Creative Direction, Brand Direction
Toni Hukkanen
Head of Design
Creative Direction, Brand Direction
Today, search engine optimisation goes beyond keywords, backlinks, and technical changes. Google’s algorithms are shifting to prioritise user interests and ease of use, highlighting the role of UI/UX in website performance. UI and UX have a noticeable effect on how your site behave, how people interact with it, and whether they stick around. Neglect them, and you’ll practically gift your visitors to your competition.
While many websites focus on meta tags, they often ignore how design shapes search metrics. A clunky interface can drive users away in seconds, regardless of how polished your keyword strategy is. Meanwhile, an inviting layout with straightforward features can lift engagement, boost time on page, and encourage user satisfaction.
Let’s explore how weaving UI/UX design and SEO together can raise your rankings and encourage repeat visits.
Today, search engine optimisation goes beyond keywords, backlinks, and technical changes. Google’s algorithms are shifting to prioritise user interests and ease of use, highlighting the role of UI/UX in website performance. UI and UX have a noticeable effect on how your site behave, how people interact with it, and whether they stick around. Neglect them, and you’ll practically gift your visitors to your competition.
While many websites focus on meta tags, they often ignore how design shapes search metrics. A clunky interface can drive users away in seconds, regardless of how polished your keyword strategy is. Meanwhile, an inviting layout with straightforward features can lift engagement, boost time on page, and encourage user satisfaction.
Let’s explore how weaving UI/UX design and SEO together can raise your rankings and encourage repeat visits.
Understanding UI/UX and SEO
Understanding UI/UX and SEO
Plenty of folks assume SEO and UI/UX are separate. In reality, merging them can lead to a comprehensive method for boosting your website’s discoverability. While SEO typically revolves around search engines, UI/UX addresses the human element. Bringing both together can improve your online presence by ensuring that users enjoy your site while algorithms recognise its quality. That harmony helps everyone.
UI Design
UI design deals with the look and layout of your website. It covers colours, typography, menu setups, and visual appeal. These factors combine to form an interface that feels inviting and simple. When visitors click through, the initial visuals shape their opinion of your brand in seconds. If everything is clutter-free, users are more likely to keep exploring. Effective UI means ensuring consistent style across devices, so people have an experience on mobile, tablet, or desktop. By paying attention to aesthetics and clarity, you encourage users to move between pages.
UX Design
UX design homes in on the end-to-end steps users take through your site. It champions usability, accessibility, and genuine satisfaction with every click or scroll. Its foundation relies heavily on research into user motivations and behaviours, shaping everything from menus to interactive elements. A solid UX predicts what people need, shrinks friction, and helps them complete tasks with ease. Consistency in layout, language, and responsiveness polishes the experience, guiding visitors to their goals swiftly. By listening closely to feedback, you can keep refining the journey and encourage repeat visits consistently.
SEO
SEO involves strategies that help a website appear more prominently in search engine results. These rely on elements like chosen keywords, strong content, and positive engagement signals. Modern approaches also take user signals into account, such as bounce rates and time spent on page. Search engines gauge whether visitors find value or leave. Updates to algorithms emphasise quality content, relevance, and technical soundness, so it’s helpful to combine the right keywords with site performance. By tracking analytics and adjusting tactics, you stay aligned with what users and search engines value.
Quick note: Although UI and UX aim to enhance interaction, each tackles a different angle. UI focuses on how the site looks and behaves visually, while UX plans how users move through tasks or information.
Plenty of folks assume SEO and UI/UX are separate. In reality, merging them can lead to a comprehensive method for boosting your website’s discoverability. While SEO typically revolves around search engines, UI/UX addresses the human element. Bringing both together can improve your online presence by ensuring that users enjoy your site while algorithms recognise its quality. That harmony helps everyone.
UI Design
UI design deals with the look and layout of your website. It covers colours, typography, menu setups, and visual appeal. These factors combine to form an interface that feels inviting and simple. When visitors click through, the initial visuals shape their opinion of your brand in seconds. If everything is clutter-free, users are more likely to keep exploring. Effective UI means ensuring consistent style across devices, so people have an experience on mobile, tablet, or desktop. By paying attention to aesthetics and clarity, you encourage users to move between pages.
UX Design
UX design homes in on the end-to-end steps users take through your site. It champions usability, accessibility, and genuine satisfaction with every click or scroll. Its foundation relies heavily on research into user motivations and behaviours, shaping everything from menus to interactive elements. A solid UX predicts what people need, shrinks friction, and helps them complete tasks with ease. Consistency in layout, language, and responsiveness polishes the experience, guiding visitors to their goals swiftly. By listening closely to feedback, you can keep refining the journey and encourage repeat visits consistently.
SEO
SEO involves strategies that help a website appear more prominently in search engine results. These rely on elements like chosen keywords, strong content, and positive engagement signals. Modern approaches also take user signals into account, such as bounce rates and time spent on page. Search engines gauge whether visitors find value or leave. Updates to algorithms emphasise quality content, relevance, and technical soundness, so it’s helpful to combine the right keywords with site performance. By tracking analytics and adjusting tactics, you stay aligned with what users and search engines value.
Quick note: Although UI and UX aim to enhance interaction, each tackles a different angle. UI focuses on how the site looks and behaves visually, while UX plans how users move through tasks or information.
Why is UI/UX important for SEO?
UI and UX complement each other in boosting your site’s ranking. If you want to climb in SERPs, both must work in tandem.
High-quality UI/UX attracts repeat visitors, which can boost conversion rates and sales figures. It also increases the time people spend on your site, signalling to Google that you’re satisfying users’ needs. That helpful signal can push your pages higher in search results.
Studies show that a website with a strong UI/UX design reduces the time spent on networking the product by 50% and cuts development costs by 33% to 50%. Toptal designers have reviewed case studies from leading agencies to pinpoint just how crucial UI/UX really is.
Consider Virgin America, which redesigned its site using UX principles. The result? A 14% increase in conversion rate, a 20% drop in customer service calls, and roughly double the ticket booking speed.
Google’s algorithms favour sites that provide a great user experience. When users bounce quickly because a site is poorly designed, it sends a negative signal. On the other hand, if they hang around, click through more pages, and interact with on-page features, Google takes it as a positive indication of quality.
Beyond higher search positions, a well-designed interface reduces friction for everyday tasks, from filling out forms to locating product details. This smooth flow encourages trust in your brand, which can help lower bounce rates. In highly competitive sectors, even small UI or UX improvements might determine whether a visitor stays or leaves in seconds. Focusing on user satisfaction can also build loyalty that leads to word-of-mouth promotion and positive reviews. All of these signals reinforce your site’s credibility, appealing to users and search engines alike.
UI and UX complement each other in boosting your site’s ranking. If you want to climb in SERPs, both must work in tandem.
High-quality UI/UX attracts repeat visitors, which can boost conversion rates and sales figures. It also increases the time people spend on your site, signalling to Google that you’re satisfying users’ needs. That helpful signal can push your pages higher in search results.
Studies show that a website with a strong UI/UX design reduces the time spent on networking the product by 50% and cuts development costs by 33% to 50%. Toptal designers have reviewed case studies from leading agencies to pinpoint just how crucial UI/UX really is.
Consider Virgin America, which redesigned its site using UX principles. The result? A 14% increase in conversion rate, a 20% drop in customer service calls, and roughly double the ticket booking speed.
Google’s algorithms favour sites that provide a great user experience. When users bounce quickly because a site is poorly designed, it sends a negative signal. On the other hand, if they hang around, click through more pages, and interact with on-page features, Google takes it as a positive indication of quality.
Beyond higher search positions, a well-designed interface reduces friction for everyday tasks, from filling out forms to locating product details. This smooth flow encourages trust in your brand, which can help lower bounce rates. In highly competitive sectors, even small UI or UX improvements might determine whether a visitor stays or leaves in seconds. Focusing on user satisfaction can also build loyalty that leads to word-of-mouth promotion and positive reviews. All of these signals reinforce your site’s credibility, appealing to users and search engines alike.
How does UI/UX design impact your Website SEO?
Both UI/UX and SEO strive to build sites that help people find what they need without frustration. Search engines now examine more than just technical elements they also track how users behave on the page. Engagement signals such as time on page or scrolling depth further overall shape how search engines view content quality. Below are key ways UI/UX influences SEO.
Page load speed
Google’s developer guidelines on Core Web Vitals emphasise page speed as a major ranking factor. If the first input exceeds 100 milliseconds, it falls short of Google’s standards for a good user experience. You can improve page load speed by optimising code, compressing images, and using lazy loading. Minimising CSS, JavaScript, and HTML can also help. Faster pages tend to keep visitors engaged, while ones increase abandonment rates. Consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to often distribute files. Testing your site’s performance and fixing bottlenecks goes toward retaining traffic.
Mobile-first indexing
Google primarily checks your site’s mobile version when crawling and indexing. Mobile-first indexing now applies by default to new domains, which means the mobile experience must match the desktop version’s content quality to preserve rankings. Neglecting mobile can harm rankings trust. A responsive design where the same HTML code runs on each URL, regardless of device often works best. Alternatively, you might offer different versions for desktop and mobile, but keep the content consistent. For images and videos, follow Google’s recommendations on size, resolution, and alt text to maintain quality.
UX writing and intent
The text on your website directly shapes user actions and engagement time. People arrive via search results hoping to find exactly what they typed into Google. If your copy is concise and uses an active voice, visitors can move around easily and are more likely to turn into leads or paying customers. Stick to clear language and short sentences for the best user-friendly results. Providing helpful subheadings, bullet points, or bold text can guide readers to key information. This clarity aligns with user search intent and increases satisfaction even further.
Site architecture and navigation
Your site’s structure involves how pages are arranged and linked. From Google’s viewpoint, a well-organised site is easier to crawl. From a UI/UX standpoint, people can locate what they need without confusion. In one survey, 94% of respondents identified site structure and simple page transitions as top features. This highlights the importance of creating a user-friendly layout. To optimise the architecture, group content into clear categories, build an intuitive menu, and ensure balanced internal links so every page is accessible. These measures strengthen overall visibility and user confidence.
Layout and design
A neat layout can shape visitor decisions and influence SEO. Well-structured pages help people locate and understand information quickly. Search engines also benefit from well-organised headings and content. Though you can technically use multiple H1s, sticking to one main H1 is often best. Follow proper heading levels (H2 under H1, H3 under H2, etc.) to maintain clarity. Also add alt tags for images and graphics, which benefits users who rely on screen readers and contributes to better indexing. Attention to layout can shape positive engagement signals.
Both UI/UX and SEO strive to build sites that help people find what they need without frustration. Search engines now examine more than just technical elements they also track how users behave on the page. Engagement signals such as time on page or scrolling depth further overall shape how search engines view content quality. Below are key ways UI/UX influences SEO.
Page load speed
Google’s developer guidelines on Core Web Vitals emphasise page speed as a major ranking factor. If the first input exceeds 100 milliseconds, it falls short of Google’s standards for a good user experience. You can improve page load speed by optimising code, compressing images, and using lazy loading. Minimising CSS, JavaScript, and HTML can also help. Faster pages tend to keep visitors engaged, while ones increase abandonment rates. Consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to often distribute files. Testing your site’s performance and fixing bottlenecks goes toward retaining traffic.
Mobile-first indexing
Google primarily checks your site’s mobile version when crawling and indexing. Mobile-first indexing now applies by default to new domains, which means the mobile experience must match the desktop version’s content quality to preserve rankings. Neglecting mobile can harm rankings trust. A responsive design where the same HTML code runs on each URL, regardless of device often works best. Alternatively, you might offer different versions for desktop and mobile, but keep the content consistent. For images and videos, follow Google’s recommendations on size, resolution, and alt text to maintain quality.
UX writing and intent
The text on your website directly shapes user actions and engagement time. People arrive via search results hoping to find exactly what they typed into Google. If your copy is concise and uses an active voice, visitors can move around easily and are more likely to turn into leads or paying customers. Stick to clear language and short sentences for the best user-friendly results. Providing helpful subheadings, bullet points, or bold text can guide readers to key information. This clarity aligns with user search intent and increases satisfaction even further.
Site architecture and navigation
Your site’s structure involves how pages are arranged and linked. From Google’s viewpoint, a well-organised site is easier to crawl. From a UI/UX standpoint, people can locate what they need without confusion. In one survey, 94% of respondents identified site structure and simple page transitions as top features. This highlights the importance of creating a user-friendly layout. To optimise the architecture, group content into clear categories, build an intuitive menu, and ensure balanced internal links so every page is accessible. These measures strengthen overall visibility and user confidence.
Layout and design
A neat layout can shape visitor decisions and influence SEO. Well-structured pages help people locate and understand information quickly. Search engines also benefit from well-organised headings and content. Though you can technically use multiple H1s, sticking to one main H1 is often best. Follow proper heading levels (H2 under H1, H3 under H2, etc.) to maintain clarity. Also add alt tags for images and graphics, which benefits users who rely on screen readers and contributes to better indexing. Attention to layout can shape positive engagement signals.
Practical applications of UI/UX design and SEO
Combining UI/UX and SEO can help organisations draw in new audiences and keep them around. When structure, visual appeal, and discoverability work together, visitors enjoy smoother experiences, leading to higher retention. Below are real-world scenarios showing how thoughtful design and sound SEO elevate conversions. These examples underscore that style and substance can go hand in hand.
YouTube
YouTube’s interface encourages people to explore a near-endless queue of videos. It showcases how well-placed visuals, and intuitive features can prompt viewers to stick around longer. Autoplay, personalised suggestions, and an easy upload process enhance user satisfaction. On the SEO side, titles, descriptions, and tags are optimised, allowing relevant clips to appear in searches. This combination of user-centred design and search-friendly metadata improves visibility and keeps people clicking through more content. By prioritising both user needs and algorithmic requirements, YouTube remains a top platform for video discovery.
Airbnb
Airbnb capitalises on SEO to rank for terms such as “places to stay in New York,” while its user interface ensures bookings happen with minimal hassle. The clean, uncluttered design helps visitors jump between listings, check reviews, and confirm reservations. Fast load times, responsive templates, and clear calls to action all shape a pleasing experience. Meanwhile, well-chosen keywords, descriptive titles, and concise prompts align with user queries. By pairing functional design with strategic SEO efforts, Airbnb remains visible in search results and delivers a site that visitors find trustworthy.
Apple
Apple’s website balances UI/UX and SEO seamlessly. The homepage and product pages feature sleek visuals, guiding users to what they want without confusion. Clear product comparisons, detailed descriptions, and a swift checkout simplify each step. From an SEO perspective, Apple employs relevant keywords, high-quality images, and user reviews to improve prominence. This dual emphasis on pleasing design and discoverability appeals to both human visitors and search algorithms. In effect, Apple proves that you can deliver a visually compelling platform that still satisfies core SEO principles.
Combining UI/UX and SEO can help organisations draw in new audiences and keep them around. When structure, visual appeal, and discoverability work together, visitors enjoy smoother experiences, leading to higher retention. Below are real-world scenarios showing how thoughtful design and sound SEO elevate conversions. These examples underscore that style and substance can go hand in hand.
YouTube
YouTube’s interface encourages people to explore a near-endless queue of videos. It showcases how well-placed visuals, and intuitive features can prompt viewers to stick around longer. Autoplay, personalised suggestions, and an easy upload process enhance user satisfaction. On the SEO side, titles, descriptions, and tags are optimised, allowing relevant clips to appear in searches. This combination of user-centred design and search-friendly metadata improves visibility and keeps people clicking through more content. By prioritising both user needs and algorithmic requirements, YouTube remains a top platform for video discovery.
Airbnb
Airbnb capitalises on SEO to rank for terms such as “places to stay in New York,” while its user interface ensures bookings happen with minimal hassle. The clean, uncluttered design helps visitors jump between listings, check reviews, and confirm reservations. Fast load times, responsive templates, and clear calls to action all shape a pleasing experience. Meanwhile, well-chosen keywords, descriptive titles, and concise prompts align with user queries. By pairing functional design with strategic SEO efforts, Airbnb remains visible in search results and delivers a site that visitors find trustworthy.
Apple
Apple’s website balances UI/UX and SEO seamlessly. The homepage and product pages feature sleek visuals, guiding users to what they want without confusion. Clear product comparisons, detailed descriptions, and a swift checkout simplify each step. From an SEO perspective, Apple employs relevant keywords, high-quality images, and user reviews to improve prominence. This dual emphasis on pleasing design and discoverability appeals to both human visitors and search algorithms. In effect, Apple proves that you can deliver a visually compelling platform that still satisfies core SEO principles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SXO?
SXO stands for search experience optimisation. It fuses concepts from both SEO and UX, aiming to improve rankings and how visitors behave once they arrive. The primary objective is to appeal to search engines while making sure genuine users enjoy their time on your site.
What are the elements of UI/UX that can improve SEO performance?
Key factors include ensuring your layout works on mobile devices, providing clear routes through the site, speeding up page loads, maintaining well-structured headings, and offering concise on-page instructions. Each of these elements signals that you care about user convenience, which can raise your overall search visibility.
How can UX improve SEO?
SEO can drive traffic, but UX determines whether visitors remain. If the interface keeps them interested and encourages more clicks, it lowers bounce rates. Google’s system notices longer dwell times and interprets them as a sign of relevance. Satisfied visitors often boost your site’s perceived quality.
Final Thoughts
When visitors land on your site, they often decide within a blink whether they want to remain. Slow loading, unimpressive visuals, or clumsy layouts will encourage them to look elsewhere. By strengthening UI/UX and SEO at the same time, people spend longer exploring your pages, interacting with your material, and returning for future visits. Google notices these signals and tends to reward sites with higher visibility.
A unified approach to design and optimisation ensures your platform caters to both search engine requirements and real-life user preferences. This encourages steady growth, broader reach, and improved conversions. While technical elements matter, your success also depends on how people experience every click and scroll. Incorporating UI/UX fundamentals and sound SEO strategies creates a website that resonates with algorithms and genuine user needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SXO?
SXO stands for search experience optimisation. It fuses concepts from both SEO and UX, aiming to improve rankings and how visitors behave once they arrive. The primary objective is to appeal to search engines while making sure genuine users enjoy their time on your site.
What are the elements of UI/UX that can improve SEO performance?
Key factors include ensuring your layout works on mobile devices, providing clear routes through the site, speeding up page loads, maintaining well-structured headings, and offering concise on-page instructions. Each of these elements signals that you care about user convenience, which can raise your overall search visibility.
How can UX improve SEO?
SEO can drive traffic, but UX determines whether visitors remain. If the interface keeps them interested and encourages more clicks, it lowers bounce rates. Google’s system notices longer dwell times and interprets them as a sign of relevance. Satisfied visitors often boost your site’s perceived quality.
Final Thoughts
When visitors land on your site, they often decide within a blink whether they want to remain. Slow loading, unimpressive visuals, or clumsy layouts will encourage them to look elsewhere. By strengthening UI/UX and SEO at the same time, people spend longer exploring your pages, interacting with your material, and returning for future visits. Google notices these signals and tends to reward sites with higher visibility.
A unified approach to design and optimisation ensures your platform caters to both search engine requirements and real-life user preferences. This encourages steady growth, broader reach, and improved conversions. While technical elements matter, your success also depends on how people experience every click and scroll. Incorporating UI/UX fundamentals and sound SEO strategies creates a website that resonates with algorithms and genuine user needs.
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Work with us
Click to copy
work@for.co
- FOR® Brand. FOR® Future.
We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
Click to copy
Helsinki, FIN
info@for.fi
Click to copy
New York, NY
ny@for.co
Click to copy
Miami, FL
mia@for.co
Click to copy
Dubai, UAE
uae@for.co
Click to copy
Kyiv, UA
kyiv@for.co
Click to copy
Lagos, NG
lagos@for.ng
Copyright © 2024 FOR®
Work with us
Click to copy
work@for.co
We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
Click to copy
Helsinki, FIN
hel@for.co
Click to copy
New York, NY
ny@for.co
Click to copy
Miami, FL
mia@for.co
Click to copy
Dubai, UAE
uae@for.co
Click to copy
Kyiv, UA
kyiv@for.co
Click to copy
Lagos, NG
lagos@for.ng
Copyright © 2024 FOR®