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UI/UX and SEO
UI/UX Elements
SEO Performance
UI/UX importance for SEO
What is SXO
ARTICLE #16
UI/UX and SEO: A winning combination for higher rankings
UI/UX and SEO
UI/UX Elements
SEO Performance
UI/UX importance for SEO
What is SXO
UI/UX and SEO
UI/UX Elements
SEO Performance
UI/UX importance for SEO
What is SXO
Written by:
5 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 tweaks. 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 behaves, how people interact with it, and whether they stick around. Neglect them, and you’ll practically gift your visitors to your competition.
Here we’ll explore how weaving UI/UX design and SEO together can lift your rankings and keep users coming back for more.
Today, search engine optimisation goes beyond keywords, backlinks, and technical tweaks. 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 behaves, how people interact with it, and whether they stick around. Neglect them, and you’ll practically gift your visitors to your competition.
Here we’ll explore how weaving UI/UX design and SEO together can lift your rankings and keep users coming back for more.
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.
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 straightforward.
UX Design
UX design focuses on the overall steps a user takes on your site. It emphasises ease of use, accessibility, and genuine satisfaction at every click or scroll.
SEO
SEO involves strategies that help a website appear more prominently in search engine results. These rely on elements like carefully chosen keywords, strong content, and positive engagement signals.
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.
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 straightforward.
UX Design
UX design focuses on the overall steps a user takes on your site. It emphasises ease of use, accessibility, and genuine satisfaction at every click or scroll.
SEO
SEO involves strategies that help a website appear more prominently in search engine results. These rely on elements like carefully chosen keywords, strong content, and positive engagement signals.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Site architecture and navigation
Your site’s architecture involves how pages are arranged and linked. From Google’s viewpoint, a well-structured site is simpler 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 ease of movement around pages as top features. This underscores the value of creating a user-friendly layout.
To optimise the architecture, group content into clear categories, design an intuitive menu, and establish a balanced internal linking pattern so all pages get appropriate visibility.
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.
Although you can technically use more than one H1 per page, it’s often wisest to stick to a single H1. Respect heading levels in order (H2 under H1, H3 under H2, etc.). Also, add alt tags for graphics and images, which helps with both user experience and search indexing.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Site architecture and navigation
Your site’s architecture involves how pages are arranged and linked. From Google’s viewpoint, a well-structured site is simpler 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 ease of movement around pages as top features. This underscores the value of creating a user-friendly layout.
To optimise the architecture, group content into clear categories, design an intuitive menu, and establish a balanced internal linking pattern so all pages get appropriate visibility.
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.
Although you can technically use more than one H1 per page, it’s often wisest to stick to a single H1. Respect heading levels in order (H2 under H1, H3 under H2, etc.). Also, add alt tags for graphics and images, which helps with both user experience and search indexing.
Practical applications of UI/UX design and SEO
Combining UI/UX and SEO helps organisations draw in new audiences and ensure visitors stick around. Below are some real-world examples illustrating how thoughtful design plus solid SEO can drive better conversions.
YouTube
YouTube’s interface lets users explore an unending queue of videos without hassle. The layout encourages people to stay longer, showing how visual design and user flow can support retention.
Key UX features include autoplay, customised suggestions, and an intuitive video upload process. On the SEO front, titles, descriptions, and tags are optimised so content surfaces in relevant searches.
Airbnb
Airbnb relies on SEO to appear for terms like “places to stay in New York.” Meanwhile, its user interface helps you locate and book properties with minimal fuss.
The site’s clean, minimal look, responsive design, and fast load times all play major roles in user satisfaction. Airbnb’s use of effective keywords, descriptive titles, short prompts, and user reviews illustrate how SEO strategies and UI/UX can work together.
Apple
Apple’s website blends UI/UX and SEO effectively. The homepage and product pages are easy on the eyes, making it simple for users to find what they want.
Features like product comparisons, detailed descriptions, and an efficient checkout make the user experience smooth. For SEO, Apple boosts visibility by using relevant keywords, sharp imagery, user reviews, and thorough product details.
Combining UI/UX and SEO helps organisations draw in new audiences and ensure visitors stick around. Below are some real-world examples illustrating how thoughtful design plus solid SEO can drive better conversions.
YouTube
YouTube’s interface lets users explore an unending queue of videos without hassle. The layout encourages people to stay longer, showing how visual design and user flow can support retention.
Key UX features include autoplay, customised suggestions, and an intuitive video upload process. On the SEO front, titles, descriptions, and tags are optimised so content surfaces in relevant searches.
Airbnb
Airbnb relies on SEO to appear for terms like “places to stay in New York.” Meanwhile, its user interface helps you locate and book properties with minimal fuss.
The site’s clean, minimal look, responsive design, and fast load times all play major roles in user satisfaction. Airbnb’s use of effective keywords, descriptive titles, short prompts, and user reviews illustrate how SEO strategies and UI/UX can work together.
Apple
Apple’s website blends UI/UX and SEO effectively. The homepage and product pages are easy on the eyes, making it simple for users to find what they want.
Features like product comparisons, detailed descriptions, and an efficient checkout make the user experience smooth. For SEO, Apple boosts visibility by using relevant keywords, sharp imagery, user reviews, and thorough product details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SXO?
SXO stands for search experience optimisation. It fuses the ideas behind SEO and UX to affect both your rankings and how people behave on your website. The end goal is to attract search engines and keep real users happy.
What are the elements of UI/UX that can improve SEO performance?
Key elements include mobile-friendly design, straightforward ways to move around the site, quick load times, well-structured content, and clear on-page prompts. All these components can lift rankings by offering a strong user experience.
How can UX improve SEO?
SEO may draw traffic to your site, but UX determines whether those visitors stay or go. If your interface keeps them interested and increases the time spent on each page, it lowers bounce rates. Google takes that as a hint that your page is relevant to its audience.
Final Thoughts
When visitors land on your site, they’ll decide in a matter of seconds if they want to stick around. Slow loading, unimpressive visuals, or clumsy layouts will push them away. By boosting UI/UX and SEO together, you can encourage people to spend more time exploring your pages, interacting with your content, and returning for future visits. Google notices these signals and often rewards sites with better visibility.
If you’re aiming for higher rankings, think of UI/UX and SEO as inseparable partners that carry your website closer to the top of the results page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SXO?
SXO stands for search experience optimisation. It fuses the ideas behind SEO and UX to affect both your rankings and how people behave on your website. The end goal is to attract search engines and keep real users happy.
What are the elements of UI/UX that can improve SEO performance?
Key elements include mobile-friendly design, straightforward ways to move around the site, quick load times, well-structured content, and clear on-page prompts. All these components can lift rankings by offering a strong user experience.
How can UX improve SEO?
SEO may draw traffic to your site, but UX determines whether those visitors stay or go. If your interface keeps them interested and increases the time spent on each page, it lowers bounce rates. Google takes that as a hint that your page is relevant to its audience.
Final Thoughts
When visitors land on your site, they’ll decide in a matter of seconds if they want to stick around. Slow loading, unimpressive visuals, or clumsy layouts will push them away. By boosting UI/UX and SEO together, you can encourage people to spend more time exploring your pages, interacting with your content, and returning for future visits. Google notices these signals and often rewards sites with better visibility.
If you’re aiming for higher rankings, think of UI/UX and SEO as inseparable partners that carry your website closer to the top of the results page.
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Work with us
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We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
Click to copy
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Click to copy
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Click to copy
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