Site usability 'can cross over with SEO'

Category: Usability

July 23rd 08, 11:26

Enhancing a website to make it easier to use can also hold benefits in terms of search engine optimisation (SEO), it has been claimed.

According to a blog post by Mark Jackson on Search Engine Watch, usability does not necessarily have to just focus on obvious factors such as prominently displaying important contact details.

He said that concentrating on the user experience by delivering relevant content can help search engines to find and index the website more easily, while making content more accessible via thorough internal linking policies can also be beneficial if keyword-rich anchor text links are used.

"Too often, people redesign their websites to make them more 'user-friendly'. They believe this is accomplished by having fewer pages with less verbiage and more graphics," Mr Jackson noted.

"If you think about it, though, people use search to read and research when they're looking for your business."

Music-focused social networking site Last.fm recently revamped its design to make it more user-friendly, utilising a cleaner layout and extra features to help users find the music and video content they are looking for.

This news story was brought to you by Bluhalo, a leading UK digital agency.

Related News

  1. Mobile websites 'not performing well enough'
  2. Website design 'should be based on user behaviour'
  3. Concise, usable company info pages 'vital'
  4. Website branch locator usability 'improving'