Usability is a term that should be very familiar to those who work with SEO, as Google stresses it so much these days. For any website to rank well, it must be usable by target audiences and optimized. Achieving all that, even with the help of SEO automation software, involves taking a careful look at the relationship between SEO, keyword use, and usability. Best website effectiveness requires the right overlap of all three, not just a reliance on SEO automation.
Keyword Choice and Use
Careful keyword research is essential to determine the best core words to use, as well as related long-tailed phrases and word variations. Then, it is essential to use those options in the most appropriate ways possible. Page titles should be keyword optimized, as should images and other media, and all website body content. Use keywords in page URLs and article headlines; fit them into content as naturally as possible and use them as anchor text for linking within the site.
Be warned, however, that the rules have changed regarding keyword stuffing and overuse is likely to result in penalties and reduced optimization.
Search Engine Optimization Practices
Along with effective choice and proper use, consider how keywords and SEO best work together, especially with SEO automation. Search engine optimization is about the strategic use of keywords and other website elements to generate traffic. SEO dictates that keywords must not be overused and should be used in the most beneficial ways, including in title tags in meta text, and in alt text for images and media.
Beyond strategic keyword use and the implementation of SEO automation software, be sure that sites get updated frequently and that all content is relevant to the website’s purpose and the keywords chosen. Also work toward having a website that is worthy of attention and backlinks from other sites, which is another important goal of good optimization practices.
Combining Both for Greatest Usability
For keywords and optimization practices to work most effectively, they must come together in a way that offers usability to website users. Considering the above points, marketers must first ensure that websites offer content that users want and will find valuable. Then, that content should be delivered in the most effective way to users on websites that are easy to read and navigate without being confusing or distracting. Content should be laid out simply, offer easy ways to get to more content such as scrolling or image sliders, and avoid extra steps that could lose viewers.
Have a good understanding of the target audience and how they expect and want to use a website and present content in that way. As always, keep navigation as simple and clutter-free as possible, and keep the number of main menu links under 6 or 7. Above all, make sure the website achieves its different goals for both the user and the business.
The important lesson here is that even though optimization strategies and effective SEO automation are important, good pagerank does not happen by optimization alone. Marketers must make the best use of keywords that support their optimization efforts and work together to create good website usability. SEO automation software is a great tool for making the whole process more efficient; however, the best result requires a three-fold approach!
