• Introduction
• Bounce Rates and Dwell Time
• Mobile Optimization
• Page Speed and SEO
• Content Accessibility
• Clear Navigation and Internal Linking
• Structured Data Markup
• Practical Tips for Optimizing UX for SEO
• Conclusion

User experience and search engine optimization are often treated as separate elements of web development. There’s a reason why we get our SEO team involved in the early stages of designing a new website. UX without SEO isn’t just peanut butter without jelly – it’s more like peanut butter and jelly without the bread.

Let’s explore some reasons why UX and SEO are both necessary ingredients to a healthy and effective web design.

Bounce Rates and Dwell Time

High bounce rates are typically seen as a negative signal by search engines. 

Dwell time, on the other hand, is the length of time a visitor spends on your website. A longer dwell time is often associated with a better user experience.

How UX Can Make Bounce Rates Better and Increase Dwell Time

A well-designed, user-friendly website with relevant and engaging content tends to have lower bounce rates and longer dwell times. When users find what they’re looking for easily and enjoy their visit, they are more likely to stay on the site. 

This positive engagement signals to search engines that your website is a valuable resource, potentially improving your SEO rankings.

Mobile Optimization

In the age of smartphones and tablets, mobile optimization is no longer optional. 

Google, in particular, places a strong emphasis on mobile-friendly websites. This emphasis is reflected in its mobile-first indexing approach, where the mobile version of a site is considered the primary one for ranking and indexing.

How UX Improves Mobile Experiences

A mobile-friendly, responsive design ensures that your website adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes. When users can easily navigate and read your content on their mobile devices, it contributes to a positive UX. 

Google rewards mobile-optimized sites with better rankings in mobile search results, making mobile UX a critical element of SEO.

Page Speed and SEO

Page speed is a critical factor in both UX and SEO. Slow-loading websites frustrate users and can lead to higher bounce rates. Additionally, Google has explicitly stated that page speed is a ranking factor in its algorithm.

Why UX Matters for Page Speed and SEO

A well-designed website includes practices for optimizing page speed. This might involve compressing images, reducing unnecessary code, leveraging browser caching, and more. 

Faster-loading pages provide a smoother and more satisfying user experience, encouraging users to stay longer and explore more. Faster sites almost always perform better in search engine rankings.

Content Accessibility

Inclusive web design is not only a matter of ethics but also impacts SEO. Part of creating an accessible website is ensuring that your content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. 

This includes factors like using appropriate font sizes, color contrasts, and providing alt text for images. 

Why UX Matters for Accessibility 

An accessible web design is user-centric by nature. It ensures that all users, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand your content. This positively impacts UX by making your site more user-friendly. 

Furthermore, accessibility improvements are often seen positively by search engines, potentially leading to better SEO rankings.

Clear Navigation and Internal Linking

Navigation and internal linking are fundamental aspects of both UX and SEO. 

Clear navigation ensures that users can easily find the information they seek, while strategic internal linking guides users to related content on your site.

How UX Helps with Navigation

User-friendly navigation and logical internal linking structures contribute to an intuitive and seamless user experience. Users can explore your site effortlessly, and this positive interaction is noted by search engines. 

When users can find what they need with ease, it reduces bounce rates and improves SEO rankings.

Structured Data Markup

Structured data markup is a technical aspect of web design that involves adding specific code to your web pages to help search engines understand the content better. This structured data can enable search engines to display rich snippets in search results, providing users with more context about your content.

How UX Can Aid Structure

Structured data markup enhances the visibility and understandability of your content in search results. Rich snippets, which often include ratings, prices, and other details, can make your listings more attractive to users. 

This can lead to higher click-through rates (CTR) and improved SEO performance.

Practical Tips for Optimizing UX for SEO

Now that we’ve explored the various ways in which UX influences SEO, let’s get into some practical tips to enhance user experience and, consequently, improve search engine rankings:

Tip 1: Prioritize Mobile Optimization

•   Ensure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly.

•   Test your site’s mobile experience regularly to guarantee that it remains user-friendly.

Tip 2: Optimize Page Speed

•   Regularly audit and optimize your website for faster page loading.

•   Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and resolve performance issues.

Tip 3: Focus on Accessibility

•   Use proper color contrast and provide alt text for images to enhance accessibility.

•   Consider adopting accessibility guidelines such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

Tip 4: Streamline Navigation

•   Create a clear and intuitive navigation menu.

•   Ensure that users can easily find their way to the most important content on your site.

Tip 5: Utilize Structured Data

•   Implement structured data markup to provide search engines with more information about your content.

•   Monitor your rich snippets in search results and refine them as needed.

Tip 6: A/B Testing

•   Conduct A/B tests to identify design changes that positively impact both UX and SEO.

•   Continuously refine your website based on user feedback and performance data.

Tip 7: Quality Content

•   Always prioritize high-quality, informative, and engaging content.

•   Content is at the heart of both UX and SEO success.

Conclusion

The worlds of web design, UX, and SEO are dynamic. one, The balance between user experience and search engine optimization plays a crucial role in determining the success of a website. 

The two are inextricably linked, and making your site more user-friendly often results in better SEO performance.

By reducing bounce rates, improving mobile optimization, increasing page speed, ensuring content accessibility, creating clear navigation, and implementing structured data markup, you can enhance your website’s UX and SEO simultaneously. 

By consistently testing and optimizing your site based on user feedback and performance data, you can further refine the user experience and positively impact SEO rankings.

Interested in having a conversation with an agency fully equipped to help you navigate updating your UX with confidence? Contact us to schedule a consultation.

Key Takeaways

• Unified Approach: User experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO) should be integrated from the early stages of web development for maximum effectiveness.
• Bounce Rates and Dwell Time: Enhancing UX can lead to lower bounce rates and longer dwell times, signaling to search engines the value and relevance of a website.
• Mobile Optimization Priority: In today’s digital landscape, having a mobile-optimized website is crucial for SEO, especially with Google’s mobile-first indexing.
• Page Speed’s Dual Impact: Fast-loading websites contribute to a better user experience and are favored by search engines, making page speed optimization a key factor for both UX and SEO.
• Accessibility Enhances SEO: Creating an accessible website not only adheres to ethical standards but also positively influences SEO.
• Navigation and Linking: Clear and user-friendly navigation and internal linking improve the user experience, encouraging longer visits and potentially boosting SEO rankings.
• Structured Data’s Role: Implementing structured data markup helps search engines understand website content better, potentially leading to improved search rankings and visibility.
• Practical Optimization Tips: Regular actions such as prioritizing mobile optimization, focusing on accessibility, streamlining navigation, and utilizing structured data are essential for enhancing both UX and SEO.
• Content is King: High-quality, engaging content remains central to both UX and SEO success, underscoring the importance of content in web design strategies.
• Continuous Improvement: Regular testing and refinement based on user feedback and performance data are crucial for maintaining and improving the balance between UX and SEO.

The post The Impact of User Experience on SEO appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

You must focus on creating social media images that are relevant to your brand. Graphics, consistent with your business’s established image in the market, increase audience engagement via creating familiarity.  

6 Ways to Create Social Media Images to Support Your Brand 

Here are six simple ways to create visual content that is relevant to your brand’s image.  

Uniformity in Logo Size and Placement 

You must decide a minimum size for your brand’s logo and use it with consistency across all social media networks. Ensure that your logo is not too overpowering in design; however, it should not be too small either.  

Moreover, you must also keep your logo’s positioning consistent. The thumb rule is to place a logo near the bottom right corner. The idea is to ensure that your brand logo is not too distracting but still associates the image with your brand.  

Consistency of Fonts 

Do not choose more than three fonts styles and use them with consistency amongst all social media images. Using typeface that commonly associates with your brand will help increase recognition. For example, Nike uses its iconic font with bold uppercase in most social media posts and images.  

Integration of Your Brand Colors 

Have you noticed a similar practice in the images of all well-known brands? They always use the same color scheme repetitively in their texts, logos, and images. This helps their audience recognize the business and evoke certain emotions and feelings associated with its products.  

Use the same approach and choose three or four different colors for your brand. Make sure to use them with consistency for all your social media images, posts, and logos.  

Choosing an Image That Fits Your Style 

Stay consistent with your background themes when it comes to social media images. To determine your brand’s personality and find images that complement it, you must ask yourself the following questions.  

• What experience, product, or service are you trying to sell? 
• What kind of activities would you expect to see and do, if your brand or business were a person?  
• What does your target audience respond to? 

Once you have the answers, search for images that fit them. 

Finding Signature Filters 

Filters are in these days and give your social media images an exciting twist and feel. As a business, you must consider which filter works with your brand’s established design element before applying them.  

Some filters may brighten an image while others enhance colors or apply certain graphic effects.  

Consistency in Composition 

An effective way to foster brand recognition is by creating templates. This will make it easier to create future images quickly, plus they provide a consistent user experience. A familiar design will make your brand and social media images more recognizable.  

Your Ticket to Success 

If you want to create social media images to increase your brand’s recognition and conversion rate, the tactics mentioned above can help you achieve faster and more effective results. If you need further help in creating a brand strategy for social media, get in touch with our team. 

The post How to Create Social Media Images That Support Your Brand appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Many businesses scratch their heads, wondering if Snapchat is only an app for sharing snaps with friends, or can it be a valuable tool for branding strategy? 

Do you know the video views on Snapchat are a whopping 8 billion views per day? Therefore, it can give your business an instant outreach to millions of Snapchat users within seconds.  

Snapchat Branding Strategy: A Brief Summary 

If you are a business owner or a marketer thinking about developing a Snapchat Branding Strategy, here are seven easy steps to create an impactful one.  

Provide Value for Everyone 

As a brand, you must try to add value for each consumer you share your Snapchat stories with, and this value must be consistent throughout the entire story. Snapchat is an incredibly effective platform to build your brand affinity with your target audience.  

 Be Innovative  

Be innovative and brave, but do not be a daredevil. Snapchat is a great way to try something creative, but it does not have to be a risky affair. Therefore, you must learn how your consumers respond to the content you create.  

This is an excellent platform for startup companies, so they are not afraid to try something exciting and innovative to entice their Snapchat audience.  
 

Give a Sneak Peek 

It is always good to give your consumers a sneak peek or a behind-the-scenes look into your organization. This is an effective way to attract new users and engage with your existing clientele.  

Get Influencer’s Help 

The influencers on Snapchat and other social networking platforms are the celebrities of the digital world. They already have followers reaching thousands and sometimes millions in numbers. 

 Getting these influencers on board to promote or showcase your brand in their stories will give you instant access to thousands of Snapchat users.  

Be Optimistic but Realistic 

It looks like Snapchat is best for growing your target audience and creates constant ongoing engagements. Many companies have used Snapchat to manage sweepstakes, such as the San Diego Chargers.  

However, you must stay realistic about your forecast and expectations for conversion.  

Use Snapchat Features 

An effective Snapchat strategy will not fulfill all the desires of your audience. However, it will give them a small taste of the information to keep them engaged. You must utilize every tool at your disposal on Snapchat, such as adding vibrancy, a mix of drawings, and text to entice your audience into engagement with your message.  

Use Snapchat with Limited Sources 

If you are a marketer considering the Snapchat branding strategy for your company, you are in luck. Snapchat currently offers opportunities that require little to zero investment to get started. Therefore, now is a perfect time to break into Snapchat and figure out how this application can help you promote your brand.  

Ask Yourself 

Now that you know how to develop a Snapchat branding strategy, all you need to do is ask yourself if Snapchat is the right platform for your business? We believe it is worth testing this social networking platform to see if the opportunities available are worth your time and effort. If you need help in creating a brand strategy for Twitter, reach out to our team. 

The post How to Develop a Snapchat Branding Strategy appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

The answer is ‘yes’ –there are over 300 million active users that use Snapchat every month. Hence, it allows you to reach a mass audience. Plus, Snapchat for business is an easy-to-use and relevant marketing tool that a brand must not neglect.

However, before committing your time and resources into the platform, ensure that your target audience uses it. Omnicore reports that over 70 percent of Snapchat users are under the age of 34.

Snapchat for Business: A Quick Overview

If you are business not on Snapchat yet, here is a quick guide on how to establish your presence on this platform.

Signing Up

Like any other social media platform, you must create your profile account on Snapchat. Remember, you can only register an account using a mobile device.

First, you need to download the app from the App store or GooglePlay and follow the directions on the screen. It will ask you to add the date of birth, choose your username, and provide an email address. Once you have created the account, you can start adding friends directly from the contact list on your phone.

Remember, it is better to use personal information instead of your business information.

How to Interact withSnapchat Users?

There are various ways you can interact with fellow Snapchat users. As Snapchat is unlike any other social network, these interactions will be private except for the stories you post. Here is a list of how you can interact with other Snapchat users.

• Adding Users
• Viewing Stories by other users
• Sending Snaps or short videos to your friends and other users.
• Through Instant messaging
• By sending Snapcash: for this, you will need to link your account with a debit or credit card. It will allow you to send money to other users via instant messages. However, Snapchat strongly recommends its users not to send money to someone they do not know.

Snapchat Stories

These are only short videos, a single or multiple photos, but remember these stories cannot be too long. However, Snapchat’s multi-snap recording feature allows users to record longer videos and post them in ten-second chunks. It is a great way to introduce your business’ daily operations to the targeted audience. It will give an idea to your potential customers about an average working day within your company.

Advertise on Snapchat

There are various ways to advertise your brand, products, and services on Snapchat.

Snap Ads

These are full-screen 10-second vertical videos. They come with interactive elements, including a call to action for a customer to visit the provided link. Most ads include audio that plays automatically as your ad appears.

Sponsored Geo-Filters

This method allows you to send Snaps from a specific location. The lenses can cover specific locations such as a departmental store or a coffee shop. For instance, if your brand has multiple branches, you can set individual geo-filters for each site. All of the major cities have different filters.

Sponsored Lenses

These sponsored lenses are more interactive compared to geo-filters. You can capture a photo or make a video and then add these lenses with a unique facial recognition tech. The feature allows you to pretend to be Santa Claus, wear flower crowns, or even puke a rainbow. If your business sells eye-glasses, you can use filters with all types of spectacles to make your stories and posts eye-catching and relevant.

Influencers

These influencers are the celebrities of the social networking world. They have followers going from thousands into millions. If an influencer showcases your brand in their posts, photos, videos, and stories it will give your business an instant outreach to millions of their followers without breaking a sweat.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to efficiently use Snapchat for business.

• Upload content and stories regularly.
• Proactively interact with your users.
• Sponsor a Snap Ad
• Sponsor a lens

If you need help in creating a brand strategy for Snapchat, contact our team today.

The post How to Use Snapchat for Business Growth appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

For your marketing strategy to be successful, it must also be realistic, consistent, and agile. The ever-evolving marketing landscape is a testament to the fact that change is the only constant, and those who understand and can implement what is known to work in the world of strategic marketing have a much easier road ahead.

We’ve pulled together a shortlist of who we think is doing strategic marketing right across some of the top marketing channels, so you can start incorporating what works into your strategic marketing planning. 

Content Marketing

Whether in the form of blogs, infographics, videos, or images, content educates, engages, and persuades your audiences. If your content is not top quality, it will not resonate with your customers. 

No matter how strategic marketing tactics change, content should always remain a priority. That’s because content marketing gets three times more leads than paid search advertising, according to the Content Marketing Institute.

A great example of content marketing success is Evernote, a popular note-taking app that engages with its audience by employing effective content marketing tactics. Using a Customer Stories feature page, Evernote displays how different people and businesses are using their platform to support them in their daily lives. 

Not only does this strategy enable the platform to benefit from user-generated content (UGC), but it provides a high-value source of customer testimonials that highlight how useful the Evernote application is and how it supports and solves customer pain points.

This combination of storytelling and UGC helps Evernote create engaging and relatable content that amplifies brand awareness and encourages users to share their stories and engage with the brand and each other.

Video Marketing

Video marketing gives brands a platform to tell stories through captivating graphics and visuals that connect to the audience emotionally, as well as increase traffic and boost sales.

Whether a business is large or small, implementing video marketing helps to reach more target audiences, create more engaging content, and will lead to greater brand awareness. 

Nike has found incredible success by making motivational, inspirational, and relatable video content a part of their strategic marketing plan. The “Unlimited” campaign of 2016 showed how average people work hard to become star athletes. This campaign paved the way for more ingenious video marketing strategies that proved to be extremely effective for the brand.

Mobile Marketing

More than half of smartphone users discover new companies and products while searching on their mobile phones. Search engines like Google are hyperaware of the power of the mobile user, which is why it now ranks websites by their mobile-friendliness. The growth of mobile-focused marketing has spurred companies to develop more mobile-friendly websites, with search engine optimization, as well as create integrated mobile experiences, text message marketing, and more to improve their customers’ mobile engagement and experiences.

The automobile company, Ford, used an exemplary mobile marketing strategy to promote the Ford Escape and Taurus models. People who were interested in the models were encouraged to send a text, which initiated their inquiry while registering their names and local zip codes. Local Ford dealerships received the pre-qualified leads and customer information and followed up–resulting in a 15.4% higher conversion rate.

Social Media Marketing

Social media has changed the strategic marketing landscape by consolidating the relationship between users and companies, making businesses more accessible and more inviting to the user.

Pampers has wonderfully executed social media marketing by turning a less-than-glamorous product into a catalyst for emotional moments. In their social media campaigns, the brand leverages the bond between a parent and a child, making it more natural for parents to choose their product to ensure comfort for their child. They have created a charming persona for their brand on social media that goes beyond just selling products, and instead, engages families in building a relationship with a brand that will forever be associated with the first few years of their child’s life.

Mastering the art of an effective strategic marketing plan requires an understanding of what will work and what will not. More companies are now harnessing the power of strategic marketing trends to attract more customers to their brand, boost sales, and enhance their brand image and competitive presence in the market. Ready to put some skin in the game? Contact our team of friendly experts to harness the power of strategic marketing for your business and your brand. 

The post Who Is Getting Strategic Marketing Right–and How? appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

You need a well-planned and well-executed digital marketing strategy in your marketing mix, whether you are a flourishing enterprise business or a startup. But, keeping up with the various digital marketing tips and trends, and understanding how to integrate them into your marketing efforts can feel overwhelming, no matter the size of your company. 

Take a look at some of the top digital marketing trends for 2020 and think about how you may be able to incorporate them into your unique environments! 

Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality 

AR and VR have been around for a while, and they rank higher on digital marketing trends, especially since they enable consumers to see the product before the actual purchase. 

In the retail segment, AR can help customers examine a product in detail, helping to minimize returns and avoid customers that are dissatisfied with their experience.

It’s unsurprising why the AR market is set to reach $198 billion by 2025.

Voice Search Optimization

Voice search is one of the many top digital marketing trends you need to follow. Voice search enables your customers to ask for your products and services by saying them aloud to their voice device (such as Alexa, Google Echo, or Siri), instead of going through the process of typing out their request. Voice search creates a more user-friendly experience and addresses the need for immediate, spoken results.

Recent statistics show that about 72% of consumers use voice-activated devices as a part of their regular routines. 52% keep their devices in living rooms, while 22% use their devices for their kitchen-related activities.

Shoppable Posts 

Shoppable posts are all about making your products and services directly available through a social media post, enabling the user to see the picture, price tag, and click-through to make a purchase. 

This is a great way to connect with active buyers–about 75% of Instagram users buy a product after seeing it advertised in a shoppable post.

Valuable Tips to Ace the Digital Marketing Arena

Ready to refine your digital marketing strategy? Here are some tips to help you take your digital marketing strategy to the next level:

Include Gen Z in your Target Audiences

You need to consider designing a strategy to address Gen Z as an emerging consumer group – especially since Gen Z accounts for more than 2.1 billion people today.

Gen Z is quickly rising as a force of its own and is currently entering the workforce with a significant amount of disposable income to make purchases. They’re actively looking for brands that resonate with their lives and their values, and that offer a personalized consumer journey.

Make Use of Personalized Advertising

Personalized targeting is all about tailoring your ads and targeting them to users according to their demographics. This approach also helps you reach new audiences. Also referred to as behavioral or psychological advertising, these targeted ads are more effective in clicks and conversions, as consumers are more willing to buy a product when it is targeted based on their personality traits and experiences.

Integrate More Videos

According to Smart Insights, 48% of consumers want to see a video because it helps them in their buying decisions. Videos are one of the top emerging marketing trends today. Video content not only conveys your brand voice and message shortly and concisely but also highlights all the best features of your service or product. 

Long video formats are excellent for business or stakeholder presentations, but for a successful digital marketing campaign, a short video is better suited for this strategy.

With so many rapid changes in technology, even traditional brick and mortar businesses have increased their digital marketing efforts to capture the online marketplace. Remember, the number one reason for having a digital marketing strategy is that it is cost-effective and gives small and medium enterprises a perfect platform to gain their fair share of the market. At C-Leveled, we help businesses create strategic marketing plans that help guide better business decisions, and just plain better business. To learn more about how we can help your business grow, contact us today. 

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