Search Engine Optimization is Now User Experience Optimization

Search engine optimization is becoming conversion rate optimization is becoming user experience optimization. Here in Cyril Labs we understand that the user experience is the most important factor to achieve quality content and higher ranking. In this 4 part series we will discuss how we can achieve that.

Before I get started let me add a caveat and say that user intent optimization is just icing on the SEO cake. We can’t stop doing the basic technical tasks that make our sites visible to Google. Search engines still need a clean site to crawl and index before they can retrieve it for SERPs.

Bounce Rate

SEMRush’s data determined that the average bounce rate for domains ranking in the top 3 positions in SERPs is just 49%.

Bounce rate is the ratio of users who abandon your site after visiting just one page. To Google, a high bounce rate says that a user searched a query, clicked on your site, and didn’t find the answer they needed. The user either hit the back button (known as pogo sticking) or exited out completely. If your bounce rate is very high, Googile could see that as the signal that your site should not be ranked as high for that particular query.

As such, higher ranked pages tend to have a much lower bounce rate. There are variations and outliers of course. Some industries just have higher bounce rates in general, and Google probably takes that into account when providing results to users. 

This is not to say that your site NEEDS a 50% or lower bounce rate to rank highly and convert users. The idea is that if you’re providing the right type of relevant and useful content, users who are qualified to buy your product will find your site and trust your brand.

Time on Site

A lower bounce rate is associated with the time on site metric, as well. If people are finding the answers they need, they’ll stay on your site longer instead of bouncing. Time on website could potentially tie into multiple factors including your content length, depth, and topic. If you’re finding ways to make your site useful to the right visitors, they’ll be on your site longer.

Pages per Session

SEMRush determined that the sites in the top spots had an average of 3 page visited per session, as well. If you write an amazing, thorough, and lengthy article that someone spends 15 minutes reading, and then they still exit out right after that amazing piece—it’s still a bounce. Ouch.

There are lots of ways to keep users perusing your site. Include links to related articles on high traffic posts and pages to help people continue their journey.

 Read the original article here .