SEO vs. User Experience: Where Do You Draw The Line?

I know what you're probably thinking, "Doesn't proper SEO make a website easier to use?". The answer to that question is yes... sort of. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization should, by default, make your website easier to navigate. When you address SEO you build your site so that Google will be able to "crawl" your pages and assign meaning to your website. So you go and add links, and assemble a coherent site map and then design pages with "obvious" content. This way Google, and theoretically your customers, can peruse your site and find what they need.

That all sounds well and good, but there are some areas where SEO can hurt the overall user experience on your website. One thing I've run into many of times as a marketer is people that try to over optimize. They insist that everything must be keyword-filled and every web decision must be made with SEO in mind. They don't understand that people use sites, and read content, in a different way than Google's spiders. Because of this they sacrifice several key areas of their web quality to attempt to show up as high as possible in search results

The first problem you run in to is your actual written content. I've heard from many people, and have experienced myself, that writing for SEO is counter-intuitive to writing a flowing and cohesive piece. The idea that specific keywords have to be inserted into sentences and paragraphs jams the creative flow of words. I've written many blog posts for clients that start as great ideas and, after optimized, are left as boring and generic posts. It makes it difficult to write catchy headlines, and enticing subheads. This is the result of wanting too much to squeeze every ounce of "Google Juice" out of your content, and the effect is a website that doesn't promote being read, and by extension, being explored.

Another area where you can over optimize is with your overall web content architecture. I've seen many people that insist that they house their blog internally on their site, or insist that every piece of content they can publish exist somewhere on their website. They forgo using easy third-party tools because they don't get credit for the content. They don't want to miss any possible opportunity to gain favor with Google. This makes for websites that are dozens of pages deep. They have sites that require a ton of clicks to drill down and find the information you need, and then they are confused when the find that no one is willing to search and find certain pages.

So the question becomes, "Where do you draw the line?". The answer to that question is simple; do all of the SEO that helps people navigate your site and/or exists in the background. Make sure that your meta tags, alt tags, title tags, etc. are all in place and make sure you have keyword links and page titles whenever possible. All that being said, your site is supposed to be designed with the end-user in mind. It should be created to provide the easiest path from your homepage to your purchase page. Your first priority should be to create the best content you can and make people want to look around your page.

SEO is not only a worthwhile endeavor, but should be considered a "must-have" in your digital marketing strategy, but, like most things in life, you can have too much of a good thing.

Your Marketing Strategy Should be like a Thanksgiving Meal

With Thanksgiving here and gone, we can now look back fondly on the good times, the laughs, and of course, the food. You can’t say enough about the food at Thanksgiving; it is the perfect complement to the cold days and the warm atmosphere. Like a perfectly planned Thanksgiving dinner, your business marketing strategy should work together to create a unified experience that is greater than any of its parts. While each dish passed is good on its own, it isn’t until they are eaten together that they really become special.

Turkey – Website

The turkey is the staple of most every Thanksgiving dinner. It is the centerpiece of the meal and takes the most planning in its preparation. For your business, your turkey should be your website. It should be developed with careful planning and attention and, when complete, will be the centerpiece of your brand. With more and more people going online to find products, and businesses, it has never been more important to have a website that meets your customer’s needs and leaves them feeling satisfied and full.

Mashed Potatoes – Search Engine Optimization

The perfect companion to the turkey is the mashed potatoes. The same can be said about Searching Engine Optimization (SEO) to a website. Adding an SEO strategy to your website will improve the likelihood of people finding it organically through search. You can build your website without SEO, but that is like, well, Thanksgiving turkey without mashed potatoes.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising – Corn

For many people, corn is an accessory to the potatoes on your plate. After grabbing a big ol’ scoop of mashed potatoes, they follow with a scoop of corn right on top. Those people feel that the corn adds something extra, and takes the potatoes to another level of taste. Such is the relationship between pay-per-click advertising (PPC) and SEO. By running ads on Facebook, or through Google, Yahoo, or Bing, you reach out to those that are looking for your services. This increases the reach of your pretty website and brings more customers through your door. Again, you can have a PPC campaign on its own, but when paired with proper on-page SEO, it creates a 1-2 punch for generating new business opportunities.

Traditional Media – Stuffing

Stuffing is one of the more debated dishes on the menu at thanksgiving. Most people believe that it is a must, and HAS to be included for the meal to be complete, and yet others totally hate the stuff and don’t see any reason why it needs to be present. This can also be said about incorporating traditional media into your marketing strategy. There are those out there that say that traditional marketing is “dead”. They say that everything is going digital and there is no place for TV and radio in your marketing budgets. There are also those that still believe that nothing can deliver the reach and general awareness generated as a well-executed TV spot can. We tend to believe that, like the stuffing at dinner, it should be addressed in the planning stages and, depending on the goals of the campaign, incorporated into the strategy in a way that makes sense. If there isn’t a way to make it work then there is no need to force it.

Gravy – Branding

So now we have a plate full of food; mountains of deliciousness that your taste buds are dripping at the thought of. There is just one last thing to bring it all together: a generous portion of gravy. This final piece ties the whole meal together and blends everything into a sweet symphony of flavors. This is the role of Branding in your marketing mix. Branding is the unified message and personality of your business. It includes everything from your company name and logo to your color scheme and tone. Like the gravy on your plate, your brand needs to extend over all areas of your marketing strategy to ensure that your customers are receiving a unified message from your company.

Social Media – Your Family & Friends

After all, what is the point of having this wonderful meal if you don’t have anyone to share it with? You now have your meal made, and you sit down at the table with your family and you discuss. You talk about the meal, you talk about your life, and you talk about everything and anything. You learn about each other and strengthen the bonds between you. Social Media serves the same purpose. Giving yourself a table to sit at with your customers will allow you to connect with them in a way you have never been able to before. You can tell them about yourself, and learn about them. Find out what they like and what they don’t like. Give them access to you, and let them know they can trust you. After all this has happened, when they need what you have, they will come to you first.

This holiday season is about so much more than presents and food and days off of work. It is about a sum of experiences and memories that will stay with you forever. Your marketing strategy should incorporate the same belief. By taking the time and energy to craft more than just a website, or a Facebook page, you can create an experience for your customers that will endear them to you and create relationships that will last forever.