Why SEO is a UX Discipline Ola King Independent Consultant (Previously UX Research at Moz) speakerdeck.com/olaking @JustOlaKing

“SEO is dying” …again @JustOlaKing

@Justolaking @JustOlaKing

AI Takeover @JustOlaKing

Shifting Search Behaviour @JustOlaKing

SEO CS, then Product @JustOlaKing Connecting Dots

3 Bosses of SEO SEO Growth Kit @JustOlaKing

@Justolaking Aha Moment @JustOlaKing

@Justolaking R.I.P SEO Search Engine Optimization @JustOlaKing

Need Generative AI Search Search Engines Exploratory: “I need to find a few good things” Conscious: “I’m looking for this specific thing” Exhaustive: “I need to know everything about this topic” Re-finding: “I need this specific thing again” @JustOlaKing Information Need Types

@Justolaking We gon' be alright SEO Industry Searchers Search Engines @JustOlaKing

“Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been” - Wayne Gretzky @JustOlaKing

•People-First* •Reward Content with satisfying experience. •Reduced performance of content that don’t meet visitor’s expectations. •Site Wide signal. •Affects every content, not just unhelpful content. @JustOlaKing Helpful Content System

•Good Core Web Vitals. •Pages served in a secure fashion. •Optimized for mobile. •Optimal amount of ads. •Non-Intrusive Interstitials. •Easy page/site navigation. •Proper Site Hierarchy. @JustOlaKing Page Experience Criteria

@JustOlaKing People-first Content Created primarily for people First-hand expertise and depth of knowledge Site has a primary purpose and focus Content satisfies a goal

@Justolaking The Solution: User/Visitor Empathy @JustOlaKing

@JustOlaKing What people want most Love Understanding Power Attention Freedom Creative Expression Sense of Belonging Success Connection

Long Live S.E.O Search Experience Design (S.E.D) @JustOlaKing

What is Search Experience Design? @JustOlaKing

What is Search Experience Design? @JustOlaKing

•People-first •User-Centric •Holistic •Multi-Modal •Best SEO Practices •Best UX Practices @JustOlaKing Search Experience Design

SEO is facing an Existential Threat SEO UX Common Goals @JustOlaKing

What’s UX? @JustOlaKing

•Quality of a user's interaction with a product, service or system. •Focus on satisfaction. •Ease of use. •Focus on overall experience. @JustOlaKing

•Understanding user behaviours, needs, and preferences. •Create intuitive, usable, and enjoyable experiences. @JustOlaKing Crafting the overall experience users have when interacting with a product, service, or system.

Example: Google Map @JustOlaKing UX Research Example

Illustration by Codecademy @JustOlaKing Five Elements of UX Design

@JustOlaKing Design Thinking

•Prioritize needs and preferences of audience throughout content creation process. •Use storytelling techniques to engage audience. •Make content engaging with color schemes, typography, and layout. •Experiment with interactive content formats. •Make evidence-based & data-driven decisions @JustOlaKing Applications of design thinking in SEO

@JustOlaKing Examples of UX Overlap with SEO @JustOlaKing

@JustOlaKing UX: User Research and Feedback SEO: Identifying Searcher’s Intent Keyword Research

User Research and Feedback The methodic study of target users—including their needs and pain points—so designers have the sharpest possible insights to work with to create the best solutions. @JustOlaKing User Research and Feedback

@JustOlaKing

@JustOlaKing UX: Findability SEO: • Indexable • Crawl-ability •Content Optimization • Accessibility (Voice, Visual, etc) • Language • Internationalization

User Research and Feedback The ease and efficiency with which users can locate and access information, features, or content within a digital interface or environment. @JustOlaKing Findability

@JustOlaKing UX: Discoverability SEO: • Links • Site Architecture • User Journey (e.g Next Search Intent) •Off-Site SEO (Digital PR)

User Research and Feedback When a piece of information is discoverable, it means it is easy to discover - without a user actively looking for it. @JustOlaKing Discoverability

@JustOlaKing UX: Usability SEO: Performance • Technical SEO •Core Web Vitals • Page Speed

User Research and Feedback A measure of how well a specific user in a specific context can use a product/design to achieve a defined goal effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily. @JustOlaKing Usability

@JustOlaKing UX: Credibility SEO: E.E.A.T

User Research and Feedback Credibility means you believe and have faith that the product, service system will do as promised. @JustOlaKing Credibility

@JustOlaKing Other SEO & UX Overlaps • Relevance • CTAs • Cross-Functional Collaboration • Ethics • Accuracy • Visual Design • Value

What’s Next? @JustOlaKing

Learn More on UX Nielsen Norman Group @JustOlaKing

Learn these UX Concepts • User-Centered Design • Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) • Experience Flow • Information Architecture • User Story Mapping • Customer Journey Mapping •Peter Morville's User Experience Honeycomb • Cognitive Walkthrough • Lean UX • Gestalt Principles • Affordance and Signifiers @JustOlaKing Learn these UX Concepts

Widen your lens of SEO Marketing SEO Team Structure: Before UX @JustOlaKing

Widen your lens of SEO Marketing SEO UX Team Structure: After @JustOlaKing

@JustOlaKing Assign a Search Experience Designer

Use existing user feedback (UX, Customer, & Sales) @JustOlaKing

Search Experience Design CheatSheet @JustOlaKing

• User-centricity - Placing user at core, understanding their intent and preferences, crafting content that resonates. • Understand UX basics. • Seamless navigation - Intuitive, effortless navigation, responsive design, streamlined journey & paths. • Contextual relevance - Aligning content with user context, strategic keyword optimization, delivering personalized content experiences. • Accessibility and inclusivity - Compliance with accessibility standards, designing for diverse user needs and abilities. • Content engagement - Maximizing user engagement & multimedia elements. • Data-driven decision - Making use of other sources of user data beyond SEO, routine performance monitoring and analysis. • Collaborative synergy between marketing and UX, and customer teams. • Shared goals and communication channels. • Ethical practices - Long-term sustainability over short-term gains. • Voice of the User: Actively seeking and incorporating user feedback, continuous improvement based on user insights. • Design/write for diverse user needs and abilities. • Integrate a centralized feedback system. • Get quantitative data from UX - FullStory, CrazyEgg, Hotjar, LuckyOrange. • Be aware of social, cultural, & ethnical biases. • Assign a Search Experience Designer or leverage your UX team. • Align UX & SEO Goals. • Collaborate on templates design, design systems with UX/Design. • Involve UX in high-level content reviews. • Embrace multi-modal experiences. Search Experience Design CheatSheet @JustOlaKing Why SEO is a UX Discipline|BrightSEO, San Diego

Thank You! Ola King Independent Consultant (Previously UX Research at Moz) speakerdeck.com/olaking @JustOlaKing