From SEO to SXO, the convergence of search optimization and user experience

While 53.3% of a site's traffic is said to come from organic search (BrightEdge), SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is of undeniable commercial importance. Aimed at improving a site's visibility in search engines, good SEO attracts a large and qualified audience. After that, it's up to you to work your magic and win over your targets.

SEO is generally considered to rely on three main pillars:

• On-page SEO: the content and visible elements on your pages (content quality, keywords, HTML tags, external links).
• Technical SEO: structural and technical aspects that help search engines crawl and index your pages (performance, architecture, security).
• Off-page SEO: all actions carried out outside your site that strengthen its authority (backlinks, public relations, social networks).

It now incorporates another fundamental element: user experience.

UX design, or user experience design, involves creating a website that meets the real expectations and needs of users. While SEO aims above all to please the search engine robots, UX focuses on human beings. 

These two disciplines, long seen as opposites, are now converging toward a common goal. Algorithms, especially Google's, are placing increasing importance on user experience signals: time spent on site, click-through rate, bounce rate, accessibility, and mobile navigation.

This link between SEO and UX is now known by the catchy name SXO (Search Experience Optimization). So, in a digital project, part of SEO depends on UX design. If your user experience is successful, your visitors will send Google the right signals: higher click-through rate, increased time on site, reduced bounce rate, more qualified traffic, improved conversion rate, etc.

Defining Relevant User Journeys

Have you ever wondered what makes a user go to one page rather than another when browsing your site? Behind every internet user, there is an intention. It’s precisely the job of UX design to define this intention in order to better address it. Ideally, every page, every interaction should be part of a smooth journey, where the user is guided toward a goal. This is what we call user journeys.

A site can have several user journeys depending on the identified targets and their associated objectives. Take the example of a university website: it may be aimed at high school students searching for post-secondary programs, professionals seeking continuing education, or research professors wanting to submit projects or consult scientific publications. All these personas require a distinct journey, designed to meet their specific expectations.

These journeys are represented by a clear navigation scheme, the result of in-depth UX design work. It relies on user research to identify each persona’s motivations. For instance, for the high school student, the journey might start with searching for programs via a search engine, continue with detailed program descriptions, and conclude with an online application process.

Site loading time

Loading time hurts the user experience. Let’s be honest, who’s never left a site that took too long to load? This friction translates into a higher bounce rate and a Google penalty. The American giant considers that a site shouldn’t exceed 2.5 seconds of loading time. You can test yours on PageSpeed.

The Mobile First approach

Since the majority of searches are now done on mobile, Google has incorporated the Mobile First Index principle into its algorithm. That is, it prioritizes testing the mobile version of websites to check their performance and rank them accordingly. Makes sense. So if your Drupal solution isn’t responsive, you risk being penalized.  To run the test, Google recommends using Lighthouse.

Content with UX writing

Content and its role in SEO is a vast topic that would probably deserve its own article. For now, here’s a quick overview. 

Through its algorithms, Google evaluates several criteria to determine if a page deserves to be highlighted:

• Relevance: the content matches users’ queries, answering their questions or needs.
• Quality: informative, well-written, and error-free content is seen as more credible, strengthening your authority in your field.
• Freshness: recent or updated content is favored.

For quality content, we highly recommend adopting UX writing, a user-focused approach to content. It relies in particular on:

• Clarity and conciseness: short, precise sentences that deliver key information without unnecessary details.
• Consistency and coherence: a unified editorial style across all pages to reinforce your brand’s credibility and identity.
• Tone (or tone of voice): a tone adapted to your target audience that humanizes your content and creates an emotional connection with your users.
• Use of micro-content: to guide the user along their journey and prompt strategic actions (signing up, buying, or downloading).

Measure, test, and continuously improve

Ultimately, UX and SEO are a bit like gardening: to grow, they require maintenance. Test, measure, and optimize to stay well-ranked and convert your users.

As for us, we especially like Matomo, an open-source and GDPR-compliant solution that analyzes user behavior on your Drupal platforms: most visited pages, where visitors leave the site, paths leading to conversions, and so on.

We also use user testing, a UX design tool that involves observing and questioning site users in real conditions. It’s great for identifying friction points and collecting user feedback in real time.

SEO and UX are a win-win partnership. Working on one without the other is like riding a bicycle with only one wheel: you won't get very far! Therefore, optimizing SEO in a Drupal project starts right from the very beginning of its development. First, during the UX design phase. Then, during the development phase to implement best technical SEO practices. Finally, over time, through regular production of high-quality content, careful internal linking, and backlinks.

For us, SEO is fully integrated into every stage of our Drupal project workflow. All our experts are trained to consider search engine optimization. We also have an SEO specialist who oversees and monitors this entire process.

So, if you want to design a Drupal project that appeals to both your users and search engines, contact us!