The Art of SXO: Placing UX Design Methods into SEO Best Practices (Design Thinking)

Search Experience Optimization (SXO) is a fast growing field that combines the disciplines of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and User Experience (UX) Design. It’s a holistic approach to creating websites that are not only optimized for search engines and bots, but for users too, a highly effective method of converting a websites visitors into customers and subscribers, leading some to think of it as SEO 2.0. Recent industry reports suggests that front-end developers and web designers need to embrace SXO best practices to not only ensure websites are optimized by the metadata and analytics that SEO provides, but also ensure a website or application is easy-to-use and behaves in a way the user expects because happy users drive higher retention rates and higher revenue, which is essential for commercial app creators. The Art of SXO aims to be a comprehensive guide to this emerging field, explaining what it is, how it works, and how to use it to improve search rankings, increase conversions rates, and ultimately grow a company's revenue. This guide will be packed with tips, tricks, and tactics making it an essential resource for anyone looking to get the most out of their search traffic. What You'll Learn Apply SXO best practices and how it differs from tradition SEO Optimize websites for both search engine bots and users Increase a website's ranking in SERPs Improve a website's conversion rates Grow revenue from organic traffic Who This Book Is For Web developers and UX designers, technical SEO specialists, digital marketers and business owners who may have a basic understanding of SEO, CRO, UX design and core digital marketing concepts, but are looking to take their practices to the next level with SXO. Table of Contents About the Author About the Technical Reviewer Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Search Experience Optimization: The New Way to Do SEO The Three Pillars of SXO SEO CRO UX Design The User-First Approach Creating Content for Users Making Information Easily Accessible Creating a Pleasant Design Key Takeaways The Power of Data Introduction to Data Collecting Data Analyzing Data The Importance of Data Interpretation Data Visualization Techniques Making Decisions Based on Data Implementing Changes Based on Data Key Takeaways The Importance of Design The Role of Design in SXO User Experience Search Engine Rankings Brand Reputation The Principles of Good Design Simplicity Consistency Clarity A Focus on the User Creating a Good Design for Your Website Your Industry and Market The Message You Want to Communicate Your Target Audience Data from Your Analytics Applying the Design Principles Use Typography to Create a Hierarchy of Information Use Whitespace to Create Visual Interest Use Color to Create Contrast Use Imagery to Add Visual Interest Designing for Different Devices The Layout of Your Website The Size of Your Text The Size of Your Images Key Takeaways The Role of Content What Is Content? The Different Types of Content Creating High-Quality Content Key Takeaways The Science of a Good Browsing Experience How Search Engines Work Meeting Expectations Being Found Serving Information Providing Solutions Building Loyalty Key Takeaways Summary Chapter 2: Applying SXO to Your Website Understanding Your Website’s Current Search Experience Gathering Data with Google Analytics 1. Setting Up Your Google Analytics Account 2. Adding Your Google Analytics Tracking Code A. Adding the Code Through Google Tag Manager B. Adding the Code Directly to Your Website 3. Viewing Your Data in Google Analytics A. The Basics B. Using Google Analytics to Track Your Goals C. Using Google Analytics to Track Your Traffic Sources D. Using Google Analytics to Track Your Website’s Performance E. Creating Custom Reports in Google Analytics Gathering Data with Google Search Console 1. Setting Up Your Google Search Console Account 2. Viewing Your Data in Google Search Console 3. Using Google Spreadsheets or Microsoft Excel to Find Key Information Gathering Data with Microsoft Clarity 1. Setting Up Your Microsoft Clarity Account 2. Viewing Your Data in Microsoft Clarity 3. Filtering Data in Microsoft Clarity 4. Creating Reports in Microsoft Clarity Gathering Data with Screaming Frog 1. Installing and Configuring Screaming Frog 2. Crawling Your Website with Screaming Frog 3. Analyzing Your Data in Screaming Frog Analyzing Data with Google Spreadsheets 1. Identifying Pages with Missing Meta Descriptions and Title Tags 2. Assessing Your Website’s Technical Performance Website Speed Mobile-Friendliness How to Fix It Security How to Fix It Uptime How to Fix It Other Issues 3. Analyzing Your Interlinking Structure and Link Placement 4. Identifying Content to Update, Rewrite, or Remove 5. Analyzing the Keywords You Already Rank for, Their Relevancy, and Conversion Potential 6. Calculating Your Current and Future ROI Current ROI from Organic Search Forecasting Future ROI with Potential SEO Optimizations 7. Auditing Your Website’s Backlink Profile for Quality and Relevance Setting Benchmarks and Goals for Your Website’s SXO Performance Step 1: Prepare a Document to Track Your Progress Step 2: Know Your Target Audience Step 3: Identify Your Products or Services Step 4: Set Realistic Goals Step 5: Decide Which Tools You Will Use Step 6: Create a Timeline Key Takeaways Identifying Your Target Audience Gathering Customer Insights Why Are Customer Insights Important? Defining Your Ideal Customer Create Your Customer Persona Use Google Analytics to Learn More About Your Audience Key Takeaways Keyword Research Brainstorming Trending Keyword Research Step 1: Enter a Seed Keyword into Google Trends Step 2: Narrow Down Your Results by Location and Timeframe Step 3: Analyze Your Results Evergreen Keyword Research Competitor Keyword Research Step 1: Identify Your Competitors Step 2: Analyze Their Rankings Step 3: Analyze Their Search Traffic People Also Ask How to Research People Also Ask Keywords? Evaluating and Organizing Your Keyword Ideas Key Takeaways Optimizing Website’s Structure What Is Website Structure? How to Improve the Structure of Your Website Navigation Menu Footer Page Titles Header Tags URL Structure Anchor Text Internal Linking Structure Sitemap Schema Markup Key Takeaways Summary Chapter 3: Creating Compelling Content Types of Content That Work Well for SXO Industry News and Insights Audience-Focused Content Marketing Funnel Stage-Specific Content Blog Posts Articles Whitepapers Ebooks Guides FAQs Product Demos Webinars Free Trials/Samples Case Studies Formatting Your Content for Users and Search Engines Formatting Your Content for Readability Formatting Your Content for Shareability Formatting Your Content for Accessibility Formatting Your Content for Localization Formatting Your Content for Search Engine Optimization Writing Effective Calls to Action What Is a CTA? How to Write an Effective CTA Creating Visuals That Help Users Understand Your Content Types of Visuals Choosing the Right Visuals Key Takeaways Improving Website Design and Functionality Creating a Responsive Design Implementing an Effective Navigation Improving Usability with UX Design Principles Make It Easy to Use Ease of Use Search Bar Navigation Menu Product Pages One-Click Ordering Make It Easy to Navigate Logical Structure Clear Labels Same CTA on Every Page Use Clear and Concise Language Reading Level Clarity of Words Used Jargon-Free Use Whitespace Effectively Amount of Whitespace Placement of Whitespace Use of Whitespace to Separate Elements Use Color Effectively Brand Identity Visual Interest Contrast Emotion Communication of Messages Use Typography Effectively Size of Text Typeface Line Height Color of Text Use Images Effectively Size of Image File Type of Image Resolution of Image Placement of Image Use of Alt Text Use Visual Cues to Guide Users Use of Symbols and Icons Use of Imagery Use of Information Use of Buttons Use of Color Create Effective, Frictionless Forms Use of Field Labels Use of Input Types Placement of Form Fields Use of Submit Buttons Use of Error Messages Creating a Style Guide Key Takeaways Experimenting and Iterating The Importance of Experimentation The Scientific Method Types of Experiments How to Run an Experiment Setting an A/B Test with Google Optimize Creating an Experimentation Road Map Key Takeaways Reporting on SXO Success Choosing SXO Metrics to Track and Setting the Frequency of Your Reporting Choosing What to Include in Your SXO Report Creating a Report Template for Future SXO Reports Key Takeaways Summary Chapter 4: Advanced SXO Techniques International SXO The Difference Between International and Multilingual SEO International SEO Multilingual SEO Optimizing Website Structure for International Search Engines Google Baidu Yandex Improving Website Design and Content for International Users China United Kingdom United States Monitoring International Search Engine Rankings Why Monitor International Search Engine Rankings? How to Use Google Analytics to Monitor International Search Engine Rankings Key Takeaways Generating Demand with SXO Choosing High-Converting Keywords Creating a Long Landing Page with a Lead Magnet Ranking High in SERP Creating Blog Content to Answer Common Questions Using Round-Up Blogs to Increase Brand Awareness and Website Traffic Key Takeaways AI, Machine Learning, and Automation in SXO Content Creation Natural Language Processing (NLP) GPT-3 DALL-E Scraping Data Advanced Pattern Matching with Regex for SXO Key Takeaways Summary Chapter 5: The Future of SXO: How It Will Shape the SEO, CRO, and UX Design Landscape How SXO Will Shape the Future of SEO How SXO Will Shape the Future of CRO How SXO Will Shape the Future of UX Design The Bottom Line Index Capture.PNG