Usability and SEO - Red Light, Green Light
By Kim Krause Berg
Another article has appeared on the topic of SEO and Usability and how these two different skill sets benefit each other. The latest,
Usability and SEO. Which comes First?, written for Search Engine Watch by Eric Enge, caught my eye because he wrote:
“What I want to emphasize here is one key point: Usability comes
first, and SEO comes second.”
It’s funny to hear that statement coming from a professional SEO.
In the late 1990's, when I offered search engine optimization services,
I didn’t get the call for help until the web site was launched and swimming
for dear life in the search engine pool. In those days, there were lots
of search engines. SEO came last, after the design and after people
were intended to use it. If they ever found it, that is.
During the past ten years, acceptance by companies to work search engine
marketing techniques into their web site pages has vastly improved.
User centered, persuasive design, on the other hand, are still whispers
in the wind. Will it take another ten years for usability and accessibility
to be as justified as marketing a web site property?
What opened my eyes was working in user interface design and discovering
that usability came last, AFTER SEO. It was always a pleasant surprise
to hear someone on the design team inquire about image alt attributes
or fuss over page title tags. Unfortunately, I realized they only knew
these things mattered because some of my design team mates owned their
own personal web site businesses on the side. It wasn’t something the
company demanded for itself. They were just lucky the web site designers
had their acts together.
User centered design still gets shoved around. As it makes its way into
the world of search engine marketing, the experience reminds me of the
game “Red Light, Green Light”. The caller yells, “Green
light!” and everybody runs forward, willy nilly, confident, trying
to get to the finish line first. Then, the caller shouts, “Red light!”
and suddenly everyone stops. Frozen. They have to hold their position.
They can’t breathe or giggle, as they wait for their next instruction.
Corporate Blinders
I was recently part of a conversation whereby a man was describing his
company’s future plans. Presently, they sell products online locally
and are now moving into a neighboring country. After this, they plan
on going global.
As he describes it, they have no usability person in the entire company.
They have search engine marketers. But, they have no idea how to sell
online internationally. They don’t understand what browsers are popular
outside the USA. They don’t know how to make forms usable for global
customers. User behavior and habits vary by culture, even down to how
web pages are read. They assume their present website will work everywhere.
I see this constantly and wonder how some corporations survive with
such tunnel vision.
Usability is misunderstood and therefore, not even considered a worthwhile
investment until sales stop or worse, a lawsuit appears by someone unable
to use the site.
It’s Not Who Goes First
Whenever I see phrases like “Usability is first, SEO is second”
or “SEO is first, usability is second”, or “SEO doesn’t
need usability”, I don’t agree with the competition this sets up.
Both disciplines are vital to the air your web site breathes. They are
equal sides of the same lung.
Usability, accessibility and search engine
marketing practices are united partners because they’re focused on the
web site visitor. We can all walk up to these customers and shake their
hand together.
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Bio and Copyright
Usability Consultant, Kimberly Krause Berg, is the owner of UsabilityEffect.com
(www.usabilityeffect.com), Cre8pc.com
(www.cre8pc.com), and Cre8asiteForums
(www.cre8asiteforums.com/). Her background in organic search engine
optimization, combined with web site usability consulting, offers
unique insight into web site development.
Copyright 2007 Cre8pc.com. All Rights Reserved. Reprint rights by Permission
of the Author