Feb 20 2009

Website Usability Equals Better SEO

Today’s SEO tip is very short but it is a really good reminder for us, SEOs, that website success is not primarily about search bots – make it for people in the first place.

The SEO tip is provided by Scott of Usable.co.nz

Make your website as easy-to-use as possible for humans.

For example:

  • use a simple navigation menu located in a conventional position (e.g. top left);
  • avoid jargon except when you know your audience will understand it;
  • be concise!
  • provide an RSS feed by reader *and* email subscription; some humans dislike readers;
  • note that the optimal unordered list size is 5 items before the average brain leaks memory.

Any more quick tips to improve site usabiluty (+SEO)? Please share them in the comments!

Have an SEO tip to share and get recoginition? Submit your SEO tip!

29 Responses to “Website Usability Equals Better SEO”

  1. mjleonard (mjleonard) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT@BWelford RT @seosmarty: Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO << you should

  2. MRHYPERPCS (Robert Greenawalt) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @seosmarty: Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO

  3. SEOAly (Alysson Fergison) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @seosmarty: Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO

  4. BWelford (Barry Welford) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @seosmarty: Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO << you certainly should.

  5. KateOnline (Kate) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @seosmarty: Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO – couldn’t agree more

  6. jrmorris (James Morris) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @seosmarty: Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO

  7. seosmarty (Ann Smarty) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO

  8. saurabhshah (Saurabh Shah) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @briancray: RT @igrafix RT @the_gman: Reading: “Website Usability Equals Better SEO | Daily SEO Tip” ( http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh )

  9. briancray (Brian Cray) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @igrafix RT @the_gman: Reading: “Website Usability Equals Better SEO | Daily SEO Tip” ( http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh )

  10. igrafix (PixelDiva/Brigitte ?) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    RT @the_gman: Reading: “Website Usability Equals Better SEO | Daily SEO Tip” ( http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh )

  11. the_gman (Gerald Weber) says:
    December 31, 1969 at 11:59 pm

    Reading: “Website Usability Equals Better SEO | Daily SEO Tip” ( http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh )

  12. Michael Martin says:
    February 20, 2009 at 3:37 pm

    Just a curiosity – where is this statement cited by a credible source, “note that the optimal unordered list size is 5 items before the average brain leaks memory.”?

    ,Michael Martin
    Google And Blog

    usability consultant Reply:
    February 20th, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    Michael
    Good question. “7 items plus or minus 2” is a general rule of thumb for information design; based upon several psychological studies that have shown our brain’s capacity to store and recall individuals items is in this range from 5 to 9 items. We go with the low figure of 5 items because, well, simple is better. And 5 items is simpler than 9; especially these days when people love sound bites and twitter-like chunks of data. Who really has time to read a long list?

    usability consultant’s last incredible blog post..Business process modeling has evolved – big time!

    iCan't Internet Reply:
    February 27th, 2009 at 9:12 am

    Ok, this is new to me, but indeed,true…
    And, as you say, besides the memory issue, there is also to time/boring issue, who wants to read a list with 223 bullets?
    So, thank you for this great info!

    iCan’t Internet’s last incredible blog post..Google in 2012?

    usability consultant Reply:
    February 26th, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    A great article around the 7+/-2 rule: Does your navigation pass the test?

    usability consultant’s last incredible blog post..Website usability evaluation package

  13. Mike Belasco says:
    February 20, 2009 at 3:52 pm

    Certainly important to maintain usability! After all conversions is really what its all about!

    Mike Belasco’s last incredible blog post..Post-Post-Holiday Party – Presentations & Contest Winners!

  14. Joel Drapper says:
    February 20, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    I entirely agree. Usability is very important, even if it’s got nothing to do with SEO.

    Joel Drapper’s last incredible blog post..How Do You Come Up With Post Ideas?

  15. james says:
    February 20, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    A simple tip but one so frequently forgotten.

  16. Barry Welford says:
    February 20, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    I think five items in a list is the absolute maximum if you want to have most visitors keep going through the list. Myself I prefer only three items in a list. People might even remember those after moving elsewhere, which may help conversions.

    Barry Welford’s last incredible blog post..Predatory Credit Card Practices

  17. Alysson says:
    February 20, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    I couldn’t agree more! It doesn’t matter how highly a site ranks in SERPs if once visitors get there the site is a disaster. Many aspects of on-site SEO, like properly optimized text navigation links, are equally important to SEO and to usability.

    Alysson’s last incredible blog post..7 Things That Will Happen At IM Spring Break

    iCan't Internet Reply:
    February 27th, 2009 at 11:25 am

    Very true, what’s the use of having 500 visitors a day if 497 of them leave because your website s*cks bigtime.
    And most probably, the 3 other visitors are your parents and your wife/hubby :-)

    iCan’t Internet’s last incredible blog post..Google in 2012?

  18. Duane Brown says:
    February 20, 2009 at 9:14 pm

    This is one aspect of SEO I’m really putting to use as I launch my first e-com site, hopefully this year.

  19. USA Buzz Pictures says:
    February 21, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    Keep up the great work :)

  20. D. A. Shaver says:
    February 22, 2009 at 12:23 am

    One of the best ways to see how your web site looks to a search engine is to see how it looks in Lynx browser. You can use one free at http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html

    D. A. Shaver’s last incredible blog post..Seven Basic Things Necessary To Be On The First Page Of A Google Search

    iCan't Internet Reply:
    February 27th, 2009 at 11:28 am

    Lynx should be standard on every windowspc instead of that bl***y IE ;-)

    iCan’t Internet’s last incredible blog post..Google in 2012?

  21. Frank Marcel says:
    March 3, 2009 at 11:42 am

    Hey! Remember this tip is for humans, not for bots! ;)
    But it’s true, let’s take down IE.

    I never heard of that “5 item list” before too – great tip!

    Frank Marcel’s last incredible blog post..Carnaval ou Oscar? Qual o mais buscado?

  22. Oliver says:
    July 2, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    Whenever I design a website I always make it easy to navigate and make sure the navigation is easy and clear to stand out. As always, these are great tips.

  23. Louis Vuitton says:
    October 4, 2009 at 7:06 am

    This is one aspect of SEO I’m really putting to use as I launch my first e-com site, hopefully this year.

  24. Nike free run plus says:
    September 16, 2011 at 8:34 am

    Do you care about usability when doing SEO: http://tinyurl.com/c4wlmh Usability Equals Better SEO