According to a report by leading management consulting firm Bain & Company, just a 5% increase in customer retention can lead to a profit increase of 25% to 95%. Stats like this make Customer Experience (CX) design the king of eCommerce. Although a statistic is nothing without a bit of context, even a website with great CX is nothing without traffic. Did you know that organic web listings receive 73% of all search engine clicks? This is where the importance of SEO (search engine optimisation) comes into play. The marriage of great CX design and SEO principles is essential for growth, but it isn't always easy. This is because what Google wants to see isn't necessarily what the user or customer would prefer. But fear not! We have broken down five of the top SEO/CX design conflicts and how to tackle them below. 👇
1. Content Depth vs. Customer Engagement
Conflict: The best SEO practices support comprehensive, authoritative content to rank for more keywords. However, too much text overwhelms customers seeking quick, digestible information.
Solution: Use your existing team or CX Design Agency to implement a content strategy using expandable sections like tabs and accordions. This lets users explore at their own pace. Start with concise, engaging summaries and provide options to expand for more details. This method satisfies SEO goals while allowing quick access to information.
2. Keyword Stuffing vs. Natural Language
Conflict: SEO values keywords, but overuse makes content robotic, harming user experience and SEO. Remember, keyword stuffing is outdated!
Solution: Don't compromise high-converting content! Keep keyword density around 1-2% per page. Focus on creating informative, engaging content with organic keyword integration.
3. Multimedia vs. Page Load Times
Conflict: Rich multimedia like images and videos enhance CX but can hurt SEO if they increase page load times. Slow loads frustrate users, raise bounce rates, and can lower search rankings.
Solution: Compress images and videos without losing quality. Use modern formats like WebP for images and H.264 or H.265 for videos. Implement lazy loading so content loads as needed.
4. Descriptive URL's vs. Concise Readability
SEO prefers descriptive URLs married with keywords to improve rankings. Yet, long URLs can be cumbersome and less user-friendly.
Solution: Use descriptive yet concise URLs. Include clear, relevant keywords and avoid unnecessary length and parameters. This keeps URLs useful for search engines and users.
5. Link-Building vs. User-Focused Content
SEO strategies require adding various internal and outbound links, which can disrupt user experience if not smoothly integrated.
Solution: Use these links meaningfully. Ensure each link enhances the user's journey without overloading content. Contextual linking boosts both SEO and user experience by providing relevant extra information without distractions.
Final Thoughts
Remember: Although CX/SEO conflicts happen, it’s entirely possible to reap the rewards of both SEO and CX design without any fuss.
When designing a new Shopify store, SEO is often implemented after the CX design work is completed. To avoid such conflicts, it's best to work with SEO professionals who understand that integrating CX principles can significantly boost your traffic and ROI. WIRO is a leading Shopify Plus agency specialising in CX design, taking the utmost care to apply the best SEO and CX design principles to every project.
Click here to chat with us and learn how we can help you optimise your store!
This article was written by Callum Kennard, founder of Guava Studio, a technology and eCommerce SEO agency
guava.studio/e-commerce-seo-agency
