“With over 210 events in 39 countries, this earth day style event promotes the value of user-centered design and every user’s right to ask for things that work better.”
So, what does World Usability Day, WUD, have to do with Search Engine Optimization, SEO?
Funny you should ask that. Aside from the awkward name for the day, it is about creating new things (or changing existing ones) that are user centered and easier to use. Once again, you are probably asking, what does this have to do with SEO, right?
My response:
This has everything to do with SEO!
First, let’s start by not calling it Search Engine Optimization and call it, I don’t know, UOD – User Oriented Design. Hold on, before you leave, what is the point of SEO?
More traffic from search engines, right?
Ok, great, you nailed it on the head. Now you have more visitors, but, they are still looking at your poorly designed, it looks good to me website. What about them, the user?
Here’s an idea:
1. Build a better website with the user in mind.
2. Users come and use the website how you intended.
3. Users like it.
4. Users blog about it or at least tell others.
5. New users, you didn’t con (through black or gray hat SEO techniques) or have to pay to come to your site, visit your site and use it how you intended.
6. The new users like it.
7. The new users blog about it or at least tell others.
8. More new users visit your site and use it how you intended.
9. I’m sure you can pick up the sequence from here.
While all of this is going on, you can add new things that are useful to your visitors, expand your website, build more content, whatever.
The engines will rank you better. Why?
Because you deserve to be ranked better!
Is this what you are saying? Wait, wait, wait. Every SEO idea that I have seen has been about doing work to get the engines to like my site. Where do you get off?
Let’s see, you build a better site, the engines will take notice along with the users. The hard part will now become staying ahead of your competition, which I am sure you know more about than trying to stay ahead of the algorithm changes. Along the way, your users are the winners, aren’t they? I would rather have a user visit my site again because I made a positive impression than because I paid or conned them to be there?
Feel free to comment if you agree or even if you feel different.
Either way, Happy World Usability Day!
Next year, let’s think of a more user friendly name!
Related Posts >>
- World Usability Day 2008
- Happy Holidays
- Happy Easter
- User-Centered Design (UCD)
- The Top 13 Posts for 2006 from Build a Better Website
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