SEO is Dead... Long Live UXO
TLDR -- SEO as we know and practice it, with main focus on optimizing for specific keywords, is phasing away. UXO (User Experience Optimization) is a new realm, where SEOs (or UXOs?) create useful content, enhance site technical capabilities, upgrade user experience, actively leverage analytics and perform testing/optimization.
A few years back I spoke with the head of marketing for one of the Fortune 500 companies about their SEO program, and when I asked what's being done aside from content optimization (i.e. technical work), the answer was "we're one of the top sites in the world, with high domain authority, we don't need to work on technical stuff to get on Google".
For years, the world of SEO has revolved around a single mantra: "keywords, keywords, keywords." SEOs meticulously researched, analyzed, and stuffed their content with these magic phrases, chasing an ever-changing algorithm in the quest for ranking dominance for these selected terms. But times are changing, and the landscape of SEO is undergoing a seismic shift. Here's why the era of traditional SEO might be nearing its end, and how User Experience Optimization (UXO) is taking its rightful place as the new frontier.
The Demise of Keyword Supremacy
The algorithms that power search engines have grown far more sophisticated. They can now decipher the intent behind a user's query, analyze context, and prioritize results that offer a comprehensive and valuable experience. Keyword obsession simply doesn't cut it anymore. In fact, Google actively penalizes websites that prioritize keywords over user experience.
The Rise of the User-Centric Approach
UXO takes a user-centric approach, focusing on creating content that is not only relevant to a specific search query but also genuinely informative, engaging, and helpful. It's about understanding user needs, pain points, and intent. Here's how UXO redefines SEO for the modern age:
Content is (still) critical
UXO prioritizes high-quality content that resonates with users. This means in-depth articles, insightful research, useful tools, well-structured landing pages, and engaging videos – all crafted to provide genuine value to the reader or viewer. We're not only talking about top-funnel, mid-funnel and bottom-funnel content, but also content providing help/support and opportunities for visitors to engage with UGC on community sites.
The power of topics and long-tail keywords: UXO doesn't completely disregard keywords. However, it focuses on topics and supports long-tail keywords – more specific phrases users are more likely to type when they have a defined intent. By targeting these, UXO ensures content is relevant to specific user needs.
Building User Trust: UXO recognizes the importance of building trust with users. This involves creating content that is accurate, reliable, and backed by credible sources. It also means fostering an interactive environment where users feel comfortable engaging with the brand.
Technical UXO Matters
Content is not the sole focus, technical SEO remains crucial:
Stellar User Experience Is a Must
UXOs will make taxonomy upgrades (mentioned already in Technical) so that your site is clearly structured. Effective UXOs will know their site like no one else in the company. They will drive creation of useful (but not overwhelming) navigation, including top navigation (secondary navigation specific to sub-sections can improve usability too), bottom and side navigation elements, contextual cross-linking. Breadcrumbs can be quite helpful, especially as more visitors will be landing on deeper (L3, L4, L5) pages. Use image Alt tags and title attributes to enable accessibility software. This will help your users to find the information they need and keeps them engaged.
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Leveraging Analytics
UXO managers will be living and breathing analytics, have an ultimate knowledge of the site traffic, conversions, user engagement insights of all content types, even on the most niche sections of the site. They will create granular reports and update teams on prior performance and to make buy-ins for future projects.
Testing and Optimization
UXO managers will be actively testing experiences they create on the site, including pure SEO tests (Title, Descriptions, Schema types and messaging, CTR) and ask experimentation team to perform other tests (page templates, different buttons and CTAs, etc.)
UXO: A Holistic Approach to Search Success
UXO embraces a holistic approach to search engine optimization. It acknowledges that ranking well isn't just about keywords; it's about creating a website that users genuinely enjoy using. Here's how UXO benefits both users and websites:
SEO Managers Job Descriptions Will Change
Now, with focus shifting from keyword research and providing optimization recommendations to content creation, top-notch SEOs will have experience managing these processes and teams (such as writers, editors, publishing). Their profiles will include managing some Engineering tasks and processes (for example, Schema publishing). Extensive experience managing budgets and procurement, analytics, testing and optimization would be there as well.
The Future of SEO is UXO
The days of keyword-obsessed SEO are numbered. Search engines are becoming more user-centric, and websites need to follow suit. By prioritizing UXO, businesses can create a website that not only ranks well but also fosters user engagement, builds brand loyalty, and drives sustainable growth.
So, the next time you think about SEO, remember, it's not about tricking search engines; it's about creating an exceptional user experience. Embrace UXO, and watch your website thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of search.
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6 个月So, it's not dead... but definitely evolving ??
Web Strategy + Content + UX | Walmart, eBay, Symantec
6 个月Great article, Kirill. Follow up question: What are your thoughts on the potential negative impact that AI and LLMs might have on organic search traffic in the months and years ahead — and what can SEOs/UXOs do to prepare for it? With Google and Bing etc offering the ability for users to get their questions answered without ever leaving the search engine, it seems natural to assume that organic search traffic will drop over time. Thoughts?
Exciting to see the evolution of SEO managers' roles! It's fascinating how they're expanding beyond traditional content optimization. SEO is truly at the forefront of digital marketing innovation. Can't wait to dive into the article and learn more about these new horizons! Thanks for sharing this insightful perspective!
Experienced Digital Marketing + Sales Professional | Relationship Builder | Growth Marketing Mindset
6 个月Great insight, and a future that I can already see on the horizon.