Combine Usability and Sound SEO Practices and Watch Your Conversions Soar! (Part 2)

In Part One of the Usability and SEO series, I talked about using Hot Hot Headings to grab the attention of your visitor and take advantage of the prime real estate for keywords that headers offer.  Next, let’s talk about an old-time technique of getting attention from the days of actual ink and paper (how quaint!).  It’s called designing ’above the fold’ and, like using well-built headers, it helps get and keep the attention of potential clients AND search engines.

Put important content and ideas towards the top of the web page

When you run into the gas station for some hot coffee and you’re waiting to pay, you glance at the pile of newspapers next to the counter.  What do you see?  The newspaper is folded in half and you see major headlines, composed of carefully chosen words, that are placed ‘above the fold’ of the paper, that is–the top half. 

The part of the screen that visitors can see BEFORE they have to scroll down is your hottest real estate.  This is especially true of the home page.  You have that magic four-second window to convince someone to stay on your site.  Make sure you give them what they want right away.  They want to know WHAT you are providing, WHY it can help them, WHERE do they find it and HOW do they buy it.

That’s asking a lot of half a page!  But you can ensure that you at least don’t clutter they’re attention with:

• Hidden navigation-The site’s navigation should be above the fold and with tabs or links labeled as clearly as possible.  If a link leads to ‘Hydraulic Sprockets’, and your visitor is hot for sprockets, don’t make them guess by labeling it ‘Parts’.  That’s just mean.  And it’s a loss of business for you when they navigate to another site.
• Too many links-While hypertext links are useful for moving visitors through your site, too many can distract and frustrate your visitors.  Highlight one or two hot spots, and leave the rest to your well-organized navigation.
• Pointless animation and flashing banners-Think of it this way.  If some of the websites we visit, with their flashing this and animated that and winged frogs that follow your cursor around the screen, were actual roads we had to drive on…I guarantee a rash of road accidents.  It’s the same with your site.  Make the road to a sale or an RFQ smooth for your visitor.  They’ll thank you for it…with their business.

Give them what they want, in a well-organized fashion, and you’ll see your conversions and sales soar!

And remember, keyword phrases love the limelight, too! 

While you’re at it, why not throw some keyword phrases above the fold?  Not only will it help your visitors find the widgets and services they are looking for, the search engines will appreciate not having to “scroll” through your code to find keywords to grab onto.

Addressing meta tags is one way to use your keywords to best advantage, but placing them ‘higher up’ on the page, in relevant headers and content, ensures that the search engines see them sooner, too. 

Get ‘em while they’re hot!  Don’t make your potential customers go on a treasure hunt for your services and products.  Design ‘above the fold’ and win the hearts of clients and search engines alike! 

See you in Part Three-Hot Hyperlinking Techniques!

Share this: