Google has finally answered a long debated question that webmasters / SEOs frequently raised. The debate was to settle on which one is more important from search ranking perspective, user experience or content. At SMX Sydney, Google's Gary Illyes made his point of view on the matter.
Gary said that Google is yet to cover UX as a key indicator responsible for the rankings. Till now, Google has no mechanism in place that makes mobile UX / Desktop UX decisive for ranking. Content is still the most important entity for search rankings.
Though, he added that content is always a king, yet admitted UX a crucial factor for websites. Gary went further by saying that mobile UX is a ranking signal withing the mobile results. Google's mobile friendly algorithmis made around it.
is head of search marketing division Brainpulse. He covers core search marketing topics that matter the most for online businesses. With over 10 years of his experience in the vertical, he successfully manages marketing strategies for clients.
May 14th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
If content is more important than UX then this content ought to be considered when ranking the webpage and not marked down….
May 14th, 2015 at 2:12 pm
Google is definitely utilizing user metrics as a part of its calculation so it’s a somewhat of a sneaky statement. Click metrics are an intermediary for UX, so in that sense he’s just lying.
May 15th, 2015 at 2:42 am
Agree with you Kevin on that one. Just ux alone doesnot account for anything unless its supported by great content.
May 14th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
I think yes, we should think about the users but if you do not have such content for users so how will you help them with Only UX? So content is definitely more important than UX….
May 14th, 2015 at 2:35 pm
If 2 websites have relevant content but 1 has a better UX,
would that affect rankings?
May 14th, 2015 at 2:51 pm
On mobile, YES since UX is the base of the mobile friendly algorithm. On desktop currently NO.
May 15th, 2015 at 2:40 am
User behaviour and user engagement has a great impact on rankings now. How much or how little will always be a mystery. Things like how much time a user spent a page is definitely something that can be accounted for ranking algorithm.