Usability and SEO work well together because both operate from the perspective of the person who wants to find your product or service. They break down the barriers that keep potential visitors from finding what you have to offer. If it's easy to find your website and it's easy for people to find what they want within your site, visitors will not only stick around– they’ll come back for more.

According to usability expert Steve Krug, the first law of usability is, "Don't make me think!" People want to find what they're searching for as quickly and easily as possible. A 2008 study from iProspect reveals that 68% of search engine users click on a website listed on the first results page and rarely look further. If your site is optimized, it may appear as one of the first choices shown by the major search engines for searches conducted by your target audiences. But, if visitors struggle to find the product, service, or information they seek once they click-through to your site, they may get frustrated and take their business elsewhere.

When done properly, there’s a good deal of overlap between what’s user-friendly and what’s search engine-friendly. Here are some key items to consider:

• Keep your website’s design simple and straightforward by following Web design conventions and by removing unnecessary distractions.
• Post informative, keyword-rich text that would appeal to your visitors, such as descriptions of your products and services.
• If your site’s content relies heavily on Flash, images, or video, either add descriptive text on the page alongside these elements or utilize your Alt tags. Alt tags improve accessibility for visitors who use text-only browsers or screen readers.
• Create a unique title tag, meta description tag, and the meta keywords tag for each page.
• To promote your brick-and-mortar location, place your address in the footer on each page of the site. This helps the search engines match your site to local search queries.
• Users and spiders want to travel through your site with as little effort as possible. Create a logical hierarchy with clear, uncluttered navigation. Strong site architecture and good internal link structure help visitors find what they’re looking for and help the search engines index your content.
• Label internal links and navigation using descriptive phrases. Phrases such as “Services” or “Products” are vague, but “Widget Design Services” or “Custom-Engineered Widgets” tell the search engines and users about what they’ll find on the hyperlinked page.

A website is often the first point of contact with consumers, investors, or other important audiences. Poor usability frustrates these visitors and breaks down their trust in the quality of your brand. However, when done well, SEO and usability form a cohesive whole which provides visitors with a great experience.