Here’s one thing we know at Edgar Allan: storytelling is best when it’s a group effort. And while it might on the surface feel like a bit of an oddball pairing, collaboration between our search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience (UX) or content design teams isn’t just a nice way for us to join hands and sing kumbaya around a campfire. It’s a strategic imperative. Symbiotic relationships between digital disciplines propel success, create memorable user experiences, and come together to tell some pretty damn good stories quickly (if we do say so ourselves). 

Here’s what we’ve learned by putting the two disciplines together:

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UX + SEO is a dynamic duo

At Edgar Allan, SEO and UX writing are perfect partners, each playing a pivotal role in shaping online experiences. In traditional agency environments, these two disciplines typically operate individually from one another and wield their own types of influence, but at Edgar Allan, they come together and form an unbeatable alliance that resonates with audiences and search engines alike.

SEO revolves around optimizing digital content to enhance visibility on search engine result pages. UX writing focuses on crafting user-centric, engaging narratives. But when you realize that the best SEO and UX writing exists to solve problems for humans, you find yourself in the center of a mighty Venn diagram of usefulness. 

Excellent SEO strategy brings eyes to the page. Great UX writing ensures a positive, compelling experience once they get there. Align each discipline’s goals, and you build superpowers of attraction and awareness, relatability, and utility. It’s a beautiful thing. 

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Keywords are king in both UX writing and SEO

Keywords are pivotal in both SEO and UX writing. In SEO strategies, they act as the language that search engines comprehend; when strategically chosen and integrated, they determine a piece of content's relevance to specific search queries. However, cross the line into UX writing, and keywords shift from search engine cues to linguistic connectors between what users seek and what content delivers. This means we can’t disconnect one from the other when making useful, audience-focused digital experiences. Not if we want maximum, successful results that is. 

The bottom line: on both sides of the fence — during the search for content and the consuming of it — keywords guide the narrative, ensuring that the language used aligns seamlessly with user intent.

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Keywords show us the door, but narrative opens it

User-centric content creation, rooted firmly in the principles of UX, also stands as a cornerstone in the dynamic realm of SEO. With this synergy, the focus transcends mere algorithmic appeasement, delving into the heart of audience engagement. 

Prioritizing user needs becomes the compass guiding content creation, ensuring that every piece not only ascends the ranks of search engine results but resonates deeply with the audience it seeks to serve. But it's not just about strategically placed keywords; it's about crafting narratives that captivate, inform, and leave a lasting impact because who doesn’t like a well-told story?

This is where we plug the importance of research, collaboration across design, UX, content, and dev teams, and the importance of brand-building to meet audiences where they are with the stories they most want to hear. 

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Marry SEO strategy to UX principles

We’ve found that a good place to kick off the union of SEO and UX is with meta descriptions and title tags. Crafting them effectively ensures higher click-through rates from search results. But they also serve a greater purpose for users, contributing to a more positive experience by providing a concise preview of the content. 

It’s an approach that empowers users to make informed choices about the relevance and value of your content before they engage further. It’s this dual functionality of meta descriptions and title tags that underscores their pivotal role in bridging the gap between visibility and user satisfaction. 

That’s great, but what else do we do to drive a symbiotic relationship between SEO and UX? Here are a few of our methods:

1. Structured content

Our teams enhance both user navigation and search engine crawling with logical content hierarchy, a UX writing consideration, to aid in seamless user journeys while providing search engines with organized information for indexing.

2. Page load speed

We dial user satisfaction and your SEO health score up a notch by optimizing page load speed. A faster page load enhances user experience and positively impacts SEO rankings, emphasizing the interconnected nature of UX and SEO.

3. Mobile responsiveness

We ensure a seamless user experience across devices by employing both UX writing principles and SEO strategies for improved visibility. Search engines like this approach as mobile-friendly content will always be prioritized over non-responsive content.

4. Backlinks

We attract organic backlinks by creating high-quality content through collaboration between SEO and UX specialists. Backlinks are an indicator of content authority, contributing to your SEO rankings while reinforcing the value of your content for users. 

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Wrapping things up: The word of the day is “collaboration”

At Edgar Allan, we understand that synergy between SEO experts and UX writers is vital. We’ve found that technical SEO expertise complements the user-centric approach of UX writing, leading to a holistic digital strategy that aligns with user needs and search engine algorithms.

This nexus between the two disciplines forms the bedrock of success for our clients and the experiences we create for them. And this collaboration is more than just a strategic choice. It's a necessity for achieving optimal digital performance by delivering content that is both search-engine-friendly and user-centric. In prioritizing their integration, we assure your business will thrive in the competitive digital landscape.

Interested in partnering with Edgar Allan on a web design, brand, or content design project? Get in contact with us today. Or check out our case studies for more info on the types of projects we get really excited about.

Say hi to Edgar Allan on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok. We’d love to hear from you!

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