Digital marketing is always changing—that’s nothing new. But what is new is a remarkable shift in the modern approach to SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) is still important, but it’s now taking on a new context with search experience optimization (SXO).
While SEO focuses on optimizing content for search engines to improve rankings, SXO takes it a step further by emphasizing the overall user experience. This big-picture approach integrates elements like site speed, mobile optimization, and intuitive design to ensure people find what they’re looking for and have a positive overall experience while browsing your content.
Today, we’re discussing all things SXO, including what it is, how it differs from SEO, and how to start using it. We’ll also discuss why Kinsta is an essential partner in achieving effective SXO.
What is search experience optimization (SXO)?
Search experience optimization, or SXO, is an evolution of traditional SEO that focuses on getting people to click on your site’s link in search results and ensuring they have a great experience once they’re there.
Think of SXO as a blend of SEO and UX principles. While SEO’s primary goal is to improve search engine rankings through keywords and technical optimizations, SXO aims to enhance the entire journey a user takes from their initial search to the final interaction on your site.
SXO prioritizes understanding user intent and delivering relevant, high-quality content in a user-friendly way. This includes optimizing for fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and intuitive navigation. Prioritizing these factors matters a lot. According to a Yottaa report, 9 out of 10 shoppers (that’s 90%!) will leave a website if their shopping experience is too slow.
But of course, dire metrics like these apply to blogs and informational sites, too.
So, if we were to boil it down, SXO is about creating a seamless, engaging experience that keeps people on your site longer and interacting with your content.
Once people find your site, SXO will ensure they find it useful and enjoyable to use. This macro-view approach to digital marketing recognizes the importance of both visibility and user experience in achieving long-term success.
SXO vs SEO: Key differences
The shift from SEO to SXO is significant. While SEO remains essential for visibility, SXO builds upon it by emphasizing the overall user journey.
Let’s explore the key differences between these two approaches now:
Focus and goals
SEO primarily aims to improve a website’s visibility in the SERPs. The focus is on keywords, backlinks, and technical optimization that helps your site’s pages rank higher and attract organic traffic.
SXO, on the other hand, extends beyond merely attracting visitors. It aims to provide an engaging and user-friendly experience. It prioritizes user intent, relevance, and the overall satisfaction of visitors once they land on the site. So, the emphasis on SXO is quite different and more wide-ranging than standard SEO goals.
Key elements
Keywords can improve search rankings in SEO. Technical SEO enhances site architecture, mobile optimization, and loading speeds. You’d also focus on building a network of high-quality backlinks. A key aspect of SEO also involves creating content that aligns with what people are currently searching for and delivering on those expectations.
SXO builds upon this idea by doubling down on understanding and catering to user intent. It involves creating intuitive site designs with intuitive navigation. It tries to hold the visitor’s hand throughout their journey. It accomplishes this through engaging content, streamlined on-site processes (like sign-up and checkout forms), clear navigation, and fast site speeds. SXO is about the entirety of the user journey, from search to conversion.
Metrics and evaluation
The success of SEO is typically measured by search rankings, organic traffic, and click-through rates (CTR). These metrics are often search-engine-centric, focusing on how well a site performs in search results.
SXO, however, examines user engagement metrics like bounce rates, average session duration, and conversion rates. It emphasizes user satisfaction and the overall quality of the user experience.
If need something a bit more visual to compare and contrast SEO and SXO, here’s a comparison chart summarizing the differences:
| Aspect | SEO | SXO |
| Primary Goal | Improve search engine rankings | Enhance overall user experience |
| Focus | Keywords, technical optimizations, backlinks | User intent, UX design, engagement, conversion optimization |
| Metrics | Search rankings, organic traffic, CTR | User engagement, bounce rates, session duration, conversion rates |
| Content Strategy | Aligned with search engine algorithms | Aligned with user needs and intent |
| User Experience | Important but not the main focus | Central to the approach |
| Technical Aspects | Essential for improving visibility | Essential for improving both visibility and user satisfaction |
Key components of search experience optimization
Let’s break down the core components that makeup SXO now so you can see what adding it to your marketing strategy might look like.
SEO basics
All fundamental SEO practices remain relevant within SXO. You still need them just as you always have. As a little refresher, these SEO basics include:
- Keyword research: You will still need to identify the terms your target audience is searching for and then integrate them naturally into your content. Doing so effectively helps search engines understand your site’s relevance.
- On-page optimization: This involves optimizing meta tags, headings, and images so search engines can easily index your content. Techniques like optimizing title tags, using descriptive URLs, and using proper header tags are tried-and-true ways to maintain good SEO.
- Technical SEO: You’ll also need to keep your website’s technical aspects in good working order. Your site should be mobile-friendly or responsive, have speedy page loading times, and use secure connections (HTTPS).
User experience (UX)
The heart of SXO is user experience. So you’ll spend a good amount of time optimizing for the following factors:
- Intuitive design: People should be able to find what they need quickly and effortlessly. This includes clear navigation menus, search bars, and logically organized content.
- Accessibility: Websites must be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This involves using alt text for images, ensuring text is readable, and providing keyboard-friendly navigation. Following WCAG 2 from W3C is a must.
- Easy navigation: The rule of thumb is that people should be able to reach any page within three clicks. Simplifying the navigation structure means people get to where they want to go faster, and fewer clicks mean more conversions.
Content quality
High-quality content is vital for both SEO and UX. So, as you optimize for SXO, make sure your content is engaging and informative. It needs to captivate your audience and provide valuable information. This means writing clearly, avoiding jargon, and presenting information in an easy-to-digest format.
You also need to have a clear understanding of what your audience is searching for so you can ensure your content meets these needs. Keyword research plays a role here to inform your content strategy. But you can also reach out on social media to address common questions or concerns your audience might have.
Engagement metrics
Monitoring user behavior through analytics is still another key part of optimizing for SXO. You’ll likely be monitoring these metrics as a part of your SEO strategy anyway, but they bear mentioning:
- Bounce rate: This refers to the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate can indicate that your site’s content or UX needs improvement.
- Average session duration: This is the amount of time people spend on your site. Longer session durations typically indicate higher engagement and satisfaction.
- Conversion rates: This refers to the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. This is a direct measure of how effectively your site meets its goals.
Using tools like Google Analytics, you can track these metrics and learn how people interact with your site in real-time. You can then use this data to make informed decisions about improving SXO.
Why site speed matters for SXO
Site speed is a critical factor for both search rankings and user experience, making it a top priority for those optimizing for search experience optimization. Here’s why it matters so much:
Impact on search rankings
Google has made it clear that site speed is a ranking factor. Slow-loading websites are penalized in SERPs, which means they appear lower down in search results. If your site is too slow, that could reduce the amount of organic traffic it receives.
Google’s Core Web Vitals, which measure aspects like loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability, are part of this speed-related ranking criteria. Pages that load faster provide a better UX, leading to higher rankings. Core Web Vitals are accessible via the Google Search Console.
User experience and engagement
From a user experience perspective, site speed matters a lot, too. People have come to expect that websites load quickly, and a delay can lead to higher bounce rates. To put it plainly, a slow site is frustrating.
Faster websites keep people engaged longer, reduce bounce rates, and increase the likelihood that people will actively interact with your content.
All that being said, Kinsta makes optimizing for SXO infinitely easier. Let’s explore how, next.
Implementing SXO with Kinsta
Integrating search experience optimization strategies with Kinsta means improving site visibility and making UX more intuitive.
We’ve put together a mini-guide to help you leverage Kinsta’s tools effectively for this purpose:
Optimizing site speed with Kinsta
Kinsta makes it easier to optimize for site speed. For instance, a managed plan with us allows you to:
1. Use caching
Kinsta provides multiple caching layers, including full-page and object caching, which help reduce load times considerably. Enable these caching options in the MyKinsta dashboard to ensure your site serves content quickly.
2. Leverage the CDN
Activate Kinsta’s Cloudflare integration. This distributes your content across a global network of servers, ensuring that people worldwide experience fast load times.
You can configure your CDN settings in MyKinsta as well to cache static content like images, CSS, and JavaScript files effectively.
3. Enable HTTP/3
Kinsta supports HTTP/3, which offers improved performance over HTTP/2. Ensure this is enabled in your site settings to take advantage of faster data transmission and reduced latency.
4. Compress files
Use GZIP and Brotli compression, both available with Kinsta, to reduce the size of files sent to users. This compression minimizes the amount of data transferred, speeding up page load times significantly. You can take advantage of Brotli compression thanks to the Cloudflare integration as well.
Enhance user experience
You can also take steps to improve UX directly using built-in Kinsta features.
For instance, Kinsta’s infrastructure is optimized for mobile performance. You should also pay attention to mobile-specific issues, like ensuring links are appropriately sized for touch interactions and font sizes.
And you’ll want to create a clear, intuitive navigation structure. Use Kinsta’s speed optimization tools, as we already mentioned, to ensure that navigation elements load quickly and are easy to use on all devices. And take the time to design a well-organized menu that guides visitors through a reasonable user journey.
Investing in high-quality hosting matters a lot here, too. Kinsta’s managed hosting works with Google Cloud Platform to ensure high reliability and performance.
Monitor and analyze engagement metrics
Lastly, you can fully utilize the tools built into Kinsta to monitor your site’s performance and user interaction.
Use analytics tools
Integrate Google Analytics 4 or one of the GA4 alternatives with Kinsta to track user behavior on your site. Monitor key metrics like bounce rate, average session duration, and conversion rates to see how people interact with your site and what can be improved.
Perform A/B testing
You can implement A/B testing using a plugin like Optimizely. But you’d be best doing this with the premium staging environment add-on. With it, you can test different versions of your posts and pages to see which perform better.
Summary
Implementing search experience optimization (SXO) with Kinsta offers a convenient way to improve search visibility and user experience at the same time. And you can take full advantage of Kinsta’s advanced features like caching, Cloudflare integration, and HTTP/3 support to boost site speed in a hurry.
From there, you can focus on UX elements like building an intuitive design, optimizing for mobile use, and making full use of analytics features. Doing these things can encourage people to stay engaged and convert.
Ready to improve your site’s SXO? Explore Kinsta’s features and see how they can help you achieve superior performance and user satisfaction. Learn more about Kinsta and start optimizing your site today!
Kinsta
Senior Editor at Kinsta, WordPress Web Developer, and Content Writer. Outside of all things WordPress, I enjoy the beach, golf, and movies. I also have tall people problems.
