As a small business owner, you have many spinning plates–product development, sales, and marketing are just a few. So when you try to make your mark on the digital world with your website, making sure your content and products find the right audience is high on your priority list.
But how? The almighty Google algorithm is constantly changing, but one thing remains the same–Google likes websites that users can trust and count on. And when Google likes it, your ranking goes up, and your sales follow suit.
So what does Google look for? The short answer is a great user experience. The longer, much more complex answer is twofold. Google looks for sites that perform efficiently (core web vitals) and are trustworthy (expertise, authority, and trust).
Efficiency
Does the phrase ‘core web vitals’ sound familiar? If it doesn’t, no worries. While you may not know the terminology, you’ve experienced what core web vitals mean in your user experience.
- If you’ve drummed your fingers while waiting for a page to load because of clunky graphics or found buttons that lead to nowhere, then you’ve been a victim of lousy core web vitals.
- If you’ve tried to click on links only to have the buttons move or had a page reload while you’re reading, you’ve also been a victim of bad core web vitals.
- If you’ve been frustrated by anything that lags, misdirects, or makes you work to engage with the content, your core web vitals are failing.
Core web vitals are the guts of your website–how it works and doesn’t work. Good developers will design based on several main factors, but the result should be a website that loads all elements faster than Lamont Jacobs runs the 100-meter dash and doesn’t make you search for ways to interact with the site.
Trust
Suppose core web vitals are the machinery of a website. In that case, Google’s other ranking litmus test, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (or commonly known as EAT), is the philosophy side of things. Are this site’s claims accurate and trustworthy? Should people believe what you say?
We’ve all seen sites where the content seemed a little too good to be true, right? When content lacks sources of credibility, Google takes notice and moves them farther away from searching eyes. Whether you’re publishing scientific news or establishing yourself as an expert in your field of business, trust is impossible to fake.
Many criteria go into determining a site’s expertise, authority, and trust, but the bottom line is that content has to have validity in whatever field or focus it resides. The days of claiming pie in the sky results with no backing are over.
Power Team
While both sides of the Google endorsement by ranking coin are essential, their combined focus creates a great user experience. And user experience is what your focus has to be as a small business owner as well. If your ideal client can’t find the correct information on how to buy or doesn’t believe that your product or service is better than the competition, they will keep clicking until they find someone they trust.
Creating a great user experience may seem complicated, and in some ways, it is. But for small business owners who want to build scalable businesses, it’s essential to think about it now to have a solid foundation to grow.
That’s a lot–feeling overwhelmed? Don’t stress. Robot Logic Marketing can help you move the needle toward user experience supremacy. Let’s set up a call and chat about your goals today.
