When it comes to owning an online business website you want to do what you can to improve your search rankings with Google. If you aren’t already aware that Google considers usability into its search rankings algorithms, your website is likely suffering consequences in search rankings as a result.

A common misconception by those who run an online business website is that user experience is equivalent to usability. It’s important to understand the difference between both, so that you can effectively boost your search rankings in Google.

User experience is essentially how site users perceive the website and respond based on their interactions with the website. User experience is often referred to as UX and involves a number of factors, including the design of the website, navigation, layout, system performance, accessibility, etc. A good user experience leaves the user feeling positive about their interactions with the website.

Usability on the other hand revolves around how well site users are able to access and use the website interface in order to access the information they need and successfully accomplish their goals. Considering usability when designing a website involves providing simple navigation and a layout which places content and images on pages where users are able to quickly get to information they seek. If users can perform the tasks needed on your website relatively quickly then your website is on track for usability and efficiency.

Google tends to favor websites that have put some effort into usability for online users. If you want to enhance user engagement on your website and meet the algorithm benchmarks Google has in place for its search rankings, you will want to optimize your site for usability by considering the following:

• include only relevant and interesting information to your target audiences
• design your layout with website users in mind
• use a color theme that is visually appealing and not distractive
• optimize your website for quick page loading
• optimize your site for mobile access

Given that Google factors into its search rankings the usability of websites, it makes smart business sense to optimize your site for usability.