Balancing Act (Content vs SEO) – AKA, don't write just for Google.
UX vs SEO: Stop Pretending They're Enemies
Designing a site that people actually enjoy using and that search engines can understand isn't a tug‑of‑war. It's basic competence. If you're "choosing" between UX and SEO, you've already made a mistake in your planning, your IA, or your dev stack.
Here's how to build pages that delight users and earn visibility - without playing favourites.
Why Balance Matters
Done right, UX and SEO reinforce each other:
Attracts the right visitors (SEO) and keeps them around (UX).
Clarifies intent for search engines and reduces friction for humans.
Builds trust with clean patterns and compounds results over time.
No, "good UX alone" won't rank a page that doesn't answer a query. And "perfect on‑page SEO" won't save a clunky interface. You need both.
First Principles (pin these above your desk)
One page, one job. Every URL serves a single primary intent.
Humans first, robots never confused. Write for people; structure for machines.
Performance is UX. Speed issues are user issues are SEO issues.
Accessibility is table stakes. If assistive tech can use it, search engines can too.
Evidence, not folklore. Validate decisions with the live SERP, analytics, and user feedback.
The Playbook: Make Pages That Work for Both
1) Content that actually solves the query
Lead with the outcome in the first 2–3 sentences.
Cover the topic fully (entities, steps, edge cases) without writing a novel for sport.
Use Australian English and context where relevant (metric units, AU regs).
Signals for search: clear H1, meaningful H2/H3s, FAQs only if they're genuinely on‑topic. Signals for users: short paragraphs, scannable lists, examples, and a logical "what next".
2) Navigation and information architecture that don't fight the user
Flat, sensible top‑level categories; avoid "miscellaneous".
Descriptive labels (no "Solutions" soup).
Breadcrumbs that mirror the hierarchy and help orientation.
Keep critical paths shallow (important content within 2–3 clicks).
Bonus: map topics into hubs and spokes. Hubs introduce; spokes go deep. Internally link both ways with descriptive anchor text (not "learn more").
3) Mobile experience that isn't an afterthought
Responsive layouts, obvious tap targets, generous spacing.
Don't hide essential content behind accordions "for cleanliness".
Keep nav discoverable; if you must use a hamburger, make it obvious and fast.
4) Speed that respects people's time (Core Web Vitals)
Targets worth hitting:
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) < 2.5 s
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) < 0.1
INP (Interaction to Next Paint) < 200 ms
How to get there (without a meltdown):
Optimise images (modern formats, correct dimensions,
srcset,loading="lazy"below the fold).Preload critical resources (primary font, hero image) and defer the rest.
Ship less JavaScript; avoid heavy plugins and third‑party bloat.
Use a CDN and sensible caching; inline truly critical CSS only.
Performance is visible UX and a ranking tie‑breaker. Treat it like a feature, not a chore.
5) Accessibility that helps everyone
Logical heading order; one H1 per page.
Alt text that describes images (skip it for decorative assets).
Keyboard‑navigable menus and forms; obvious focus states.
Adequate colour contrast and readable base font sizes (≥16px body, ~1.5 line height).
Captions/transcripts for media.
Accessible pages are easier to parse, link to, and stay on. Fancy that.
6) Keyword placement that's natural, not needy
Put the primary term in the title, H1, and early in the intro - once.
Use variants in subheadings where they belong.
Write meta descriptions like helpful ad copy; expect Google to tweak them sometimes.
If it reads like you've held a thesaurus at gunpoint, start over.
7) Structured data where it makes sense
Add schema to help search engines understand context (and sometimes win richer results):
BreadcrumbListon everything with depth.Article,FAQPage,HowTo,Product, orLocalBusinesswhere genuine. Don't spam; markup reflects content, not hopes and dreams.
8) Media that explains, not explodes the layout
Use
<figure><figcaption>for diagrams and process shots.Always set
width/height(or CSS aspect‑ratio) to prevent layout shift.Keep hero media light; lazy‑load the rest.
9) Ads, pop‑ups, and consent (the minefield)
Avoid intrusive interstitials - especially on mobile.
Delay non‑essential pop‑ups; make dismiss easy and visible.
Cookie banners: compliant, minimal, and not covering your core content.
If a pop‑up punches the reader before the page loads, you've chosen the wrong KPI.
10) Measure, then adjust (no vibes)
Search Console: queries per page, CTR, cannibalisation, index coverage.
Analytics: engagement rate, scroll depth, conversion paths (not just "time on page").
UX tools: heatmaps, session replays, form analytics for friction points.
Real user monitoring: Core Web Vitals from actual traffic, not just lab scores.
Change one variable at a time (title, intro, layout), then re‑measure.
Common Trade‑offs (and how to make them wisely)
Infinite scroll vs pagination: If you use infinite scroll, provide paginated URLs that update as users scroll; don't strand content behind JavaScript.
Filters/facets: Great for UX; dangerous for index bloat. Keep most parameterised pages noindex, but leave crawl paths to core categories.
Tabs/accordions: Fine for secondary detail; don't hide the main answer.
Hero carousels: Resist. They tank LCP and attention. One strong hero beats five weak ones.
The 30‑Minute Audit
Read only your H2/H3s - does the story hold?
Is there one clear primary intent for this URL?
Title, H1, intro: same promise, human language.
Core Web Vitals: any metric in the "needs improvement" bucket? Fix the biggest offender.
Images: correct sizes, responsive sources, lazy below the fold.
Navigation: can a new user find the top 3 tasks in two clicks?
Internal links: hub ↔ spoke present and descriptive? Any orphan pages?
Accessibility: focus states visible, alt text present, contrast OK?
Pop‑ups/ads: intrusive on mobile? If yes, kill or delay.
Next step: where do most readers go after this page - and is that where you want them?
Quick Recap
One page, one job - own the intent.
Structure for scanners and for machines.
Make it fast; treat performance as UX.
Build hubs and spokes; link like you mean it.
Mark up what's real; skip what isn't.
Measure, iterate, repeat.
Useful Resources
Search Engine Land: User‑Centred SEO - https://searchengineland.com/user-centered-seo-creating-long-term-value-204292
Customer Engagement Insider: User‑Centric UX and SEO - https://www.customerengagementinsider.com/digital-strategy/articles/why-the-best-seo-is-user-centric-ux
Hive Strategy: User‑Centric Digital Marketing - https://blog.hivestrategy.com/why-your-marketing-digital-strategy-starts-with-a-user-centric-website
Google Search Central: Core Web Vitals & Page Experience - https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-web-vitals
web.dev: Core Web Vitals - https://web.dev/vitals/
WAI: WCAG 2.2 Overview - https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/