Welcome to our Advent calendar Throughout December, we're exploring the behind-the-scenes aspects of product creation. Today, we're diving into the heart of...editorial experience How to write content that captivates the user et performs well on search engines. In this article, discover how to reconcile the need for clarity in UX Writing with the visibility requirements of SEO, and why the two approaches are now inseparable.

Content at the heart of the experience: Writing for the user AND for SEO

Writing for the web means juggling two demands: satisfying user needs while optimizing content visibility. How do you find the right balance between user experience and SEO? Here are some concrete tips to help you achieve this.

Content, the first point of contact with the user

Content isn't just an add-on; it's an integral part of the experience. As the Nielsen Norman Group points out, most readers don't read line by line. They skim, spot information, and look for quick answers. This makes it essential to write simply, clearly, and usefully.

Putting the user at the center therefore means:

• To understand what he is really looking for.

• Anticipate his questions.

• Present the essentials from the start.

• Make reading easier thanks to a readable structure.

guidelines They also recommend short sentences, one idea per sentence, and well-structured paragraphs, which enhance readability and flow.

SEO and UX: two mutually reinforcing approaches

It is sometimes thought that SEO can constrain writing. However, current Google recommendations increasingly value the actual quality of content. The EEAT principle (Eexperience, Eexpertise, Aauthority, Trustworthiness) clearly shows that SEO also depends on the value perceived by the user.

Clear, credible, and engaging content naturally yields better results:

• Longer reading time.

• Easy sharing.

• Improved understanding by search engines.

• More stable positioning.

Ultimately, good SEO starts with good content.

How to reconcile editorial quality and SEO performance?

Far from being opposed, user experience and SEO are mutually beneficial. Following an analysis of various sources and best practices, I propose a simple method to find this balance: better understand, better structure, better optimize.

Start with the user's intent

Before writing, it is helpful to ask yourself some simple questions:

• What does he want to know?

• What task is he trying to accomplish?

• What level of detail is he expecting?

Keyword research tools are useful, but it is primarily the user's specific questions that guide the writing.

An excellent example is the website marmitonMost of the time, I choose it as the answer to my recipe searches because it immediately and precisely matches what I'm looking for. For example, by typing "easy quick chocolate cake recipe" (clear intent), the first result that appears is the Marmiton website. You can see that the recipe title uses these keywords and the preparation time is clearly displayed.

Write a clear, lively and structured text

guidelines encourage a structure that gets straight to the point:

• Essential information to get started.

• Regular subtitles.

• Important words highlighted.

• Bulleted lists for ventilation.

• Inserting a visual immediately after the introduction.

To return to my recipe example, the list of ingredients and preparation steps is presented as bulleted lists and very short paragraphs. The ingredients are accompanied by images to make it easier to read.

These choices serve both the reading experience and SEO. They help both the user… and Google.

Enrich the content with links and semantics

To strengthen the relevance of an article:

• Incorporate the main keyword into the title.

• Use some variations in the subtitles.

• Create internal links to related content.

• Add external references when it provides additional insight.

In our example, the recipe includes internal links to other similar recipes (“Chocolate Fudge Cake”).

This “networking” of content facilitates navigation and strengthens editorial authority.

This approach shows that effectiveness (SEO) comes first and foremost from focusing on user needs, offering them a smooth reading experience and useful information.

Finding the right tone: serious, clear, and human

guidelines They recommend a professional, accessible, and informative tone. This implies clear, but not impersonal, communication.

You can say “I” to share an experience or “we” to speak on behalf of UX-Republic. This adds a human dimension and strengthens credibility: you are not speaking “to” the user, but “with” them.

This is now a recognized point in SEO standards. Google values ​​content based on real-world experience. As Ryan Fach (Search Engine Land) explains:

“Content that clearly demonstrates firsthand experience […] is more likely to be trusted and ranked well, because experience is now a first-class factor in Google's quality rater guidelines. »

This emphasis on real-life experience encourages writers to share personal examples, feedback from the field, and well-reasoned opinions. This makes the content more human, more credible, and ultimately more effective.

Conclusion

Far from being opposed, user experience and SEO are mutually beneficial. To write effective content, you must first focus on user needs, offering them a smooth reading experience and useful information, while also providing search engines with the necessary signals to understand and value that content.

Llendi Gillam Guzman, Product designer at UX-Republic