UX is the New SEO

What does it take to rank anymore? Google abandoned PageRank in 2010 and turned to user experience as the driving force behind rank in search results. The pixie dust of link bait and keyword sprinkles works no more. Game. Set. Match Google? Not in this house! People, not algorithms, are the best judge of relevance.

UX is the New SEO will unlock the magic worlds of user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO). In this 4-hour workshop, you will learn more about:

• Search engines. How they work, why they do it that way and how to benefit from their weaknesses.
• User experience. Explore core user experience behavior principles that will enhance relevance, increase engagement, and maximize conversions.
• SEO. Learn the "basics of SEO" and how to best utilize them so that user experience drives the decision-making.
• Site analytics. Examine visitor flow through the site, goals and conversion flow, bounce rate, and other metrics that are used to reverse-engineer user behavior.

Whether you are a user experience professional that wants happy clients who are making money on increasing organic search traffic, an SEO that wants to keep bread on the table with great search engine results visibility, or a site owner who wants to know what the heck Google is doing and why, this workshop is for you.

About the speaker

Marianne Sweeny joined Portent, Inc. as SR Search Strategist in 2012 where she focuses on the user experience factors of SEO for client sites. As Director of Search Services at Ascentium, she designed a search practice that brought a strategic approach to search optimization. Prior to joining Ascentium, Marianne was a Web Producer for the Microsoft Enterprise Server websites where she applied her search optimization and information architecture skills to improving customer engagement. In 2004, she co-founded Microsoft Information Architects, a 300 member company-wide cross-discipline community that continues to evangelize the best practices of IA company-wide.