Module 2.2

UX Principles & Basic SEO

PRC 112: Digital Marketing Practicum

Faculty of Management Studies • Pokhara University

Duration: 1 hour

Session Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

✅ Apply key UX principles to improve usability
✅ Understand SEO fundamentals and keyword strategy
✅ Optimize title tags, meta descriptions, and headings

User Experience (UX) Principles

Make it Easy for Visitors

Clear navigation: Menu should be obvious and consistent
Fast loading: Aim for under 3 seconds
Mobile-friendly: 60%+ of traffic is mobile in Nepal
Readable text: Good contrast, 16px+ font size
Visual hierarchy: Most important info first
White space: Don't cram everything together

The F-Pattern Reading Behavior

Users scan web pages in an F-shaped pattern:

Horizontal scan across the top
Horizontal scan across middle (shorter)
Vertical scan down the left side

Design tip: Put your most important content in these "hot zones"!

Mobile-First Design

60%+ of web traffic in Nepal is mobile

Responsive design: Adapts to any screen size
Touch-friendly: Buttons at least 44x44 pixels
Simplified navigation: Hamburger menus work well
Readable fonts: Minimum 16px on mobile
Optimized images: Compressed for faster loading

Page Speed Matters

53% of mobile users abandon sites that take over 3 seconds to load!

Speed Optimization Basics:

Compress images (aim for <100KB each)
Use a reliable hosting provider
Enable browser caching
Minimize CSS and JavaScript
Use lazy loading for images

Accessibility Basics

Good UX means everyone can use your site

Alt text for images: Describe what's in the image
Color contrast: Text must be readable
Keyboard navigation: Site should work without mouse
Clear link text: Avoid "click here"
Proper heading hierarchy: H1 → H2 → H3 order

On-Page SEO: Introduction

On-Page SEO: Optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search results and earn more relevant traffic.

Think of it as making your website speak Google's language!

Why SEO Matters

Organic traffic is free: No cost per click
Higher trust: Users trust organic results more than ads
Long-term value: Results compound over time
Competitive advantage: Outrank competitors
Better UX: Good SEO = better user experience

Keywords: The Foundation

What Are Keywords?

Words and phrases people type into search engines to find what they need.

Short-tail: "digital marketing" (high volume, competitive)
Long-tail: "digital marketing courses in Kathmandu" (lower volume, easier to rank)

Pro tip: Focus on 1-2 primary keywords per page

Keyword Research Tools

Free Tools

Google Autocomplete
Google Trends
Answer The Public
Ubersuggest (limited)

Paid Tools

Ahrefs
SEMrush
Moz
KWFinder

Manual Method

Search your topic
Check "related searches"
See "People also ask"
Analyze competitors

Keyword Intent

4 Types of Search Intent:

Informational: "what is SEO" (learning)
Navigational: "Facebook login" (finding specific site)
Commercial: "best SEO tools" (researching before buying)
Transactional: "buy domain name" (ready to purchase)

Match your content to the search intent!

1. Title Tags

The clickable headline in search results (shown in browser tab)

Length: 50-60 characters (longer gets truncated)
Include keyword: Preferably near the beginning
Be compelling: Make people want to click
Include brand: Add your brand name at the end

Example: "Digital Marketing Course Kathmandu | Arjan KC"

2. Meta Descriptions

The snippet text shown below title in search results

Length: 120-160 characters
Include keyword: Google bolds matching terms
Include CTA: Encourage clicks
Be accurate: Match page content

Example: "Learn practical digital marketing strategies from an expert. SEO, PPC, social media & more. Enroll in our Kathmandu course today!"

3. Heading Tags (H1-H6)

Proper Heading Structure

H1: Page title (only ONE per page, include main keyword)
H2: Major sections (include variations of keyword)
H3-H6: Subsections (organize content hierarchically)

Think: Book title (H1) → Chapters (H2) → Sections (H3)

4. URL Structure

❌ Bad URLs

site.com/page?id=12345
site.com/p1
site.com/NEW-PAGE-2024!!!

✅ Good URLs

site.com/digital-marketing
site.com/seo-guide-nepal
site.com/about

Best practices: Short, descriptive, lowercase, hyphens (not underscores), include keyword

Hands-On Activity

Activity: Apply UX & Basic SEO

Test your site on mobile (responsive.design or actual phone)
Check page speed with PageSpeed Insights
Research 1-2 target keywords for your homepage
Optimize your homepage title tag and meta description
Structure headings properly (H1, H2, H3)
Update URLs to be SEO-friendly

Time: 20-30 minutes

Common UX Mistakes

❌ Tiny text on mobile
❌ Slow-loading images
❌ Confusing navigation
❌ No clear CTA
❌ Poor color contrast
❌ Autoplay videos/music

Common SEO Mistakes

❌ No title tag or generic "Home" title
❌ Missing meta descriptions
❌ Multiple H1 tags on one page
❌ Keyword stuffing (using keyword unnaturally)
❌ Duplicate content across pages
❌ Ignoring mobile optimization

Quick Tips for Success

✨ Test on real devices: Check on actual phones
🎯 Use keywords naturally: Write for humans first
📊 Monitor page speed: Aim for under 3 seconds
♿ Think accessibility: Good for SEO and users
🔄 One page at a time: Don't try to optimize everything at once

Resources & Tools

Mobile testing: Google Mobile-Friendly Test, responsive.design
Speed testing: PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix
Keyword research: Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest
SEO plugins: Yoast SEO (WordPress), Rank Math
Accessibility: WAVE, axe DevTools

Session Wrap-Up

What We Covered:

✅ Key UX principles for better usability
✅ SEO fundamentals and keyword strategy
✅ Optimizing titles, descriptions, and headings

Coming Up Next:

Module 2.3: Advanced SEO & Optimization

Thank You!

Making Your Site User-Friendly & Search-Friendly

Next: Module 2.3 - Advanced SEO & Optimization

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