​Content marketers shouldn't only focus on writing quality custom content, but improving their sites' designs, too.

​Internet users turn to various websites for their blog posts, products and services, but also for smooth user experiences. If a web page is too cluttered and information is scattered, people will navigate away and visit a competing website. Marketers who want to increase their sites’ stickiness and lower bounce rate must take UX into consideration, especially with Google and other search engines developing unique algorithms aimed at punishing pages with too many ads above the fold.

Google’s algo targeting excessive ads is more than a year old

More than a year ago, Google introduced a new algorithm targeting websites with excessive ads above the fold. Web searchers want to view web content when they visit specific pages, not ads, and it’s important for companies to understand how design and aesthetics play into lead generation and conversions.

The No. 1 reason users block websites from their search results is pages contain too many advertisements.

A recent SurveyMonkey survey found that the No. 1 reason users block websites from their search results is pages contain too many advertisements. This supports Google’s reasoning behind implementing new algos to punish sites with excessive promotional ads, and shows that user experience has become an integral component of search engine optimization.

Ads, typos and grammar, oh my!

According to SurveyMonkey, 68 percent of respondents say they would block websites from their search results if they had too many ads. Sixty percent indicated they would block pages because of poor-quality content – whether spammy in nature or just bad writing. In fact, 26 percent say they would block sites with typos and 23 percent would do the same to pages with grammatical errors.

Brands must review their entire websites when optimizing their web presences for search. Having high-quality custom content can drive organic traffic and increase exposure, but the overall design must live up to consumer expectations, too.

Cutts’ words still ring true

It wasn’t so long ago that Google’s Matt Cutts advised brands to consider search experience optimization (SXO) as part of their content for SEO efforts. He noted that the best writing won’t keep visitors on branded sites if the overall layout makes finding information too difficult. SurveyMonkey’s survey supports this concept further with its latest data.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.