Insights

Yes, Humans Are Still Visiting Your Website. (So Build It for Them.)

SEO, AEO, GEO, XEO, LLMO — the optimization acronyms keep multiplying and the recommendations to game these algorithms keep evolving. The shift in how people search for information and how the internet serves it up is undeniable, but the fundamentals of website design haven’t changed: Relevant content and user-first design that aligns with your audience’s needs still wins the day. 

Who Is the ‘User’ in ‘User-First’?

Ready for a few more acronyms? The terms user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) have been around long before AI agents started summarizing our inboxes and planning our vacation itineraries. These core principles of web design, which focus on the structure (UX) and the skin (UI) of a site, always put the user’s needs first. 

When we build content to serve user needs, our sites naturally perform well — for search engines, for AI discovery tools, and most importantly, for members trying to advance their careers or event goers trying to grow their businesses. 

Are You Designing for Your Users?

When the answer is yes, you’ll see users spending more time on your website and visiting multiple pages — not because they can’t find what they need, but because they want to learn more and dig deeper. A user-first website doesn’t need to be flashy, but it does need to be organized, clear and benefits oriented. 

To determine if you’re designing for humans, ask yourself: 

Are we speaking their language? Take a step back and consider the questions your intended users are asking, in their words. What phrases are emerging professionals, new to your industry, entering into search? What information will help prospective event attendees decide if your show is worth the investment this year? 

You need to answer these questions in ways that make sense to someone outside your association and the event planning industry. The information should be easy to find and presented in terminology that is familiar to the user. If not, you’ll lose these humans at the search phase or shortly after they land on your website. 

Is the intended outcome of each page clear? Whether you want to move someone from your homepage to a registration page or from the top of a page to the bottom, developing a hierarchy of content that ends with a clear call –to action is critical.

Every page should:

  1. Acknowledge the user need — they want to connect with a mentor in their field or demonstrate to their supervisor that event attendance is worth the investment. 
  2. Explain how you’ll solve that need — we have a free mentorship program for people entering the industry or a free event attendance justification toolkit.  
  3. Give them the tools to take that next step — they submit a form to be connected to a mentor or receive a toolkit in their inbox.

Do we present as authentic and engaging? As you read the content on your website, does it feel like it’s written for your audience? Or is every headline, paragraph of support copy and call to action so stuffed with keywords that it feels repetitive and robotic? Do you have more information on the page than the user really needs, bogging them down in an attempt to satisfy an algorithm? 

Keywords and robust content still matter — but when you’re writing for humans, the information you present needs to be concise and compelling. In the end, if the people you’ve attracted to your website can’t make sense of or don’t see the value in what you’re sharing, your efforts are for naught.

Good Design Still Matters

We cannot ignore the rapid and dramatic shifts in online search. Zero-click searches, in which someone can get snippets of information without clicking through to a website, are increasing. But chasing every new optimization trend isn’t the answer. Instead, double down on what we know to be foundationally true — quality content and smart design serve humans and algorithms simultaneously. 

A well-structured, frequently updated, content-rich website will fuel AI agents, positioning your organization for long-term success as the specifics of AI algorithms (and the acronyms used for search optimization strategies) continue to change.