SXO: Search Experience Optimisation

The usual symptom is a site with respectable traffic and almost no enquiries, where the SEO report and the sales pipeline tell completely different stories. We start from the queries that actually arrive, not from a list of target keywords, and work out which pages are answering a different question from the one that was asked.

What we look at

• Intent match — does this page answer the query that brought the visitor, in the first screen?
• The first screen — who it is for, what the outcome is, what it costs, and one obvious next step.
• Proof within a scroll — evidence before the pitch.
• Speed on real devices, which is where most conversion is quietly lost on mobile.
• Next steps matched to research stage — a guide for someone comparing, a call for someone ready.
• Measurement on enquiries, with scroll depth and CTA engagement as diagnostics rather than goals.

Frequently asked questions

What does SXO stand for?

Search experience optimisation — optimising the whole journey from query to outcome, rather than the ranking and the page conversion as separate projects.

Is SXO just CRO with a new name?

No. CRO optimises a page for the traffic it already has. SXO starts from the query — what was searched, what the result promised, whether the page delivers it — which frequently changes the page’s structure rather than its buttons.

Do we need a lot of traffic to test?

For statistically valid A/B testing, yes — low-traffic sites rarely reach significance. Intent and clarity problems, though, are usually visible from Search Console query data and a careful read of the page, and fixing those does not require a test.

How is it measured?

Enquiries per thousand impressions, not sessions. That single metric exposes the failure SEO and CRO reporting each hide: ranking for queries that never convert, or converting traffic that was never qualified.

How the engagement runs

• Scoping call, then discovery. We establish what you actually need before quoting. You approve scope before we write a line of code.
• Fixed price or capped time and materials. Tightly specified work suits a fixed price; genuinely new work suits a capped retainer. We recommend one rather than offering both and letting you guess.
• Weekly demos. You see working software every week, so nothing surprising turns up at the end.
• You own everything. Repositories, infrastructure and documentation transfer to you on payment. No vendor lock-in, no licensing you do not control.
• NDA as standard, usually before the first detailed call. We will often send one ourselves if you do not.

If you are planning work of this kind and want a straight assessment of scope, timeline and cost, tell us what you are building. We work with clients across the UK, EU and US.