Website design and SEO don’t have to be boring when you’re seeking marketing services. In fact, perhaps you’re a business owner who doesn’t understand it when the techies speak about search engine optimization (SEO). And, when you hear designers and digital marketing professionals talk about SEO, your eyes glaze. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Let’s discuss a few of the top tips we have for you about website design and SEO that you should know about when developing a site. Yes, we’ll make it simple to understand, and we guarantee you’ll get it.
Website design and SEO is all about mobile
In 2018, Google made it clear to marketers that it would be prioritizing mobile in search results. That is to say, that it let marketers know that mobile-first indexing was a priority for a Google ranking. So, what did that mean to companies? In the simplest terms, there are three things that Google does for ranking websites. The first is that crawlers always search the internet following links. When they find new content in those links, they index the content, headings, and links in the massive Google index. Third, the algorithms then get to work and rank your site.
Because of Google’s priority on mobile, that means that websites have to be mobile-ready. Most companies were moving to ensure that their sites provided a great user experience (UX) before Google made its announcement. But, now it’s essential to have a mobile-first website. What mobile-first indexing means for you is that you must create or update your site, first, from a mobile UX perspective.
Great content must be optimized
In the old days, you were able to research high ranking keywords and get them on your website pages. As a result, Google would rank your website high in the search results. But, using keywords alone no longer works. Instead, what you want to do is provide people who visit your site with value. That means developing great website design and ensuring a holistic SEO approach. It always means also giving high-quality content that can include searched for keywords. But, it all has to be done right.
Google algorithms are learning more. And, the self-learning machines are seeking to understand the context. So, what does that mean? It means that when someone is searching on the internet, the algorithms are trying to understand what, specifically, a user wants. There’s so much on the internet; Google wants to ensure people see the specific results they want. For you, it means that the keywords for which you rank become even more critical, as part of the whole SEO plan. And, it has to be similar to the searches people demand. But, again, keywords alone won’t do the trick.
What else should you do for SEO? It also means that you want to ensure that your business and site have links to other third-party websites. Some of these places could be associations, directories or companies aligned with yours. Understand, Google bots or crawlers are always on the web searching for new links to index. When your site ends up on other websites, especially ones with lots of outbound links, it helps improve your ranking.
Fast sites are essential, and so are images
For site design, you should know that your site must load fast, meaning seconds. Let’s talk a moment about pictures because they’re one of the reasons for slow loading times. That’s a big no-no. As a business owner, when you’re updating your site or designing a new one, you should ensure that your designer compresses the images on the site. That only means that you’re making the image file sizes smaller.
Some website design can make image file sizes smaller for faster website loading. A simple tool includes ImageOptim for Mac, which is popular because many designers use Macs. You can also find out more about image optimizing for Google. Doing a little basic reading can help you as a business owner collaborate well with your designer.
Resources for website design and SEO
In conclusion, website design and search engine optimization can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. That’s why you want to make sure you have a design team that will work with you to be a partner. In today’s world, your website cannot be a static marketing tool. You must always be updating it and making it better and faster. It’s the only way to rank high on Google searches.
Below, are some excellent resources so you can learn a little more about site design and SEO.
Here’s hoping that you find the resources mentioned above helpful. Website design and SEO has moved from art and design to more of a science.
© 2019 Grafix Design Studio. All Rights Reserved.
