Introduction
The web design is certainly one of the most vital success factors affecting both the user experience, as well as, the SEO campaign. Many people have a misconception that SEO friendly design is nothing but a host of nonsense limitations that are imposed on designers by the SEO professionals so that they could easily manipulate the search engines. You need to see this from a different point of view. Search engine optimization could be regarded as the effective execution of a number of search engine regulations and standards which also aim at accomplishing superlative user experience. Keeping this in your mind, you would find it easier to appreciate that a very good web design is actually best for the user.
Here are a few tips for a web design that is truly SEO friendly. These tips would be helping web developers and web designers for creating more effective and certainly better websites from crawl-ability and functionality points of view.
Optimize Your Web Design
Creating high-quality content is certainly important but that is not all as far as optimization is concerned. Displaying your content effectively, having a robust hierarchy and smooth easy navigation is essential for impressive web presence. It is not enough to create a professional looking, efficient and well-designed site if you are aspiring for a boost in your customer base and a higher influx of traffic. If you wish to boost your traffic, you should start using search engine optimization. You must understand that search engine optimization is all about techniques and strategies for enhancing website visibility hence, search engine rankings.
Search engine optimization is vital to your online presence. If you are able to use SEO with perfection you could end up improving your SERP ranking and would be attracting more visitors to your website. If you want people to locate your website, you obviously, require search engine optimization on your site. Several business owners simply ensure that the copy is good and that the articles or blog posts have specific keywords. They fail to realize the importance of having an SEO friendly web design. You need to appreciate that search engine optimization strategies are not just limited to your website’s copy.
Most people are able to connect Search Engine Optimization with words. The truth is search engines have a fascination for relevant, new and keyword-rich content. The pages that boast of it are rewarded with higher SEO rankings. But you must be aware of the fact that search engines are simply not scanning for words alone, they are examining and evaluating your website design. You must concentrate on your website’s layout as that would be having an impact on your SEO.
Incorporate Social Media Effectively into Your Web Designing
Search engines, as well as your potential customers, value social media. You should smartly integrate social media elements and features into your website designing as that would be helpful in boosting your ranking. While designing your own website, you must ensure that all social media icons are included such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. This would be effective in fetching you a higher SERP ranking and it would also be good ways of letting your potential customers know that your organization is friendly and amiable.
Do Not Go Overboard with Visuals
Your page should never be overloaded with visuals. You all are aware of the fact that content is really important, and it is the king, as far as “SEO” is concerned. Content when supported and presented with compelling and attractive visuals, it becomes really great. Too much of anything is not good or advisable. If you tell your story using mostly pictures, the search engines would be marking your site as very light on content. This could be harmful to your site’s ranking and reputation. It is a good idea to use infographics and videos with relevant content, transcripts and summaries on the same page. Search engines will know what all are there on your site when they start scanning. Optimization of images is a must. Simply use alt tags on all images. Google is quite an expert in detecting keywords in Flash so ensure that those too are called out.
Heading Tags Good for SEO
It is a good idea to break up monotonous content with gripping headers for several reasons. It makes your content easy to read and also scannable. It could help in boosting your SEO if used effectively. Search engines are known to weigh headers by number. H1 is said to carry the most weight and remember that the more keywords inserted in them, the better.
Mobile-Friendly Is Definitely SEO-Friendly
Search engines reward higher rankings to mobile-friendly websites. Today, a vast majority of users are generally searching Google on mobile devices only, so it is sensible to opt for a website that promises better mobile experience. You could be creating your website’s mobile version for smartphones and tablets. However, it is always better to use a responsive website design. Opt for layouts which would be adapting to any device. Moreover, search engines detest duplicate content and in case you have a mobile and a desktop version, you would obviously, be having the same page on both. This could be critical and may adversely affect your SEO ranking.
A Fantastic User Experience Guarantees a Great SEO
Bounce rates are factored in by search engines for rankings. If visitors have a poor experience when they browse your site, they would surely not stick around. If you wish for absolute user engagement, you must give the users an easy-to-use and attractive website that has clear-cut instructions, which are certainly easy to follow. A great UX goes a long way in keeping users engaged and determining your SEO rankings. A good UX would be rewarded with increased inflow of traffic and definitely more conversions. You would be getting more search traffic also.
Here are a few features of a website that ensure good UX.
Emphasize on Simplicity: Your design should be clean and simple. You should not be scared of whitespace. You must use visuals that would be supporting your conversion objectives. Stay away from visuals that prove to be distractive.
Ensure Intuitive Navigation: Visitors should find it easy to browse through your website. Use clear-cut instructions. Have prominent navigation menus and use descriptive and clear labels.
Incorporate Minimal Hindrances: It is not a good idea to keep troubling the visitors with requests of newsletter sign ups the moment they land up on your website. This could be damaging UX. If forms need to be filled up then ask only for essential information.
Use Scannable Content: Users are more used to scanning than reading particularly when they land up at first, on any web page. Break content into really smaller sections using attractive headers. This would make the content interesting and far more convenient and easier to comprehend.
Conclusion
Remember that the way your website looks and the kind of user experience you promise are key factors that affect your search rankings either indirectly or directly. Good design, good content, and good user experience are great for SEO.
Author Bio: Maurice Hartford is a content writer and SEO expert who has been working in the industry for four years. He is well-versed with the nitty-gritty of ranking and page views and is able to get great results for every page he handles. He has provided SEO for dentists, startups, and several Enterprises as well.
