According to stats, 73% of companies invest in design to help their brand stand out from competitors — but how many of them are designing their website according to SEO?
A good website design is important, but if you want people to see it and use it to attract customers, showing your work, or writing a blog, you need more than just good design. You need web design for SEO!
Let’s talk about how to find a common ground between web design and SEO through some best practices.
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What Is SEO Website Design?
Have you ever thought about how websites are ranked on the search results when you’re searching for something? Well, it’s all linked to “SEO web design.”
Let us break it down for you – SEO refers to optimizing your website in such a way that it ranks better in the search results. Web design is the creation and designing of web pages on your website. When combined, web design for SEO is designing the website in such a way that it is optimized for the search engine.
Normally, when people design websites, they don’t pay a lot of attention to how to get more people to visit the website. However, focusing on SEO web design helps you do both – make your website look cool and attract more traffic.
Best Strategies for Web Design for SEO
We’ve listed some of the most effective strategies for best website design for SEO to help you boost your website ranking and visibility.
1. Have a SEO strategy
Plan it Out: Before you begin building your website, think about what you want it to be about. This part is like drawing a treasure map. About 60% of the work is just thinking and planning.
Keywords Are Key: Keywords are like the secret clues in your treasure hunt. Think about the words people might type into a search engine to find your website. For example, if you’re making a website for a plastic surgery place that does facelifts and butt lifts, you need separate pages for each. That way, when someone looks for “facelifts,” they find just that, not a mix of everything.
One Page, One Topic: Imagine you’re reading a book. You don’t want to read about two different stories at once, right? It’s the same with your website. Each page should be about one thing, like a chapter in your book.
So, when you build your website, plan it well, use the right keywords, and make sure each page focuses on just one topic. That’s how you make it friendly for people looking for your treasure on the internet!
You might also want to read: 5 Best Strategies for Lead Generation for Chiropractors in 2023
2. Focus on site structure and information architecture
When creating a website, make sure to give enough attention to the basics – and that starts with how your site is organized and how it’s navigated by users. Site structure is like the blueprint of your website. A user-friendly layout is key for a smooth user experience.
Not only does it keep visitors interested but also helps lower the bounce rate, which can harm the ranking of your website in search results.
So, what should be the goal of your web design team? Their goal should be to create a website that has a clean layout and is easy to navigate. This helps your visitors engage with your site effortlessly.
From a web design for SEO point of view, this ensures search engines can easily explore your web pages and distribute links where they matter most.
3. Mobile friendliness matters more than you think
In 2021, more than half of all internet traffic came from mobile phones. And guess what’s coming in 2025? Three out of every four people on Earth will rely solely on smartphones to surf the web.
Being mobile-friendly means your website can do its job just as well on smartphones and tablets as it does on big screens. You want all your visitors to have a smooth experience, no matter what gadget they’re using.
Here’s an example: Imagine you have an online store. You make your website mobile-friendly, so it looks good and works smoothly on mobiles and tablets. Your pictures and text fit perfectly on those small screens. That way, people can shop easily, no matter what device they use.
4. Work on the Page load speed
Website owners often fail to understand the importance of page load speed. According to stats, if a page takes more than 3 seconds to load, 53% of website visitors are most likely to abandon the website. So, what exactly causes websites to load slower? The culprit are large resources and complicated design elements.
Fast-loading websites, on the other hand, offer an overall better user experience, encouraging your visitors to navigate your site and click on CTAs designed for conversion.
Let’s have a look at some elements to keep in mind for a fast page load speed:
- Image size: Avoid uploading heavy images to your website. It’s much better to scale them down to size.
- Compressed and optimized images: Compress image files to help them load quicker.
- Cached web pages: Caching your web pages allows for quick and easy future access to your webpages.
- No Redirects: When a page URL is edited, make sure to remove any unnecessary redirects within your site.
- Minify HTML, CSS and Javascript: Your page load speed can be increased drastically by optimizing your code (including removing spaces, commas, and other unnecessary characters).
5. Don’t forget about indexation & crawlability
To ensure your web pages are readily accessible to search engines, you must have a few crucial technical SEO components in place. These components are the building blocks of an SEO-friendly website:
Efficient Site Navigation: Site navigation is like q GPS for search engine crawlers. It helps them crawl your site, ensuring they can access all your content seamlessly.
A User-Friendly Sitemap: An efficient sitemap provides search engines with a clear overview of your website’s structure and content, making their journey smoother.
Robots.txt and Meta Robots: Think of these as “Do Not Disturb” signs for search engines. They tell crawlers which parts of your site to index and which to leave alone.
Relevant Internal Links: These are the bridges that connect your content. They guide visitors and search engines from one relevant page to another, enhancing the overall user experience.
While designers often prioritize elements that are visible like headers, footers, and sidebars, these SEO components are just as crucial. Ignoring them can negatively affect your website’s SEO performance, so be sure to include them for a site that’s truly search engine-friendly.
Conclusion
By focusing on web design for SEO, you are not only helping your website rank better, but also creating a better experience for your audience. By incorporating these best practices in your web design your website is bound to climb up the ranking ladder.
