While you might think that web design and SEO function separately, they are more integrated than you realize. In fact, Google places a lot of importance on both aspects, where excellent web design is one of the critical factors to SEO.
For this reason, you must put effort into creating a responsive web design that capitalizes on the user experience, instead of simply relying on a bunch of keywords in the hopes of ranking highly on search engine results pages.
To give you a better idea of how you can achieve this, here are four tips to keep in mind:
1. Go mobile
More than half of all internet traffic takes place on mobile networks, so if your website is not mobile-friendly, you are losing out on a significant portion of the market. To make sure that you’re not limiting yourself, you will need to make sure that your website is responsive.
That means that your pictures, texts, and other website elements should be able to resize and reposition themselves automatically regardless of what device is being used.
An easy way to test your website is to use a phone and go through your website yourself. If you find anything that seems off, chances are that your visitors are going to notice it too. Identifying problems using this method and addressing them is a good way to get everything right.
2. Be user-friendly
What happens if a user visits your website and is greeted with a terrible experience that prevents them from finding what they need? They leave immediately. This is called a bounce, and bounce rates tell you just how many users quickly navigate away from your website. The higher the bounce rate, the worse for your sales. However, Google will also see a high bounce rate as a sign that the website is lousy, pushing its rankings down.
When designing your website, keep user-friendliness at the forefront. This means that your navigation should be easy to use, your content must be clear, and your design needs to make sense. This will provide visitors easy access to what they need, effectively lowering your bounce rates and increasing your rankings as a result
3. Make it quick
No, we are not telling you to rush through the web-design process. Instead, we are telling you that your website needs to load and respond to user input quickly. Remember, it is safe to assume that every single individual on the internet is in a rush to find what they need, and if your website cannot keep up, they move on to someone else.
In other words, slow and steady does not win the internet race, but being quick and acting fast does! Your rankings may also go up as loading times have an effect on how search engines rank your content.
4. Offer informative content
Your content needs to have value. You can publish articles, how-tos, and FAQs that educate your visitors as to who you are and what you can do. Without meaningful content, people will have little to no reason to reach out to you, let alone purchase your products or services.
That said, even if you do offer the right information, everything needs to be clear and easy to understand. Other factors like keywords are also beneficial to get your information to the relevant users. Make sure you approach content creation with intention and a thorough understanding of your market and the message you want to deliver.
Conclusion
As you can see, these aspects of web design all play a role in your SEO. When your website loads quickly, offers good content, is user-friendly, and can run on multiple platforms, Google is going to rank your site favorably and give you the edge you need to beat your competitors.
That said, the battle for the number one search result is a never-ending fight, and you will need to improve your SEO consistently! This becomes much easier if you start on the right foot, which is only possible when you understand the principles of good web design.
Fox Web Creations offer different web design and marketing services, from UI and UX development to branding and graphics. If you are looking for a web designer in Kansas City to help you create an SEO-friendly website, reach out to us today!
