Search Engine Optimisation is important for businesses that want to operate online. Many of us have this notion that SEO is something that is to be “added later” after creating the website. However, SEO is something that needs to be built-in while designing your website. After all, it is your website that showcases the first impression of your business on users and search engines. But this first impression is not just about how your website looks but also about how optimised it is. This article shares 6 major SEO factors to consider in web design
1. Mobile-friendly design
We live in a mobile-first age. No matter whether we are searching for a restaurant or a local store, we browse websites with our mobile phones first. According to Oberlo, 53% of people who shop online every day rely on their smartphones. Therefore, the first factor to consider in web design is mobile friendliness.
To create a mobile-friendly design, you must consider the needs of your user. The way users interact or want to interact with a website on their mobile phone is quite different from how they interact with a website through a desktop or any other device.
Moreover, Google has also been considering mobile-friendliness an important factor for SEO. So, creating a mobile-friendly website will not only provide a better user experience but will also enhance your search engine rankings.
2. Usability of the website
By “usability” we mean how easy it is to use your website – whether a user can perform various tasks on your website such as navigation, signup, placing an order et cetera without getting confused and whether first-time users can understand the purpose of your website easily.
Usability directly affects the SEO of a website. If a website is difficult to navigate, users will abandon it quickly. Also, it will prevent them from returning to your website. Your website must be designed in a way that satisfies their search and provides them with what they are looking for. Google understands that well before users while indexing a website and hence would never rank an “inefficient” website on the search engine.
3. Content of the website
Where you place your content and what kind of content you place on your website, all these things matter a lot in your search engine rankings. No matter how clear the layout of your website is, if the content is not eye-catching and valuable, users might not be interested in your service/product. Here are different types of content you need to present on your website for better SEO:
- Content that brings awareness: Blogs, informational posts, webinars, FAQs and guides
- Content that helps users understand why you are the best: Case studies, product information, user guides, video tutorials
- Content that drives conversations: Testimonials, reviews, free consultation, free service
John, who offers dissertation help in business management to college students says, “creating content for your website that caters to bringing awareness, driving conversations and showcasing your purpose will not only make your website easy to understand for your customers but will straightforwardly solve most of their queries. In all, enhancing your search engine rankings.”
4. Choose text over images
Images make things easier. They are attractive and allow users to understand and remember your website. But, search engines appreciate text over images when it comes to ranking a website. If you add any important information about your website in the form of animation, videos, images, graphics or JavaScript, it is likely to be ignored by search engines. Therefore it is recommended that all key information should be added as HTML code rather than an image.
But, how do you enhance your website if you do not add images?
You can add supplemental information like caption, transcript and metadata to help search engines determine the value of the content and hence drive more traffic to your website. Always provide alternate text or descriptions for images. You can also add OpenGraph and Twitter Cards, so the images can be used in social shares.
5. File optimisation
Not only alternative text is required for all your images, but the name of your image files or any other media files also matters. For instance, instead of leaving the file names as IMG001.jpg, IMG002.jpg etc, you can use more contextual names like Web_vital_Statistics.jpg. etc. This will help search engines understand the context of your images.
Similarly, you should choose to upload small file sizes and thus contribute to site optimisation. Large files can slow down your website thereby increasing bounce rates and poor user experience. This can drop your search engine rankings. Samantha, who works as an SEO expert for online dissertation writing services says, “if you are using large-sized files and videos, you can choose lazy-loading, where necessary information or pages are loaded first to enhance the user experience and decrease the site’s bounce rates.”
6. Enhance website navigation
Do you know that website navigation is important for SEO? In fact, search engines crawl and know more about your website through website navigation. Steve, who offers online dissertation proposal help in e-commerce says, “if you have designed a well-structured website that can take the search engine crawlers to the most important pages of your website, it can help enhance the authority of your website.”
Conversely, if your website has no proper navigation system or it is overcrowded with too much information scattered all over the website, search engine crawlers will not be able to identify the important pages of your website.
Steve has many dissertation examples that showcase that a website’s navigation structure also enables users to find the information they are looking for. In all, it enhances the search engine ranking of the website.
Wrapping up
SEO should be your priority while designing your website. Create a mobile-friendly design and work upon enhancing the user experience as much as you can. File optimization also plays a major role in enhancing the SEO of a website. Prioritise uploading smaller files, keep contextual names of all your files and use lazy-loading. Always provide descriptions for the images that you upload and ensure that your website has smooth navigation. Hope these 6 tips will help you design a search engine-friendly website that not only impresses many users but also the search engines!
