Search engine optimization is a topic that many people are familiar with. It involves the proper use of keywords and writing exceptional content. Google’s algorithms, like other search engines, “catch” different ranking signals that are sent to them from your site. Your site will rank higher if they comply with the policies and guidelines, especially if you have a great SEO strategy.
The overall user experience is key to many things. This means that design plays an important role in SEO rankings.
SEO web design is the process of improving and developing your website using the best SEO practices. You can see here that some companies and agencies combine both of these approaches. This results in a well-designed website which is mobile-friendly and fast, easy to navigate, and ranks higher on search engines.
If your website has been redesigned recently, and you are experiencing a drop in traffic and performance, you should check these factors to see what you have done wrong.
1. Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?
It is estimated that half of all people access the internet via their smartphones. Experts predict that 70% of smartphone users will search online within the next few years.
Mobile-friendliness is not an SEO ranking factor but it will increase your website’s visibility and help you attract the right people to your site. This will ensure that visitors have an exceptional user experience regardless of their device.
Responsive design is the best way to avoid duplicate content issues.
2. Is your content readable?
When designing a site, text elements are crucial. When creating SEO content you must use headings, titles, and subheadings. These elements will be recognized by a good SEO-friendly website, which allows search engines to properly crawl it.
This means that search engines can easily scan your content. Clear paragraphs of three to four sentences per section make the content easily scannable by Google and other search engines.
Search engines won’t rank a website that is well-designed but has a low level of readability.
3. Does The Website Look Visually-Pleasing?
Many companies don’t realize the importance of visuals on their websites. Although it isn’t a ranking factor, it plays an important role in conversions as well as providing a richer on-site experience.
When designing your website you must make it visually appealing. It doesn’t matter if your content is top-notch, but it won’t be easy to consume and make your website attractive.
Visitors are more likely to be interested in the content if you have a beautiful website. Google signals to Google that a website is rank-worthy by how long they spend on it.
4. Are You Using a Lot of Flash and JavaScript Elements
Flash and JavaScript elements look great, but crawlers sometimes have trouble reading them. These elements are great for many websites, but we recommend checking to see if they are really needed.
Avoid placing actual content in Flash and JavaScript elements, especially when you are trying to achieve higher ranks for the content. Use interactive elements when necessary, but keep things simple.
5. Is your website clean?
Website navigation is an important design element that can improve ranking. What does this mean? It is important to keep the design simple, intuitive, and easy-to-use.
Your SEO score could drop if crawlers have to navigate through many levels and obstacles in your site hierarchy. Keep URLs short, limit subcategories and categories, and use breadcrumbs so that visitors always know where they are.
6. Are You Giving Enough Attention To Images?
You must ensure that images load as fast and smoothly as the text when you create your website. Although search engines cannot recognize the contents of a picture, they will accept concise descriptions and alt text as attributes.
Before uploading images, make sure to compress them. The website’s loading speed, even though the image is not a ranking factor, can be. Online tools allow you to compress images without affecting their visual quality.
7. Do You Use HTML Elements?
SEO ranking is dependent on HTML elements. You can make your content SEO-friendly by using H1, H2, and H3, as well as p, title, et al tags.
Designers may sometimes replace HTML elements with images in an effort to make things easier for the eye. This is a great idea, but it won’t work for SEO.
The great design balances text formats with visual elements to create a site that is both visually appealing and search engine friendly.
Last Thoughts
You can see that a great SEO strategy cannot be achieved without the right web design elements. SEO-friendly elements are essential for any website, especially if you want your business to be represented. You can either hire an agency or a team of SEO professionals to handle the entire project.
