SEO and Web Design: How to Build a Website That Ranks
It's no longer enough to have a website for your business, the site should also act as a magnet to attract new clients, inform people about who you are, and showcase what you have. Every minute of the day, people might be searching for the service you offer or the product you sell with the intention of purchasing something right away. Your website can bring them directly to your business right when they need it if it ranks for the right keywords on popular search engines like Google.
What is keyword ranking?
The idea of keyword rankings is simple. Users search for terms related to a business or service on Google and select one from the results to purchase from or find out more about. The typical user will select from the businesses that appear on the first or second page of Google results. These are the top-ranking sites for the keyword in question. Getting your page into these highly ranking results can help you bring in new leads without spending any advertising dollars, like you will with PPC ads.
In order to rank for keywords on Google, your website should follow search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. This includes technical aspects, like how the pages of the site are structured and how quickly they load when a user tries to access them. It also includes content related guidelines, like what keywords to include in writing blog posts and website service pages so Google can easily understand what they are about. With your website designed and optimized to meet all of the best practices, it becomes easier for Google to index and include in relevant search results.
What is SEO web design?
While developers and marketers once debated SEO Vs. Web Design, it's now clear that both need to co-exist for a site to truly be successful. Combining the principles of SEO with the leading web design techniques, SEO web design is an approach that targets not only keyword ranking but other important considerations like how quickly the website loads, whether it is properly formatted for mobile devices, how the pages are structured, and how each page will look and operate. Designing a website with SEO in mind helps you start working towards ranking for the most valuable and competitive keywords from the moment the site launches.
What are the Advantages of SEO web design?
There are a few reasons to use SEO web design principles when putting together the plans for your next website re-design or launch:
- Cut down on your digital advertising budget: with more organic traffic coming to your website on a consistent basis, you can cut down on your daily budget for PPC ads and boosted social media posts. Consistent SEO and web design improvements will help organic search traffic come in on a regular basis.
- Increase conversions by capturing leads who are ready to take action: People who are searching online are typically looking to solve a problem they have. By focusing on the right keywords, you can capture users with the intent to inquire about a service or purchase an item. They are more likely to act quickly to get in touch with your business because of the urgent need they have to solve the issue.
- Improve the overall user experience: User experience (UX) refers to how easy and intuitive the site is for actual people to use. Structuring your site clearly, having headers that break up blocks of content, and other on-page SEO principles will also help users have an easier time finding what they want and leave them with a higher satisfaction level after visiting your site.
- Make the site more accessible: Some SEO friendly tactics will also help increase the usability of a site for users with physical disabilities. For example, putting alt text in place for every image on the site will help Google understand what is pictured. It will also help blind users to get the full idea of what is on the page.
With the right setup for your website, you can continue to work on SEO efforts over time. If you want to be able to update the site often with new blog posts and fresh pictures, having a content management system (CMS) in place on the back end will allow you to make those small changes in house instead of having to constantly have a web developer make them for you.
If you are ready to take your brand’s online presence to the next level of success, a new website with expert SEO strategy can help. Let Payton Clark Smith of Pait Digital help build your next website using key principles of SEO and web design. Contact us today to find out more.