Integrating Web Design with SEO

Tips to Optimise Your Online Presence

In an increasingly digital world, a visually enticing website is a crucial component for any brand trying to grow their business. However, if no one can find your website, it becomes like the proverbial tree falling in the forest.

So how do you ensure your website lands where people will find it—on that all-important first page of Google’s search results? Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a valuable tool in directing the right people to your site, but what some of us fail to realise is that SEO design should begin at the nascency of your website.

Firstly let’s define Search Engine Optimisation. SEO is when Google scrolls through your entire website (known as ‘crawling’), gaining an understanding of the content within and determining if it’s relevant or not to include in any undergoing search. To put it another way, think of it like Google’s Bots are playing a cyber version of Jeopardy! and are looking for the results within your web pages. Much like the TV game show, the understanding of questions and relevant answers are a key component of SEO.

Below are a few things we look into when designing websites for our clients, to create the right environment to optimise SEOs potential.

Website Provider

Google Bots aren’t an all-terrain vehicle and tend to have an easier time crawling (searching) some websites, over others. This means it’s important to choose your content management software (CMS) carefully. CMS is the software that allows you to create, manage, and edit content on a website, like a template. Depending on your needs we will help you work out the best CMS for your business. A custom-built website is meant to be the best for SEO, but sites such as WordPress also perform well. Platforms to avoid, according to the SEO professionals, are Wix and Squarespace (although these can be great if you after a more brochure style website as not every business relies on SEO).

Site-map & Wireframe

During our digital design process, we will consider the different components, or offerings, of your business and filter them into their own sections—or pages—on your website. Specificity assists Google in understanding what your company does and, from there, to work out what you rank in their search. It also makes your website much more pleasant to navigate for visitors of the human variety.

We take a deep dive into the strategy for your brand, which is critical when developing the sitemap and wireframe of your site — including structure and hierarchy — as well as keywords for SEO.

Mobile Friendly

Almost a decade ago, Google switched to mobile-first indexing which means it’s the mobile version of your site that is used to search and rank your content. In other words, if you don’t have a mobile-friendly format, then you are out of the SEO race with more than half of all web traffic driven by mobile phones.

If you’re unsure whether mobile users can access and navigate your website, you can check out Google’s mobile-friendly test. Along with feedback on how mobile-centric it is, it also assesses mobile and desktop speed (ideally, your website should load within three seconds), including a detailed report with key points for ways to improve your processing rate. We take all this into account from the very start of your website design and come armed with an array of handy tips and tricks to optimise your site.

Content

Updating your website with regular content not only demonstrates to your customers that you are staying relevant, it also acts as an invitation for Google Bots to crawl your pages, who like to sniff out new data. Fresh content also furnishes you with more opportunities to share new posts with your followers on social media which, in turn, is an opportunity to reach potential new clients. It’s also great for igniting discussions and engagement amongst your community.

Keep on Crawlin’

Creating a website that is readily accessible and indexable by search engines is best to happen at the strategy/design phase. It’s like cultivating a nourishing environment in which SEO can thrive. If you’re looking to direct more organic traffic to your website, Principle Design is here to help keep the Google Bots on your side! We determine the layout, functionality, hierarchy of information flow, and structure of a website to help you achieve your strategic objectives. And it goes without saying, we be sure to make it look good too!

 

Keeping the GoogleBots on your side,

PrincipleDesign

 

A special thanks to the folk over at Calibre9 for always keeping us up to date with the latest on SEO.