SEO is fundamental to businesses that operate online. But very few realize that search engine optimization should be built into the website design process. SEO should not be your afterthought and added later when your website is ready. After all, your website design is the center of your digital marketing world.
Here, the web design company’s team of website designers and SEO specialists have figured out some important things that require you to know while developing an SEO-friendly website.
Core elements for a well-optimized design process
Domains
You need to have a domain name for your business that allows users to know what you are offering. The domain’s name should make sense, and all your subdomains should also relate to your main website.
Hosting
Hosting is an essential element. If you do not go along with the rules, you end up having a slow-loading website. When it comes to web hosting, you need to be present where your target audience is situated. And also be platform-specific.
CMS
The content management system (CMS) that you select for your website can influence your success majorly. However, WordPress is a good choice, but not the only one. You can talk to a web design agency to know which CMS is proper for you.
Content is light, optimized, and captivating
When you are developing website content, the language use is simple. And easy to understand what you are offering. Visitors should not feel confused when they read the content of your website. Also, keyword research is an important element. You should put it in place before you begin writing the content.
Keywords will allow users to find what they are searching for without going through the entire website. The content should be well structured. And with the use of proper title tags, meta tags, and descriptions. Use headings and subheadings so that it captures the essence and idea of the content.
It helps users browse through to get an idea of what your web page is all about and enables search engine crawlers. In addition, it helps them when they are crawling your web pages for indexing purposes.
Mobile friendly website design
Today, people use their mobile devices to conduct online searches. Even Google acknowledged the shift, and the search giant has announced the mobile-first index. So, when you are designing your site to impress the search engine, you must give importance to mobile-friendly websites.
Moreover, custom web design provides the best user experience. Web design companies suggest you opt for a responsive website design that your web pages can adapt easily to any screen size. Mobile-friendliness from an SEO perspective can act as a ranking factor for mobile search.
Make Navigation Easy
Website navigation is important. If you have a well-developed website, the navigation will work with URLs, components, and other structures of the website. It includes XML sitemaps to join what each piece of content or web page is all about. Navigation is not a design element found at the top of a website. But it encourages users to explore the important part of your website.
You can utilize navigation as a tool to increase awareness about the additional service you offer. Moreover, ensure that navigation is simple. Visitors should not have to think much about it, and they can follow signs and links to find what they are searching for.
Speed of the webpages
Speed is another major factor to consider. If your website is consuming time to load more than 3 seconds, your target audience will become impatient, and they might even move to your competitor’s website. If you are unsure about the loading speed of your web pages, you can reach out to a San Antonio web design company specialist. They can conduct a page speed test and offer you quick fixes.
Connect to social media
Social media is an excellent engagement and publicity tool. Create options for your website to connect with your social media. It will help you drive more traffic to your site that results in enhanced visibility. And also, it will increase chances to sell. In addition, social media provides you with a variety of options to diversify your content. For example, it promotes your business using images while others are for heavy text usage.
There are various social media platforms available for short text content and videos. A variety of social media platforms also help you to reach a wide range of audiences. It will allow you to serve all your customers through their preferred channel.
Final thoughts:
These are the few things you need to keep in mind when designing an SEO-friendly website. There are several characteristics to consider, such as internal link structure, URL structure, image optimization, etc. For more detailed information on the website design process, you can consult designers and developers experts in that area—a web design company in San Antonio with great experience creating well-optimized sites for businesses. Contact us today!