SEO and web design have more in common than some people think. Collaboration along these lines is essential to improving a brand's online visibility. And while more and more online businesses are beginning to understand that SEO is fundamental, there are still few that realise that optimisation for search engines should already be part of the website design process - not added later. Read this article and learn about the relationship between web design and SEO.
What does a web designer do?
What is web design actually all about? It's nothing more than web designdesign. Although the terms web design and computer graphics are sometimes used interchangeably, this is not entirely true. Why? Because computer graphics is the generic term for any visual material created using a computer (broader meaning). A web designer's job, on the other hand, is to design websites specifically (narrower meaning).
Web design is a relatively new field. You only have to think back to the websites of the 1990s to realise this. They were simple and consisted almost entirely of text. It was only in response to evolving technology and the opportunities that presented themselves to website owners that there was a need to professional website design. What skills should a web designer have? The field he or she deals with is characterised by interdisciplinarity. Therefore, the specialist should combine creative thinking with technical skills, because web design is not only about designing and planning, but also about implementing websites.
Although their work is on different levels, both web designers and SEO specialists seek to increase the visibility of the site. Therefore, nowadays when talking about web design that follows SEO best practices, the term is used: SEO web design. SEO elements introduced from the design stage help the search engine to better understand the site, which improves its position in search results and will therefore help to increase traffic.
SEO elements to bear in mind already during web design
A common mistake made by companies is to hire one professional for website design and another for SEO only after the site has been built. It is important that both experts are involved in the website design process from the very beginning. This will ensure that the design includes the elements recommended by the search engine optimisation specialist from the start. Read what SEO considerations you should take into account when creating your website.
Charging speed
Do you know what is slowing down your website? Chances are good that it has something to do with your website design.
The loading speed of a website is one of the most important aspects of technical SEO. Therefore, if your website is not performing well in Google's rankings, it could mean that it is simply too slow and users are leaving it because of this. There are a few things you can do to speed up your site loading - including removing unnecessary plugins and optimising images. At the design stage of the site, make sure that it contains only the elements that are necessary for success. This is a key principle in the design of modern SEO-friendly websites.
Speaking of loading speed, it is important to mention Core Web Vitals, another ranking factor introduced by Google as part of the 2021 algorithm update. The indicators that make up Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID and CLS) analyse the site in terms of three aspects: interactivity, ease of use (UX) and precisely the speed of its loading. Google's official guidelines, indicate that Core Web Vitals factors strongly into a page's ranking. This is another reason why you must not underestimate optimising your site's loading time.
Adaptation of the website for mobile devices
Google introduced mobile-first indexing in 2017, so it's clear how important it is for the search engine to adapt a site for mobile devices. However, many sites are still lagging behind in this regard. And more than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. So without a mobile-friendly site design, you could be alienating half of your potential customers!
Simple navigation
It is important that the site navigation is easy to use and understand. Make sure that top and side navigation menus and drop-down menus work properly and that links are arranged in a meaningful way. Easy navigation will improve the user's experience and make them more willing to visit more pages of a site.
Image optimisation
When uploading images to your site, there are a few steps you need to take to ensure they are properly optimised. Firstly, the file names should be changed to descriptive. You can also weave in keywords naturally. Secondly, compress the images. Large image files may look pristine, but will slow down the loading of the site. Thirdly, add alternative texts, which describe what is in the image and include key phrases.
Sitemap
The Sitemap is a guide for search engines to all the pages and content on your website. It is also an opportunity to tell search engines which sub-pages are most important to you. Sitemap is particularly important for larger websites, as well as for newer websites with no external links yet. The sitemaps also contain important metadata about the websites, thus offering the chance of a higher ranking.
URL construction
Every modern website should have a so-called descriptive addresses URL, which indicate the content of a particular sub-page and include keywords. Also make sure that words in addresses are separated by a hyphen and not an underscore. Structuring URLs neatly and including relevant keywords will help your site rank better in search results than if they contain random numbers and letters.
SEO or web design - can you pinpoint which is more important?
The answer is simple - no. Web design and SEO are equally important. Even a great website design will not compensate for the lack of SEO, as no one will be able to find your website. And vice versa. If you have a website that is perfectly optimised for search engines, but with a poor design, you have to reckon that users who come to it will leave it immediately. Therefore, when building a new website or redesigning an existing one, make sure that the modern design takes SEO principles into account.
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