10e20's Chris Winfield explains why search engine optimization is a crucial part of web design that should be considered early.
Search engines and websites share a symbiotic relationship. While one could, technically, survive without the other, neither could truly prosper alone. Search engines exist only because websites exist, and while websites are created without the assistance of search engines, how would anyone ever find one?
Although they are becoming more and more commercialized, search engines exist to help people find the information they need. It’s hard to imagine, but the web consists of more pages than the population of the world. Search engines help people make sense of the quantity of pages. Could you imagine having to search through eight billion or more web pages yourself just to find movie listings? No one would use the web if that were the case.
When it comes to good website design, many people forget or are ignorant of the importance Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays in the overall design process. I liken this to Noah and his ark -- plan ahead.
Search engines exist to “crawl” or “spider” web pages to, first, verify their existence and then to verify that their content is relevant to their description tags. If their tags don’t match the page content, then the website does not show up high in the search engine results pages for the terms they claim to be relevant for. In a way, search engines serve as the policing force of the online world. They help to ensure a website’s legitimacy and force websites to make their content search-friendly or be penalized by not sending search engine traffic their way. So, in the forest that is the world wide web, search engines allow some websites to be heard while others fall silently to the bottom of search engine results pages (SERPs), forcing website designers to pay close attention to how they arrange and place content. And all of these search engine considerations should start during the initial website design process.
First, you have to know what you want your website to “say” to visitors. Do you want visitors to acquire information or purchase products on the site? What actions do you want visitors to execute while on the site? How should the site make users feel? These considerations are extremely important in planning out the content, layout and navigation structure of a website and the descriptive key-terms for your website.
The next thing to consider in planning a search and design project is looks, of course. Let’s face it -- we are an aesthetically-driven culture. We like things that look pretty and shy away from things that don’t fit our definition of beauty. We use these criteria when judging clothing, art, cars, significant others and even websites. A website has to be graphically appealing if it is to be successful. If a user logs onto a website and is repulsed by the images and layout, or is confused by grammatical errors and lack of clarity in the content, then it’s likely she won’t remain on the site for long nor will she return in the future.
But just because a site should be graphically appealing does not mean that it should be disproportionately saturated with images as opposed to content. In fact, images can sometimes be a detriment to a website’s search engine performance when they become the central focus of a website design. For the most part, spiders don’t “like” images, they like to “feed” on the text on a web page. So, by over-saturating a web page with images and graphic elements and leaving insufficient space for spiderable text, a website might look good but be useless in your efforts to market it to search engines. Following this thinking, while Flash is great it should be used sparingly because (despite recent claims) the spiders still have trouble with it and it is not as effective for SEO.
A website’s content must be optimized with relevant key terms so that when search engine spiders come crawling, they can discern exactly what your website has to offer just from the text. Furthermore, optimizing content helps to ensure that when visitors arrive at your website they are less likely to feel that they’ve been duped by either the site or the search engine that led them there if the information on your website is in accordance with their search query. This helps to build a sense of trust between the website and the searcher, by establishing the site’s legitimacy. While there’s still no guarantee that a searcher visiting a website even after receiving the correct search results is going to find that website useful or make a purchase, having the correct website content highly increases the chance that visitors who get to your website via a search engine will appreciate your site.
While it’s been the offline practice of retailers (such as department stores and malls) to make it difficult for customers to find items in an effort to get them to linger or make additional purchases, when it comes to a website, unfortunately, that logic does not apply. Visitors should have the ability to easily navigate through a website because unlike the mall or department store in which they have to make a deliberate physical action to leave when they can’t find what they seek, website visitors can simply click on the “Back” button or type in another URL to leave an uncooperative website. So make it as easy as possible for your users to find what they want, and while you’re at it -- throw in a descriptive site map that allows visitors and spiders to easily navigate through your site.
Sites that feature a good combination of website design and SEO:
Quick tips to keep in mind when completing an SEO-conscious website design:
- Planning is the most important factor when it comes to website design and SEO
- Good marketing starts at the homepage -- SEO planning starts as early as your first homepage layout design
- Relevant content is key to success
- Always keep in mind the image-to-text ratio
- Think in terms of maneuverability for your customers and search engine spiders
- Do your homework on SEO
- And always, go with a company you can trust!
So, while it might seem like a lot to take in, website design and SEO are really the same animal in the respect that each relies on the other for survival. Good website design and SEO requires that you thoroughly consider your reasoning and aspirations for making the venture onto the web. Because what good is a website if no one ever sees it? So, plan wisely when you are doing your next website design project and always keep in mind that SEO must naturally be included in those plans if you aim for your website’s ultimate success.
Chris Winfield is the president and co-founder of 10e20, LLC -- a leading search engine marketing and web development firm based in New York & Florida. Clients include Virgin, Ford, Coldwell Banker, SoftwareCEO and 400+ others. Mr. Winfield’s views and articles regularly appear in the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur, the LA Times, DM News, CNET, Boston Globe and many others.