Web Design for SEO: What You Need to Know

As a provider of search engine optimization services, we work on websites built by a wide range of web designers. That has given us a front row seat to some very questionable design practices. And because we are also a web design agency, it drives us crazy to see the SEO pain caused by bad websites.
That is why we design every website with SEO in mind – from the link structure to the creative content. There are two main reasons we have made this commitment to designing with SEO in mind.
- It is the ethical thing to do. The success of your website and your business depends on being found online. And skimping on SEO best practices will seriously hurt your business. Designing with SEO in mind is the right thing to do, and so we do it for every website we design.
- It makes our job easier. Performing advanced SEO work on a well-designed website is way easier than on a site that wasn’t built with SEO in mind. Maybe it’s selfish, but we’re all about improving our productivity – and designing good sites is a part of that.
Our commitment to designing SEO-friendly websites is expressed is two aspects of our web design process: the creative content and the technical coding.
Website Content for SEO
Often, discussions of website revolve around written text. But today when I say content, I mean all of the creative elements on your website. This includes text, images, colors, graphics, and layout. Website content is often seen as something separate from SEO, but properly optimized content is critical to success.
Just like any good marketing, optimizing content for SEO purposes starts by understanding your target audience. What are they searching for? Do you know their pain points? What keywords are they likely to use? Only after you understand those questions can you begin to craft content for your website. And only if you’re willing to do the hard work can you optimize your content in a way that gets you in front of the right people.
Unfortunately, many website designers see content as an afterthought. And it is cobbled together based on what they think you need – not what your target audience needs. Content audits show that much content is misguided and not optimized in a way that will improve your SEO rankings.
Because we’re a fully integrated marketing agency, we understand what it takes to understand and reach a target audience. And that shapes the way we build content for all of our websites.
Technical Web Design for SEO
As a provider of both web design and SEO services, we’re well versed in the SEO implications of having a well-designed site from a technical perspective. Going back to a site that was poorly coded so that we can fix mistakes takes a significant amount of time. And all that work is just to get you back to zero – not to start optimizing your site.
There are hundreds of technical factors that can affect your SEO rankings – so we won’t go into them all here. But we run an extensive SEO checklist for every site that we launch. This includes title tags, image optimization, load speeds, meta descriptions, internal linking, site architecture, search engine submission, and more.
Because all our sites come ready for SEO success, if you choose to pursue advanced SEO services later we’ll be ready to go from day one. No time will be wasted on extensive site audits and correcting mistakes. This saves you money and it saves us time – allowing both of us to focus on what matters most.
A Provider That Does It All
When it comes to getting a website, you have a few options. You can get a budget DIY website for cheap, you can hire a freelance web designer, or you can find a web design agency that is a good fit for your business. There are advantages to each, but if you ever want to invest in SEO we highly recommend you find an agency that handles marketing, web design, and SEO all from the same location.
The DIY route is cheap, but any SEO provider worth their salt isn’t going to touch that site with a ten-foot pole. A freelancer can be the best of both worlds, but too often you get a good-looking exterior that is hiding some serious problems under the hood. With a full-service agency, you get the insights of a marketing team, the technical skills of web designers, and the know-how of professional SEOs.
Contact us today to learn more!