Some people believe that Search Engine Optimization comes into play after a web site has been designed and developed. Search Engine Optimization should be a part of every web operation from start to finish. The way a web designer and developer designs and develops a web site plays a crucial role in Search Engine Optimization. When designing and developing a web site the web designer and developer should keep the following four things in mind:
- Structure - How is your web site structured? Does the most relevant and important elements come first and are they higher up on the page (in the header or navigation)? Are all of the sections of your web site broken down into well organized categories and subcategories? Are the majority of your web pages less then 4 clicks away from your home page?
- Usability - Is the navigation easy to understand? Is it easy to find the navigation on the web site and how hard will it be for inexperienced users to navigate through the web site? Does all your images have descriptive alt text for screen readers and text browsers?
- Crawlability - Can search engines easily crawl and follow all of the links on the web site, including the navigation? Can the search engines easily crawl the web pages in the web site, is there anything in the web site that may slow down or even stop search engine bots?
- Load Time - How long will it take for a user with a 14k connection to load your web site? Is it possible to reduce the file size of the images used on your web site? Can you replace some of your images with CSS and text? Did you use the most efficient HTML and CSS code?
A large percentage of web designers and developers do not know how to properly design and develop a web site for search engines. Here at Wiworks all of our web designers and developers are up-to-date with all of the major search engine’s algorithms and how to properly design and develop a web site for optimum search engine placement.
January 16th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Nice to hear a design team talk about what happens after the money changes hands and the client is anxiously waiting to hear that hopeful “KaChing” of his cash register.
Unfortunately no matter how nice the site looks, if it does not create cash flow for the business it will soon be just a nice brochure online. A good site is degned with a search engine and a marketing effort in mind. You can still have all of the cool bells and whistles just make sure they are in the right place, coded properly and fast loading.
Way to go guys on your attention to web design detail and smart marketing.
January 17th, 2007 at 8:39 am
I’m glad you mentioned usability and site architecture. Just because your site is found high in the rankings doesn’t mean you’re getting a good return. It is just as important as ranking well.