SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of improving the ranking of a website on search engines. This is done by improving the website content, structure, and on-page elements like titles, metatags, and anchor text.
SEO is important for web designers because it can help them to create websites that are both user-friendly and search engine friendly. A well-optimized website will rank higher on search engines, which means that it will be seen by more people. This, in turn, can result in more website visitors and more business for the web designer.
There are many different factors that go into SEO, and it can be a complex process. However, by following the basic principles of SEO, web designers can create websites that are both effective and search engine friendly.
For the millions of users and queries that take place at any given time on Google, there are only 10 available spots on the first page. Just ask yourself, how often do you make it to page two? Or three? It’s rare if ever, because Google has become quite good at providing the information you need on the first page. And usually if they don’t, you don’t visit the next page, you try a new query.
If a potential customer types in a query relevant to your business, you want to be one of the first 10 certainly, and preferably of course, at the top. And if you’re not there, another business just took your future customer. This is why SEO is important for business. It gives you the opportunity to be the answer to your customer’s question and the authority in your field. Authority leads to trust, and trust leads to brand loyalty.
There are an endless number of factors that play a role in SEO as a whole, each with a different amount of weight in your overall presence. But it boils down to a handful of really important things:
Keywords have the power to control your rankings. A single word or longer phrase that people search for is what drives the entire search engine experience. They need to be researched and strategically placed throughout your content to make the quality of your content high, and to ensure the user’s intent is met through that content. By providing the answers to users questions, you increase the visibility of your brand. And the most effective keywords are well researched and thought out, and strategically used in your content
Content is where SEO shines. It allows you to communicate to current, and potential customers and this is where your keywords come into play. This is where you build authority, trust, and engagement, and ultimately, business. Your content drives engagement with the audience, and engagement drives traffic, traffic leads to business. And your content tells the audience who you are, and what you do.
There are many forms of content you can use to help SEO, whether it’s directly on your website or not:
All of the above content channels captures a different type of person. And you need multiple forms of content to cast the widest net. You need social media for videos, photos, and short form content for quick hitting messages. Newsletters, podcasts, and blog posts for longer attention spans and more detail. This all lays the foundation of growing your brand and your authority within your niche.
The user experience is equally as important as keywords and content. As stated above, SEO as a whole has so many sublevels, and you could easily spend as much time breaking down keywords as you can content, and as you can’t user experience. There is a technical piece to UX involving how long it takes your site to load, how visually pleasing it is, how easy it is to navigate, and so much more. It boils down to how a user feels when interacting with your system. The links between social platforms to a YouTube channel, to your website or a mobile app, all need to be seamless.
User experience is supposed to fulfill the needs of the users and do so in a way that keeps them loyal to your brand. And a meaningful user experience can make all the difference between a potential customer and a realized customer. That journey is different for everyone and while you may have designed what you think is a great experience, it’s not your experience. It’s the audiences. You can’t assume what the user wants or feels. You have to talk to your users and/or watch them use platform to get an idea for yourself about the decisions made on the experience you’ve built
The impact of SEO had grown significantly in recent years. It’s meant to make the consumers life easier when in need of something and beginning their search. Having a well thought out SEO plan on a quality website benefits their brand and all their other marketing efforts. Simple Identity Design has years of experience working hand in hand with Google on the best SEO practices. If you’re ready to get serious about your SEO strategy, review our digital marketing services today, and contact us to get your plan in place!