Web Design: SEO is Worthless Without You
Despite the fact that SEO consultants seldom make good web designers (and vice versa) both are essential for any business website as one hand washes the other, SEO and web design work together synergistically. Too often companies, big and small, rely solely on SEO to attract visitors to their site, forgetting about the need to convert those visitors into customers.
Two roles helping bring you customers
The job of SEO is to bring qualified leads to your website. Once they land on your website SEO has done its job.
Then it’s up to your web design to convert those visitors into paying clients, customers or patients. It does that by:
making a good first impression (you have three seconds for that to happen)- providing a professional appearance
- making sure your website looks the same on all browsers
- making it clear what you do or what you sell
- creating a friendly impression so the visitor will want to patronize you
- providing intuitive navigation so the visitors can find what they’re looking for
- providing a mobile version of your site for cell phone visitors
Your web designer helps your search engine rankings
Yes, it’s true. The design and programming of your website can help your SEO efforts even beyond the specific coding issues laid out by your SEO consultant. Some of the important things your web designer can do to help include:
- pr
oper URL (web address) redirects when pages change on your website - readable and concise URLs for when visitors type them into their browsers
- page speed issues so that your web pages download to browsers quickly
- easy and intuitive navigation so visitors can find what they need quickly
- overall pleasant and professional user experience
Great synergy
Effective SEO multiplies the value of your web design by exposing it to more potential customers. And a great web design multiplies the power of SEO by converting more visitors into paying customers. With both of these positive factors in play, the value of each is multiplied by the contributions of the other.
Skimp on either one at your peril.
What’s your experience been with web design and SEO complementing each other … or not? Let us know in the comments below.
Need help with the SEO half of the equation. Give us a call.
