How Does Web Design Affect SEO?

May 16, 2022

 

A properly designed website is crucial for businesses and brands in the current digital world. A solid site speaks of the business’s reputation and credibility. A good design will engage visitors, provide personalized experiences, and nurture leads. However, your website should first attract traffic from search engine results to achieve this.

While web design primarily involves graphic design and programming principles, developers should go beyond this. Web developers should understand the basics of SEO for website design for various reasons. SEO for web design should follow several best practices, such as providing a mobile-friendly experience, descriptive URLs, fast load times, and more. Below are some ways web design affects your site’s SEO.

 

1.   Google Indexes Mobile-Friendly Websites

According to recent figures, over 57% of online U.S traffic comes from mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. Mobile traffic also accounts for 52% of total online traffic worldwide. To meet the demands of mobile users, Google introduced mobile-first indexing in 2018.

With this, Google reviews mobile versions of websites before indexing or ranking the website. This means that mobile-friendliness affects your website’s performance on Google in many ways. For starters, a responsive design creates a seamless user experience as your site’s content can adapt to different devices and screens.

Mobile-friendly design improves website usability, which is among the more than 200 Google ranking factors. Web designers should focus on designing websites that deliver a fast and smooth user experience on all devices.

 

2.   Site Structure Affects Organic Clicks and Rankings

Site structure is another significant component of SEO web design. However, this is relatively simple as developers without technical tools or knowledge can execute it easily, especially on WordPress sites. Key components of website structure include:

●       Navigation

Website navigation affects various key metrics, including the average page on time, engagement rate, conversion rate, and bounce rate. These elements improve search engine rankings. If web visitors can’t find what they are looking for on your website or don’t know where to go, they cannot stay on the site. Below are a few tips to improve your site’s navigation;

  • Create a simple main menu
  • Avoid technical jargon
  • Make the main menu accessible on all pages and mobile devices
  • Have a search bar

●       Title tags

HTML title tags are the first element seen by web visitors on the search engine results page. They can instantly know whether your website suits their search intent. Be sure to optimize your tags strategically, as excessively optimized title tags with stuffed keywords don’t perform well.

Title tags are primarily webpage titles. The primary role of these HTML tags is to inform search engines and web visitors what to expect or find on the webpage. Since title tags show up in SERPs, they should be short, concise, and entice visitors to click through. Title tags are important for the following reasons:

  • First impressions are crucial – The title tag is the first thing potential visitors will notice from search engine results. This is your best chance to create a positive first impression.
  • Brand leverage – Online visitors trust brands. If your business is a household name, ensure that you display your brand name prominently in the title tag.

Also, Google and other search engines rely on the title tag and other factors to understand your webpage. Consider the following to get the most from your title tags;

  • Keep your title tags short (between 50 and 60 characters)
  • Start title tags with keywords
  • Fix keywords naturally
  • Use dividers, such as categories or locations, to separate various elements
  • Use the same optimization tactics across your website

●       Heading tags

Closely associated with title tags, heading tags determine your page structure and create an information hierarchy. Pairing heading tags with optimized meta descriptions, title tags, and website content make your page logical and easy for users to follow. It makes it easy for search engines to index and categorize the content.

Using heading tags effectively can boost your SEO efforts. The most important heading tag is H1, which should be optimized with major keywords. H2 and H3 should be used to break up long texts into small units that can easily be read and followed.

●       Meta description

Meta descriptions provide a snippet of your webpage and entice visitors to click. Your meta description should be very informative, creatively written, and concise to win clicks. While you should include relevant keywords, they shouldn’t affect the overall readability of the meta description. Spamming elements in your meta description affects your rankings and discourages visitors from clicking the link.

●       Page content

Web design for SEO also involves ensuring that you post readable, user-friendly, and thoroughly optimized web content. Website navigation tools, title tags, meta descriptions, and headers inform search engines and website visitors about your web page context. If these elements appeal to them, they will click and read your content.

Unfortunately, old tactics such as using exact matching keywords or high keyword density are no longer effective. You should optimize your keywords organically. Make good use of long-tail keywords, and conversational phrases, use synonyms, and fix them organically.

 

3.   Optimize Images for Page Speed and Accessibility

 

Most web designers ignore the importance of visuals in SEO. Optimizing visuals (images and videos) in your web design significantly affects your website’s SEO, especially for online stores and bloggers. This presents an excellent opportunity to attract more traffic and increase online visibility. For this:

  • Choose the right image formats – JPEG image format is good for people, places, and things, while PNG is best for transparent image backgrounds.
  • Reduce image size – Large image files can slow page loads. This hurts website SEO as Google’s recent algorithms prioritize web page speed.
  • Optimize images for organic search – Since Google can’t understand images or videos, it reads ALT tags and file names, which can be optimized.

 

Endnote

Traditionally, search engine optimization and web design were two separate aspects. However, changing algorithms have slowly blurred the lines that separated these two elements. Well-designed websites should deliver an excellent user experience, which is currently crucial to search engine optimization. Web designers should understand that these elements are intertwined, and both play significant roles in improving your website’s search engine rankings.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Is Your Business Being Found Online?

Laptop Metrics Colorado

Free Digital Marketing Report ($150 Value)

marketing module lineWant to know how your business stacks up against the competition?

Read more articles about SEO.

Do You Know The Upsides of Using SVG Vector Images?

Yes, SVG is one of the best picture formats that can be used to display graphics on websites. Gone are the days when blurred images were a cause of the non-catchy look of the websites.     SVGs will make this issue dead and it is one of the best ways to make...

Why Security Matters for Your Business: Protecting Your Assets and Reputation

Security is a critical aspect of any business, regardless of its size or industry. With the increasing reliance on technology and the internet, businesses face a growing number of security threats that can have a significant impact on their operations and reputation....

Why WordPress Reigns Supreme in Web Development

While there is a massive list of website builders and web development tools, WordPress has become one of the most popular options for beginners and professionals. With WordPress holding an impressive 62% market share among content management systems, it is the obvious...

The Top Advantages of the PDF File Format

The Portable Document Format or PDF file format is used to display the documents in electronic form and it is essential for saving documents. These PDF file formats are independent of the operating system, hardware, or software you are going to use to view these...

Demystifying Charts: A Beginner’s Guide To Understanding the Basics

In our technologically driven era, the use of charts and graphical representations has become an integral part of data conveyance. We encounter them in our day-to-day activities, from financial reports at our workplaces to trending topics on social media. But how much...

How to Revamp Your Content Strategy to Keep Pace With the AI Trend 

Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a game-changer in the digital marketing landscape. When tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard first hit the market in 2022, content creation seemed to become a breeze. Writers apparently were on the brink of becoming redundant....

Eco-Friendly Initiatives: How Businesses Can Lead the Way to a Greener Future

As climate change accelerates and natural resources become scarcer, businesses are at the forefront of a pivotal movement toward a greener, more sustainable future. This shift is primarily driven by regulatory mandates and an increasingly eco-conscious consumer base...

8 Effective Marketing Techniques That All Non-Profits (However Small) Can Use

Regardless of size, every non-profit can benefit from employing effective marketing techniques, and indeed this is a must if you want to bolster your fundraising efforts and support your cause more successfully.     With that in mind, here are some top...

Read more articles about business.

The Top Advantages of the PDF File Format

The Top Advantages of the PDF File Format

The Portable Document Format or PDF file format is used to display the documents in electronic form and it is essential for saving documents. These PDF file formats are independent of the operating system, hardware, or software you are going to use to view these...

How to Improve Your Business’s Image

How to Improve Your Business’s Image

In life, image may not be everything, but in business, it is one of the key cornerstones that will play a huge part in your company's overall success. Your business will suffer if you have a bad company image, either because you are dealing with negative press or...

Beauty and Business: The Secrets to a Successful Salon Venture

Beauty and Business: The Secrets to a Successful Salon Venture

Beauty is big business, and salons are at the forefront of the industry. However, owning and operating a successful salon takes more than just knowing how to cut and style hair. You need to have a keen mind for business to be truly successful.   From marketing...

15 Ways to Increase the Profitability of Your Trucking Business

15 Ways to Increase the Profitability of Your Trucking Business

The trucking business is very profitable. But initially, you might face some challenges to increase profitability as it is a competitive market. However, there are certain steps you can take to increase your profitability.   But before that, you need to...

Share This