Design and SEO Work Well Together

All too often, people make the mistake of designing their websites before giving a single thought to search engine optimization.  This is a huge mistake that can be quite costly for numerous reasons.

First, the design may be image heavy and leave little room to accommodate text.  Text (also known as content) is extremely important when it comes to achieving top organic SEO placement.  If the site does not accommodate content, the owner may have to go through a redesign, which can cost him/her a great deal of money and time.

Second, the layout of the website is crucial in terms of organic SEO.  If a person is trying to create a website that is search friendly and aesthetically designed, the person will want to remember that more content and less clutter is ideal.  Additionally, website owners will want to keep navigation, links and keyword targeted content near the top of the web page. 

The layout or wireframe is usually the first step when creating a website.  Therefore, it is important that appropriate SEO techniques are considered while wireframes are conceptualized.  If not, the site will ultimately be ineffective in terms of search engine optimization.

Third, all headers must be text and labeled H1, H2 or H3.  Text headers should never be replaced with image files, which is something many designers like to do as it provides them with creative flexibility. 

When search engine spiders crawl a website or webpage, they will look for keywords in headers that are identified with H1, H2 or H3 tags.  If these headers do not exist or are replaced by images, the end result is lower search engine placement.

If you are in the planning or conceptual phase of your website, remember that design and search engine optimization go hand-in-hand.  SEO works best when it is a fore-thought, not an after-thought.  By pairing SEO and design elements together, you can and will create a website that is optimized, user intuitive and visually appealing.