Search engine optimization used to be all about the keywords that you used and the amount of links to your websites. But, whilst keyword research and link building are still extremely relevant to SEO today, the design of your website is becoming more and more important for ranking. If you want to rank high in search engine results, you will need to provide your users with a seamless experience on your site. Failing to do this could lead to a high bounce rate, which tells search engines that your site isn’t one that users spend a lot of time on, eventually leading to you falling down the rankings. With the average user browsing the web at least fourteen times a day on a variety of devices, it’s imperative to understand where your website’s design could be helping or hindering your success. Here are some crucial web design tips that will help boost SEO.
Tip #1. Have a Responsive Design:
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make with your website’s design is failing to ensure that it’s mobile-friendly. Sure, it may look great on your laptop screen, but does a user viewing it on their smartphone or tablet get the same experience? Today, with an increasing number of web users ditching traditional PCs and laptops to browse on their mobile devices instead, a modern, responsive design that looks just as great on a smartphone or tablet is crucial. And, Google will always prioritise sites that have a responsive design in the search rankings, since they make for a much better user experience.
Tip #2. Check Your Loading Speed:
Web content, such as high-quality images and videos, are hugely important to your website design. Interesting pictures, infographics, slideshows and videos will grab the attention of your site’s videos, but when you’re uploading content to your site, you need to be careful that it doesn’t slow the load speed down. It’s a wise idea to re-size any image and video content that you upload to your site, so it’s at the smallest size necessary without losing quality. For example, re-size images in Photoshop to the exact dimensions of your site, rather than simply making them smaller on the page. Ideally, your website should be fully loaded and ready to go within the first three seconds to keep your users interested. 40% of users will leave the site if it’s not loaded within this time.
Tip #3. Make it Easy to Navigate:
Navigation is one of the most important factors of your website’s design, as it allows users to find what they need easily. A website that is difficult to navigate will do nothing but frustrate the user, regardless of how pleasant it is to look at. This SEO company Belfast offers professional web design services, which is a good investment if you are unsure as to what your website needs in terms of navigation and design in order to rank better in search results. Your website should have a well-laid out menu that makes it easy for users to find their way around, and an easy-to-find search bar where they can quickly find specific products, services, or pages.
Your website’s design plays a larger part in SEO than you may realise. If you found this article helpful, let us know!
