Why SEO and Web Design must work hand in hand

Looking for a brand new website design, or a refresh of your current one? It’s so important when taking the plunge that brands (and agencies) don’t prioritise style over substance. If you want your new site to rank well and engage visitors, that 1 page design you had in mind isn’t going to cut it.

Here are some things to consider in order to make sure your website not only looks great, but also has the best opportunity of being found online. 

Search engines need content 

And lots of it… it’s how they determine how and where to rank your website. Ensuring the site is designed with plenty of content in mind is crucial, and experienced designers will be able to make sure you aren’t compromising your desired look and feel. 

Simplicity is key

Site speed is a key ranking factor for Google and other search engines. If your site is taking too long to load, it’s not providing the best user experience for visitors.

For this reason, designers and developers must work closely with SEO experts to ensure any imagery, video, and complex functionality is fully optimised and incorporated without drastically impacting page load times. The simpler your site, the better it will be from a search perspective. 

Structure & architecture

The way you structure your website can have a huge impact on how it gets crawled by search engines. 

It’s a fine balance between making sure there is enough depth to your site for search purposes, but also ensuring your site isn’t overcrowded and difficult for users to find their way. Design and search teams must come together to get this nailed right from the start. 

A mobile first world

Google’s ‘mobile first’ index means that they look to this version of your website first when determining your rankings. It’s therefore more important than ever for the mobile version of your site to be designed with users in mind. Remember the amount of people browsing the web on their phones is larger than ever, so it should never be an afterthought when it comes to design. 

Engagement is everything

Ultimately, once we’ve driven the right traffic to your site, we want your users to take action. 

A site that’s been designed with your end goal and user’s interests in mind is not only going to help in terms of driving leads / sales, it’s going to have a positive impact on your SEO. Although we don’t know to what extent Google’s takes metrics such as bounce rate and dwell time into account, we do know that a well engaged site certainly has a positive effect in terms of organic search. 

If you’re looking for a new website design, our team will keep SEO in mind from the outset, whilst creating stunning sites that convert. Get in touch for more information.