There are numerous parameters used to measure website performance. Ranking, for instance, is one of the most important things especially when it comes to marketing. And if your focus is improving website performance as it relates to SEO rankings, there are a lot of factors to consider. Experts on web design services know there is more to effective SEO than using the right techniques. Website design is the foundation that can make or break your efforts
The Role of Web Design Services SEO Rankings
Working with a professional web design service will put your business at a benefit. Creating a website is not as easy as it appears. And even if you rely on website builders to run your organisation site or blog, its ready overlook technicalities that will affect site performance.
Now why is web design important?
Currently, Google focuses more on the user’s experience. What this means is that every search result aims to provide the highest significance. According to web design services experts, responsive and organised websites rank higher. The site usually gets traffic when:
- The content is informative and helpful.
- The website is responsive for mobile users.
- The website uses search engine mark-up.
The rule is simple – the higher the quality of your site’s content, the better the page will rank for particular targeted keywords. Not only that, if the whole website is optimised, pages with good content will rank very higher.
However, keep in mind that web design goes beyond the visuals. In fact, what’s most significant here is the user’s experience. Such as, how fast does it take for a page to load? Loading time alone can affect the performance of your site which relates to SEO success.
How Does Web Design Affect Rankings?
Indeed, visual design and content are two factors that have a major impact SEO. But web design services companies also recommend including practices that help search engine optimisation.
Here are the 3 ways in which we design directly impacts ranking results.
#1: SEO is directly related To the User’s Experience
A good website design will help increase SEO rankings. Yes, if the site has a poor design, rankings will also suffer. Nowadays, search engines use AI to test the customer experience. Remember that you can’t trick the bots, because what real users find is analysed by AI search engine. And how users behave when they are on the site will matter in rankings. A site that loads slowly will prevent further user engagement. Therefore, both human users and search engine crawlers will look at the disadvantages of unfortunate web design.
#2: High-Quality Website Visuals Increase the User’s Time Spent on the Site
Building a good first impression is extremely important. If you want to gain the trust of potential customers, you need to wow so with excellent appearance of the site. Many users who visit the site for the first time will leave if they see the site as poorly designed. Of course, good visuals should be combined with quality content and if you intend to increase conversions. In addition, good site design coupled with quality and informative content promote user engagement and enhance reputation.
#3: Optimise the Site for Search Engine Crawlers
Prioritising user experience is really important to rank higher. However, web design should also give value to search engine crawlers. Web design should provide a good user experience and at the same time help the content of the website crawler’s index. Web design elements will have a direct impact on indexing, which is hugely damaging to rankings. The developer should format the content, images, and URLs in a way that helps crawlers to better index. At the same time, users will appreciate the design as well as informative content on the site.
These three ways are important principles that every web designer knows. In fact, there are other factors that affect SEO success; however website design should always be a priority focus.
Best Practices Web Design Services Recommend That Help Optimise SEO Rankings
Now that you know how web design affects rankings, the next step is to identify particular design elements that will improve rankings. Professionals in Web design services should work with digital marketers to make sure that these elements are incorporated into the web design.
1. Mobile-Friendly Website
Anyone who adheres to SEO trends knows the significance of designing mobile-friendly pages. Google introduced mobile-first indexing a few years ago, and any website that hasn’t included this element in its design is way behind. For numerous years now, searching using desktop computers is at a steady decline. Mobile phones are more popular, especially as smartphones are becoming more sophisticated. A site design that isn’t mobile-friendly will separate from users that prefer browsing on their phones.
2. Site Readability Is Important
Readability has a huge impact on the user experience. Content using small fonts with colours that blend with the background makes it difficult for the user to read. If you do not know which design works best on your site, you can always test it. There are numerous resources available that will allow you to determine the readability of your site without resorting to trial & error.
3. Minimise using JavaScript & Flash
There are lots of programming languages used in web design. However, search engine crawlers seem to have problem with Flash & JavaScript. While these programming languages allow for interesting designs, ensure to use them in moderation. As much as possible, do not use these languages to design significant site content.
4. Responsive Design Is a Required
You need to account for the fact that there are different devices that a customer can use to browse your site. Responsive design saves you time, effort, as well as money. Why? This is because you do not anymore need to make adjustments to make pages mobile-friendly.
5. Don’t Neglect the Importance of Images and Content
The technical web design elements are very critical, but all these will be useless if you do not have high-quality content & images. The majority people assume that web design is only concerned with layouts and other aesthetic elements. However these days, visibility is only secondary as users and website crawlers focus more on content as well as experience. When users consider your site as informative and important, crawlers will pick up on this and rank the site top. Some best practices in using images include adding Meta description and reducing image load times.
6. Design a Fast-Loading Website
Time is of the quintessence in web design. It may sound like a cliche, however slow websites will detract potential visitors and reduce conversions. And with SEO, you will need all advantage possible.
7. Use a Sitemap to Help Website Crawlers
Sitemap acts as a guide for website crawlers. It helps them find vital content on your site. Using a sitemap is important for larger websites with extensive content. Likewise, new websites without external links can also benefits from using a sitemap.
Combining SEO best practices with web design will help increase rankings. The Developers know that improving site design should not be difficult. The bottom line is to make sure that users have a great experience while also taking into account the technicalities of SEO.
SEO and Web Design Services Go Hand In Hand
In conclusion, Web designing professionals highlight the importance of visual & technical elements that make a site responsive. On the other hand, marketers use different techniques to increase site rankings. Combining these two together will ensure results and guarantee marketing success.