Is your website designed with search engine optimization in mind?
How to get good ranking on search engines is a question that is frequently asked. Unfortunately the answer is not a simple one. Search engines have a tendency to change their algorithms all of time, so your website can rank well one week and not the other. When building your website or redesigning it, there are a few things that can be done to ensure that it is designed with search engine optimization in mind.
Bigger is better
Search engine spiders crawl sites and read content. If your website is only five pages and your competitor has over 100 pages, chances are that your competitor will come on top. When planning your content, think of areas that are expandable. For example, tips and hints, resources, FAQs. Updating this information, adding articles and resources will add content gradually and will also encourage users to come back and see what’s new.
Images are pretty but are ignored by Google
Flash websites are great to look at. They are fun, cool, interactive and dynamic. But if you rely on search engines to grow your business, a flash website will not serve you well. As mentioned earlier, content is key. Search engine spiders need to be able to read content. If you must have a flash site, think of integrating flash pieces within your site. Not only will this allow you to have a content based site, your pages will be less “heavy” and will load faster.
Frames are bad
I can’t remember when I last saw a website designed with frames. If anyone ever suggests to you that you need a framed website, run the other way. Run fast, and take your money with you.
Take a look at the code
Before hiring a Web designer take a look at their portfolio and look at some of the sites they’ve built. With your browser window open, click “View”, move your cursor down the drop down and click “Source”.
What appears is the source code of the webpage. This page contains the code that transforms the content into HTML. This may seem overwhelming, but you should be able to read most of it. Not all website are created equally. Some sites contain much more code than what’s required. As a result, just like you have to sort through the code to find the content, so does Google. When selecting a Web designer, ask them about their coding practice to see if they understand the importance of good coding. In this case, less is definitely more.
Leave the marketing spin out
The title of your page appears at the very left hand corner of your browser. This information is the most important information on your webpage. The title should describe the page. For example, Welcome to XYZ candy store. Using marketing jargon to write your titles will not improve your ranking. In fact you should expect lower rankings.
Keep your content fresh
Not only does information printed two or three years ago look badly on your company when it is read by a visitor, it is also looked down upon by search engines. On average, search engine spiders will crawl your website every day or so. Once they see that your site is stagnant, they will lower your ranking.
Many shortfalls of websites can easily be attributed to designers who just don’t keep the user or search engines in mind. Search engine algorithms are quickly improving to try and list the most user-friendly sites higher. Before embarking on your website design or redesign, make sure that you ask your Web designer how they plan on building your website with search engine optimization in mind.