Search Engine Optimization

For years, Web Designers have been getting a bad reputation for being absolutely clueless about SEO. They’ve been ridiculed for making pretty and expensive sites that can’t be found in the search engines. And, that’s unfortunate, because not all Web Designers are alike. There are many Web Designers that are well-versed in SEO. But, what exactly is SEO?

Simply put, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing visibility to a website. Many people think SEO is all about placing keywords in “special” locations on their websites. Well, placing keywords on your website is only one part of the puzzle, there’s more to SEO than what meets the eye. A good Web Designer will know basic to advanced fundamentals of creating a Search Engine friendly site. Some important aspects of SEO that should not be ignored included, but are not limited to:

• SEO Tags - When it comes to SEO Tags, there are certain tags that help the Search Engines identify what a site is about. These tags include title tags, H1 & H2, Tags, and Meta tags. All these tags are important because they help search engines identify what a web page is about. A good Web Designer will understand the importance of these tags and implement an effective strategy to integrate SEO with the entire Web Design Process.
• Sitemap Creation- A good Web Designer will be able to create a sitemap that makes it easy for search engine spiders to crawl and index your website.
• Internal Linking- A big part of SEO is about building links, but it’s also about having a great internal linking structure to make the site easy to navigate. A great navigation strategy not only helps the Search Engines find valuable content on your web site, but it also helps your web visitors use your site with ease.

Of course, there are many more factors about SEO and Web Design that will be too much to mention here. However, one important element of SEO that is worth mentioning is copywriting.

When it all comes down to it, you don’t need to know everything about Web Design, that’s what Web Designers are for. However, you need to know that an effective Web Design strategy should include certain elements that can help your website be a success. Some of the elements of an effective Web Design strategy include, but are not limited to:

• An Easy to Manage Web Site
• User Friendly
• Search Engine Friendly
• Designed to Increase Sales
• Customized Web Design to help with branding

There are so many factors that go into a quality Web Design, you can’t take a one-size fits all approach.