Why both good SEO and Web Design are important
There are many companies that make bold claims about getting your website to the top rank on Google overnight and how the secret to your success is having a hundred keywords crammed into the footer of your website. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is certainly an important part of web design and should not be overlooked, but the key to having a successful online presence is the combination of many factors and any "overnight" fix simply will not work.
So what exactly is SEO?
SEO refers to the technical aspects of a website that help guide the search engines to your page when it is relevant to something a user is searching for. For example, if I'm selling Apples in Hertfordshire, I want Google to show people my website when they search for "Fruit in Hertfordshire." Google is always on the lookout for the website that is most relevant to the thing that is being searched for.
So how can we help Google (or your search engine of choice, I am passing no judgement on Bing or Yahoo! users here) to see our website as the most relevant rather than our competition?
Well, having quality written content on your website that talks about how amazing your local apples are is a great start. As is having a website that meets all of the technical standards so your website is communicating it's message to Google's bots as accurately as possible. This includes things such as having good descriptions, page titles, meta tags, heading titles etc. Google also takes into account the accessibility of your webpage - does it display well on Smartphones? Is it quick to load? Inbound links are also important; if other websites are linking to you it is likely to be a website that other people want to visit.
A website with good SEO helps get people to visit your website. What happens after they have decided to visit your site is then entirely based on the design of your website.
Why Web Design is equally important
You can get hundreds of people to come to your website by having a technically brilliant, fully optimised site, but if it is impossible to navigate or not engaging to the user these viewers will not convert into sales. Too many companies have websites that look like they haven't been touched for 10 years, or worse, don't display correctly anymore as time and technology has moved on and they have not. Not only does this reflect poorly on their business, but it squanders potential new clients at the first hurdle.
To use a real world analogy, your website is like the smiling sales person at the front of your store. They need to be friendly and welcoming, well presented and appropriate for the industry they are working in and able to direct the client to exactly what they are looking for. This is what a well executed web design achieves for your business.
People should leave your website having found the information they require, with a strong positive impression of your business and maybe even got in contact with you if your services are what they are looking for. Every aspect of the design needs to help them as much as possible to find what they want. If they are looking for contact details, they need to be prominently on display. If they are looking for what services you offer it needs to be immediately obvious where they should go. If they like what they see, a big and noticeable "CONTACT US" should always be on the screen.
As I'm sure you have concluded yourself, both strong SEO and good Design are important - one without the other simply does not work. In summary, SEO gets people to your website, good design generates sales when they are there.
If you would like to see what a new website can do for your business get in touch with us at Sales@gillistics.co.uk or using our Online Contact Form and we will be happy to discuss your needs and how we can improve both your SEO and Web Design.
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