content Typically, when we think of search engine optimization (SEO), the top things that come to our mind are keywords, meta description, search engines and content marketing. But another vital component of an SEO strategy is website design, especially for startups. Professional web design company can be powerful enough to make or break the SEO for many startups.
This article talks about the relevance of website design in SEO and what you can do to improve your SEO through website design.
The role of website design in SEO
The primary aim of SEO is to bring people to your web page, but that is not the ultimate one. Once users are on your website, they need to have a hassle-free, clear and engaging experience that encourages them to take action.
Effective website design services help you establish your brand authority and its uniqueness. If you present your website content with a brilliant design is to the right audience properly, it can leave an everlasting impression and even prompt the user to re-visit the page. The second, subsequent impressions rely on the first impression and the memory of the inadvertent opinions formed during the first visit influences all their future decisions.
A good design by a web design company does not necessarily mean fancy, colourful, or over-the-top design. They must be simple, professional, subtle, concentrating more on user-friendliness and ease of navigation.
High-quality and relevant content can convince your audience to convert to customers or at least revisit the page. You must avoid too many images, videos and distracting graphics that can not only take the main essence of your message but also increase the page load time, damage your SEO efforts and harm conversion rates.
Things you can do on website design to improve SEO
Optimize for Mobile Devices
Mobile traffic currently accounts for over half of all web traffic globally and it is bound to become more significant for startups in the coming days. If your website is not optimized for mobile devices while offering a great user experience, you are losing out on over 50% of your target audience. A website design and copy that offers a great UX on the mobile through easy navigation can increase conversion rates.
Google’s ranking algorithm initially evaluates a website’s design and performance through its mobile experience through metrics called core web vitals.
Incorporate clear calls to action
Your SEO campaign can fetch top rankings for your web pages, attract the target audience and convince them to visit your website, but that does not indicate its success. Once users land on your page and like what they see, they must know what action to take next, whether signing up for a free trial, a webinar, purchasing the product, downloading free resources and so on. A great website design must have a solid CTA. An effective CTA will communicate the right message to the right audience at the right time.
Include Free Resources
The modern-day consumer is exposed to over 10,000 ads every day. Hence, traditional advertising and marketing strategies may be ineffective to generate the required conversions. Businesses need to create better customer interactions to convert a lead to a customer. To keep your visitors interested in your website and convert potential leads, you must offer some free downloads and resources on the page. Freebies allow users to build trust in your brand and marketers to capture and build an email address list of the visitors.
Keep Site Structure Simple
Small businesses and startups overthink and over-engineer their website structure. Over-engineering can lead to a decrease in search visibility. Sticking to a simple URL can help search engines find you faster. Simple URLs help users to remember you easily and increase the click-through rate of the organic listing. As users can easily find out what page they are going to view next. Similarly, URLs of blogs must avoid having category names or tags in them that can mislead the visitors.
Keep Enhancing the Website Design
Aesthetics is only a small part of website design services. It includes several aspects right from site structure to usability, navigation and many other factors that have an enormous impact on your website SEO. Therefore, website design is not a one-time project and there is always room for improvement. You must track your website performance regularly and make modifications wherever needed. Constantly updating website design and tailoring it to match with the content can increase the prospects of converting visitors into paying customers.
Final Word
Website design is a crucial component of the SEO of a startup company. Incorporating good web design services as a part of your marketing strategy can have a significant impact on your customers. Attractive, user-friendly websites help visitors and search engines to find and navigate the website effortlessly.
References: [1] [2] [3]
About Author
Hitesh Dhawan
Founder of Neuronimbus, A digital evangelist, entrepreneur, mentor, digital tranformation expert. Two decades of providing digital solutions to brands around the world.