A good web design is crucial to the success of your business. Poor design and user experience will affect your search engine optimization (SEO). Frequent evaluation of the desktop and mobile response times and conversion rates is very important.
The following details 10 design mistakes that you must avoid in order to achieve your SEO goals.
1. Poor Navigation
Navigation is the most important part of good web design. The majority of your visitors will access your content via a mobile device, which means using a responsive layout that performs well on any size screen. All site elements should be easily clickable with either a mouse or a fingertip. Prioritize your navigation links based on user habits and accessibility. Use sliding menus and expandable links when you have a large amount of content in a small space.
2. Inaccessible Content
Aside from slow loading, nothing makes a visitor leave a site faster than the content they cannot access. The expectation is to have everything in view, especially on a mobile device. Ensure that mobile visitors are receiving the same content experience that desktops users do. The SEO success of your website depends on this because Google is now emphasizing mobile in its search index. Responsive design offers a single website solution that works for all visitors.
3. No Visitor Incentives
Offering PDF files as downloads is a good idea but it doesn’t provide an incentive for visitors to return. Sending the file by email is a better strategy because you also gain a subscriber. When linking to other sites, have them open in a new tab or window so visitors can easily come back to your site. Offering something free for signing up is another good way to gain subscribers.
4. Too Many External Resources
Forty-seven percent of web users expect websites to load in less than two seconds. When you load too many external resources, your site is slowed down and presents a poor user experience. This affects your conversions and your reputation. Responsive design is simple and adaptable, making it streamlined for visitors. This means prioritizing resources to increase accessibility. It requires extra effort, but it pays off in the end.
5. Not Using SSL
All websites need an SSL certificate. Not using one results in browser warnings that your site is not secure. This decreases traffic and damages your SEO. The majority of web hosting companies have free SSL certificates, and there is no reason not to have one installed. For the best results, invest in a high-level certificate to gain trust.
6. Lack of Quality Content
When your content is not fresh and engaging, or there is too little of it, your SEO will suffer. It is acceptable to use images and videos to support your text. Be sure to not overuse these elements because you risk getting a thin-content penalty. Aim for at least 300 words in each post or page. Use subheaders to help your visitors understand the material.
7. No Call to Action
Your site will not produce conversions unless there is a clear call to action (CTA). Visitors should know exactly what you want them to do when they are on your website, whether that is sending a message, buying a product, signing up for a newsletter or becoming a member. A CTA should appear on each page and the sidebar to always be available to your visitors.
8. No Headers or Metadata
Each post and page of your site should have a minimum of one H1 tag and include other metadata for easy crawling and indexing. Using focus keywords in headers, titles and descriptions results in better ranking and helps visitors when they scan your content. Ensure that keywords are used naturally and not forced.
9. Duplicate Content
Very few things hurt your SEO more than duplicate content. Everything you publish should be unique from other material online. In addition, plagiarized content hurts your brand reputation and will result in a takedown order and possibly negative feedback. While it is more work, always post original content, and stay on the safe side.
10. Annoying Pop-Ups
Pop-ups and modals are annoying to users. You want more subscribers and likes, but there are better methods of obtaining them. Google recommends avoiding pop-ups that cover all of the primary content, interstitial pages that require dismissal by the user and layouts that place content beneath the fold.
Using proper SEO design techniques are essential for any business website. The experienced staff at Internet Marketing Team is always ready to provide guidance whether you want to update the site you have or start over from scratch.
