One of the biggest obstacles facing any new online venture is getting the website to obtain a good rank in online search engines like Google. The problem is designers rarely base their design on getting a good search engine rank. Most designers concentrate of the visual appearance and the emotional impact the site has on users.
But not incorporating search engine optimization into the design is definitely a huge mistake. Search engine optimization is in essence, free advertising that can have a dramatic effect on the number of visitors to your website. If you are currently working on the design of a website, or if you would like to make your current site more search engine friendly, consider these few tips to get you going making your website optimized for search engine results.
Add “alt” tags to your images, video and flash pieces. Although search engine algorithms are very sophisticated, they only see and read the text of a webpage. They can’t for example, read text that is embedded within a photograph or flash animation. To the search engine, it’s just art. But by adding an “alt” tags to your images and other media, an “alt” tag is a text description which can be added to the HTML code, you can turn your media into a product that can be identified and read by search engines operating search requests.
Navigation labels. Most websites have a navigation bar on the top of the home page or to the left side of the home page. The navigation is intended to help the user find their way through the website with as much ease as possible. But the navigation bar is another place where you can optimize the website for better search engine results. For example, we have all seen the label “Home” on countless websites. But no one uses a search engine to search for “Home.” Rather than use generic labels, use labels in your navigation structure that will prompt search engine results. Rather than using just home, use “‘Your Company Name’ Home” instead. And carry this thinking through with all the navigation labels.
These two suggestions only scratch the surface of website design that incorporates search engine optimization. If you are currently working on a website, consider talking with a website design and development company that uses search engine optimization in the design process. Any money you spend will easily be made up from increased visitors which find your site through organic online searches.
Tags: Search Engine Optimization, seo, SEO/SEM (online marketing)