It is generally known that solid web design cannot just be “pretty” but also needs to be capable of doing some serious SEO lifting. Less known, but just as important, is a site’s web development. Why? That is the way the site is actually ‘wired’ to function. Search engines use bots and spiders (spiders/bots are programs that visit sites and read their content to create entries for a search engine index) to scan a site’s back end coding, which is implemented by web developers. The major search engines scanners favor sites with pages that are clean. Any script, animation or sloppy coding that makes it hard for the bots to scan a site or page easily, will cause them to just skip it and move on to the next one. Pages and sites that are not scanned are not indexed, that is entered into the pool of websites that may be in contention to be accessed by internet users. Therefore, these bypassed sites will not rank well in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Web Development Evolves Constantly
Web Development is constantly evolving because SEO is. However, one problem is that some web developers are not familiar with current SEO best practices. For several years now, for example, Google has encouraged an enhanced user experience (UX). More details on what exactly that may entail below. Here are some additional pitfalls to avoid as well as current sound web development practices:
SEO Follows Web Design
Simply put, web design must follow current SEO best practices or the result will be a beautiful design that no one can find. When creating a new site, every detail of the user experience must be thought out and planned for, such as:
- Ease of use- in as few keystrokes as possible, enable site users to navigate a site with ease and to find what they are looking for.
- For Ecommerce sites, the checkout experience should be convenient and optimal as possible to encourage both conversions and repeat business.
- Web content, for lead generation as well as product descriptions on eCommerce sites, should be succinct, informative, and transition users to the next steps towards their goal.
- Calls to Action (CTA) benefit both users and business owners. Placed after users have received sufficient data to make a purchase decision, or to seek more information by making personal contact, a CTA will exhort them to do so and link users directly to contact forms or phone numbers.
Clean URLs
Make it easy for the spiders to crawl your site. Avoid dynamically generated URLs in favor of those that include a keyword.
Redirects are Important
For an optimal user experience, and to facilitate crawling, use the 301 redirect. Avoid the meta refresh redirect, and only resort to javascript if there is no alternative.
Splash Pages Are So 2007
With apologies to Nike, “Just Don’t Do It.” These can create duplicate content, prevent indexing, and have outlived their value. Instead, a homepage that is well designed, easy to navigate and features prominent CTAs that ask for site visitors business, will serve these visitors and online business owners’ requirements far more effectively.
Free Digital Marketing Analysis
How to Render SEO-Friendly Major Site Elements
Flash intros and javascript graphic elements have had their day. Search engines do not execute either. What does work is a mastery of the correct HTML coding and CSS to create those wow factor graphics that also enable all-important search engine indexing.
Search engines are coming around to the K.I.S.S. principle. And we all know what that means. By keeping coding simple and clean, web developers will sacrifice none of a site’s artistry and reap the optimization benefits every online enterprise requires.
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ABOUT CONDUCTOR
The Conductor Searchlight platform generates customer intent insights that lead to compelling content, increased traffic, and higher organic marketing ROI. Conductor enables marketers to understand their prospective customers’ intent by revealing the trends and topics they are searching for at every phase of purchase process. Customizable dashboards and workflows guide marketers through the content creation process, empowering them to continuously measure, refine, and demonstrate the effectiveness of their SEO and content marketing efforts. Conductor’s forward-thinking customers include global brands like Citibank and FedEx, emerging leaders like Birchbox and Munchkin.
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ABOUT ACTIVE WEB GROUP
Since 2003 Active Web Group has provided thousands of firms nationwide with the digital agency services required for their online businesses to gain market share and remain competitive. Our specialties include, Email Services, Web Design, Web Development, Responsive Web Development, eCommerce Website Development, Pay-Per-Click, Affiliate Marketing, Remarketing, Programming, Social Media and Search Engine Optimization and Marketing services.
