How Web Design Can Affect Search Engine Rankings
|
|
Uniquely built web sites can create unique issues when being promoted on the search engines. From a basic 3 page brochure site to a corporate site with hundreds of dynamically generated pages, every web site needs to have certain design aspects in order to achieve the full effects of an SEO campaign. Below are a few points to take into consideration when building or updating your web site.
1. Size Matters.
The size of a web site can have a huge impact on search engine rankings. Search engines love content, so if you have only a few pages to your site and your competitors have dozens, it's difficult to see a top page ranking for your site. In some cases it may be difficult to present several pages of information about your business or products, so you may need to think about adding free resources for visitors. It will help in broadening the scope of your web site (which search engines like) as well as keep visitors on your site longer, possibly resulting in more sales.
2. Graphics-Based Web Sites.
While web sites that offer the visitor a more esthetically-pleasing experience may seem like the best choice for someone searching for your product, they are the most difficult to optimize. Since search engine robots cannot read text within graphics or animation, what they see may be just a small amount of text. And if we learned anything from point #1, small amounts of content will not result in top rankings. If you really must offer the visitor a graphics-heavy or Flash web site, consider creating an html-based side of your site that is also available to visitors. This site will be much easier to promote on the search engines and your new found visitors will also have the option to jump over to the nicer looking part of your site.
3. Dynamic Web Pages.
If most of your web site is generated by a large database (such as a large book dealer with stock that is changing by the minute) you may find that some of your pages do not get indexed by major search engines. If you look at the URL of these pages they can be extremely long and have characters such as ?, #, &, %, or = along with huge amounts of seemingly random numbers or letters. Since these pages are automatically generated by the database as needed, the search engines have a tough time keeping them up to date and relevant for search engine users.
One way to combat this problem is to offer a search engine friendly site map listing all your static pages just to let them know that you do have permanent content on your site. If search engines see links going to and from these dynamic pages within a good internal linking system, this may also lead to the pages getting indexed. The link popularity of your site may carry more weight in this case as well, so if you can't offer as much static content as your competition, make sure you have an aggressive link campaign on the go.
4. Proper Use of HTML.
There is quite a bit of sub-par web design software out there. Word processors usually have a way to create HTML documents which can be easily uploaded to a site via ftp. However, in many cases the code that the search engine robots see is mostly lines and lines of font and position formatting, not relevant content. The more efficiently written web sites usually achieve higher rankings. Our choice for web design software is Macromedia Dreamweaver, as it is an industry standard. It also makes using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) a breeze, which can drastically cut down on the amount of text formatting in HTML code. Hand-coding HTML to design sites is also a good method if you are proficient enough.
There are some no brainers too: Web sites with abnormal amounts of hyperlinks, bold or italicized text, improper use of heading, alt, or comment tags can also expect to see low rankings.
5. Choosing a Domain Name.
The golden rule to web development of any kind is to keep your visitors in mind above all else - even search engine optimization. When choosing a domain name, one should pick either your business name (if you have a high-profile business name such as Chapters or Coca-Cola) or a brief description of your products. Domain names can always help with search engine optimization, as it is another area of your web site that important keywords can appear. Forget about long-winded domains such as www.number-one-best-books-on-earth.com as no one will ever remember it and it will be hard to print on business cards or in ads.
If you need to change your domain name for any reason you obviously don't want to lose existing rankings. An easy way to do this, and one that is currently supported by most search engines, is the 301 redirect. It allows you to keep your existing rankings for your old domain name, while forwarding visitors to your new web site instantly.
6. Using Frames.
Don't use frames. Frames are a thing of the 90's (and in the Internet world that is eons ago) and are not even supported by some search engines. The search engines that are able to index your site through frames will most likely frown upon them. Whatever you are trying to accomplish by using frames can usually be done with the help of PHP includes or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Some browsers are not frames-compatible, so there is the danger of some visitors not being able to see your site at all. Bookmarking of individual pages within a frame becomes difficult without lengthly scripts being written.
7. Update Your Information.
Not only does information printed two or three years ago look badly on your organization when it is read by a visitor, it is also looked down upon by search engines. Web sites that continuously update and grow their web sites usually experience higher rankings than stagnant sites. When the trick to SEO is offering visitors the most relevant information, you can bet that the age of web pages is taken into consideration by search engines. Consider creating a section of your site devoted to news within your organization, or have a constantly updated resources area.
Many shortfalls of web sites can easily be attributed to designers who just don't keep the user or search engines in mind. Search engine algorithms are quickly improving to try and list the most user-friendly sites higher, given that the content and link popularity are there to back it up. So first and foremost, know your target market and make your web site work for them before focusing on search engine optimization. If you build it (properly), they will come.
Copyright John Metzler of Abalone Designs, November 2004. This article may be freely distributed if credit is given to the author. Abalone Designs is a family-run Search Engine Optimization firm in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Visit http://www.abalone.ca for a free personalized analysis of your web site.
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterSearch Term Suggestion Tool
Overture.com offers a cool function to assist you on your quest to find unique keywords. This tool can also tell you how many times a particular word has been searched within the last 30 days. If you were to enter the word "presentation," the tool would tell you that it has been searched 954 times in the past month. The tool will then display variations of the word that have been searched in the past 30 days. These numbers only reflect the searches done through Overture.com and its affiliates.I noticed that the more specific the search, the less often it was loo...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Buzzwords Vs Effective Seo Keywords
Ever see a website that seems to speak a foreign language...in English? We encounter many SEO client websites that rely on buzzwords in the page copy to get the word out about their product. The problem lies with visitors who may not be familiar with those terms. This means optimizing with buzzwords may not be the best way to gain traffic...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Even More Tips For Getting A Top 10 Search Engine Ranking!
I have spent some time discussing the 5 different options you have for getting your web site listed in the search engines. Just to make sure that we're all on the same page, let's quickly review?1. Use A Free Submission Service: As you'll recall, I do NOT recommend that you use a free submission service because they submit the exact same information to all of the search engines, destroying your chances of ever getting that top ranking position you deserve.Each search engine h...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Beat Google?s Dampening Link Filter With Seo Articles
Most Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts agree that links back to your site have a great impact on your ranking in the major search engines. Think of it like an election; your site is a candidate and every link to your site is a vote. Of course, it was never quite that simple (high ranking, relevant sites have more voting power) but now it may have gotten even more complicated.The Dampening Link Filter...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Is Google Fair?
If you are the owner of a new website, trying to get a decent ranking from the mighty google, you will no doubt answer with a resounding, NO! Recent findings indicate that Google's algorithm has an ageing filter, which put in simple terms, makes it harder for a new webmaster to get high ranking in the SERP's, in the short term at least. So does this mean google favours established sites over new o...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
What Makes The Perfect Seo Firm?
SEO companies come in all shapes and sizes. You've got your solo SEOs that either a) do everything themselves and/or b) sub-contract out many aspects of each campaign while maintaining a tight control on the quality and results of the project. Then you have your big SEO firms that employ 20+ employees that handle various aspects of your account. These firms can often turn into SEO factories and can lack the ability to treat each client individually, because everything is done in bulk.A third SEO firm is a smaller firm that employs a small handful of employees and may also sub-out a few various aspects of the campaign, but overall each client is treated with a personal hands-on approach with mos...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
The Search Doesnt End At Your Homepage
In a recent report for a new client, I wrote:
"Remember, a visitor's search doesn't end when they leave Google. Their search and the phrases associated with it continue right through to the completion of the task they have in mind."
Many of us pay attention to the keywords and phrases being used by our visitors when they arrive via a search engine. It makes sense not only because it gets you higher rankings, but also because the use of the right search terms signals to your reader that ...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Attack Smaller Searches To Get The Big Ones!
Searching online can not only be fun, but you sometimes need to be downright inventive.For those of you who have been searching online for years now, you've probably adapted ways & techniques to find what you are looking for quickly.Unfortunately when it comes to promoting your site, nothing out there is classified as a quick fix. If people say it's a quick fix, it probably has a major risk attached to it.Your ultimate goal when promoting your site should be to acquire some of those "Big" search terms online! For example, "Marketing Tips" or "Marketing" in general. The only way to ever come close to the Big Dogs is to start small. Increase the search term and decrease your competition.Here's an exampl...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
The Long And Short Of It Is That These Two Sales Techniques Are The Same
With the Internet beginning to stand up and be counted as an online business medium, many are beginning to realize that selling online is not only possible, but very profitable. People are seeking ways to improve their sales technique online and close on more of their website visitors. It was bound to happen. The problem now is that there are thousands of different companies telling you that their way is the best way and that you should follow their advice. I don't subscribe to all the thousands of new and fangled ideas to sell anything. This article describes two methods described by many as 'new' online sales techniques, which many people call the long copy versus the short copy debate. It's actually simply a mix of the ways we've all been selling s...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
How And Why To Avoid The Seo Mania
The WhyBut what is the reality of reaching a number 1 position on any of the big three search engines ? Google, Yahoo, and MSN ? and staying there? Somewhere between a remote possibility to impossible.Why? Because there are well over 16 million websites battling for the number 1 position on "any" given day. Talk about too much competition for one, unique goal. You'd have more luck betting on the lottery, a game of blackjack, or a horse race.It's true, my opinion runs against the tide of SEO advocates ? but let your own experience speak for itself. Are you number one on any of the big three? Do you understand the Google sandbox? Most people don't. It ...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Search Engines - The Dominant Factor
Let's face facts - Search engines are starting to rule and dominate the way people advertise their products and services.Gone are the days of low-cost, no-cost advertising. Now it's all about how much the major search engines can take from your wallet, without you noticing that your advertising costs are far outweighing your sales.Let's be honest - It's all abo...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Seo - Google Sitemaps Explained
Once again I seem to be writing about Google. The reason Google keeps cropping up in these articles is that:
- Google is a innovative company always coming up with new ideas to keep one step ahead of the competition.
- Search Engines are the most important way that most webses generate new traffic.
- Google is the most important of the Search ...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Search Engine Optimization