SEO stands for 'Search Engine Optimisation'. It is the practice of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic, as well as exposure to a brand, through search engine results.

 

It is about understanding what people are searching for online, the answers they are seeking, the words they are using, and the type of content they wish to consume. Knowing the answers to these questions will allow a business to connect to the people who are searching online for the solutions that the business offers.

 

The response by search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo to a user's search query is a Search Engine Results Page (also known as 'SERPs'). The SERPs determines where and how a website appears on the first page of an engine's search results.

 

Search engines use automated robots. These bots crawl billions of websites and documents and evaluate thousands of factors to determine which content is most likely to answer a specific query. The result is then indexed and ordered by how well it matches the query in a process known as ranking, which then appears on a SERPs.

 

Websites that rank highly in SERPs typically have strong SEO practices embedded within the site's pages to help give the business a competitive ranking advantage, and this, combined with good design, is referred to as SEO web design.

 

It is important for business owners to be aware of how important SEO is in web design and the value it adds to the design process. SEO practices should be incorporated throughout the design of a website if it is to be a success; an increase in rankings will lead to an increase in visitor traffic to the site. For instance, Google is the market leader in search engines, and it analyses over 200 components of a website to decide its ranking in SERPs, so adhering to good SEO design practices is crucial to the site's success.

 

However, building an SEO-friendly site requires careful planning and a structured approach to representing a business and the products and services that it provides.

 

Good website structure is the foundation of a website SEO, user experience, and conversion rate optimisation. There are so many benefits to building a website that is logical, tidy, hierarchical, and easy for visitors to use, and that, ultimately, turns visitors into customers.

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Website structure is important for SEO for the following reasons :-

 

• It helps search engines understand a website.

• It helps search engines find a website's pages.

• It helps search engines determine the importance of each page.

• It helps users navigate a website.

• It helps to keep a website organised.

 

There are several best SEO practices for an effective website structure, such as :-

 

1. Keywords

 

Keywords are words and phrases that prospects use to find online content, and that brands can then use to connect with prospects who are looking for their products and services.

 

Keywords must be well-researched, carefully chosen, and judiciously used in the website content in order to be effective.

 

2. Content

 

Content has to be comprehensive, providing in-depth information on the topic, incorporating relational keywords, and anticipating and addressing users' needs and expectations. The headline, words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs used in the content have to persuade and cause readers to take a specific action.The content has to be persuasive, and well-optimised for search engines.

 

The content should be optimised for SERP ranking using technical markups and structures to better inform search engine bots of the relevant detail of the page or site.

 

3. Links

 

Internal, inbound, and outbound, links are also an essential part of SEO.

 

Internal links are links between the pages within the same website, inbound links are links that come from other websites or a different domain name, and outbound links are those links on a website that link out to websites with a different domain name.

 

Search engines recognise links on pages as evidence of quality content that is trustworthy, credible, and authoritative, and, as such, they can increase a site's ranking on SERPs.

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Takeaway

 

The majority of today’s search engine optimisation work focuses on on-page SEO where content and meaning are the most important factors.

 

These factors incorporate 4 main pillars of SEO web design, and include :-

 

• Keywords –  About understanding what a targeted audience is most commonly using to search for and their intent.

• Accessibility – About making sure that a site's architecture is in a logical link structure that will allow search engines to crawl and index it.

• Relevancy – About optimising a website's page content to provide useful information based on the keywords searched.

• Authority – About optimising a website to be more trustworthy to search engines through acquiring links.

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A solid website is a brand’s identity in the online world, speaking to its credibility and reputation. Its design engages visitors, provides personalised user experiences, and converts them into leads, but to do that, the site should strive to capture quality traffic from high-ranking search results. To achieve that aim, and to maintain and retain a competitive advantage, it is essential that good SEO web design is incorporated into every website project.

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