Search engine optimization or SEO is one of the most powerful digital marketing instruments to use. Over 60% of internet users get to the websites they’re looking for by using search engines. Being discoverable and appearing on the first page of certain search results can really boost your site’s traffic by a substantial margin.
There are many things you can do to boost your site’s SEO performance, but many site owners don’t consider improving the site’s design to achieve the same goal. In reality, good design can help make your site more discoverable; it can boost the site’s SEO performance by a substantial margin in several different ways.
Content First
Search engines now track metrics like time-on-site and number of pages opened to measure user experience. When users spend more time on your site, they are happy with what you have in store and are asking for more. More time spent means good user experience or UX, and good UX leads to better search engine rankings.
A great way to boost the right metrics is by designing a site that puts the most valuable content first. Let users consume the content they want without having to jump through hoops. At the end of the content, seamlessly feed more content that they may be interested in to keep them engaged.
You see this with many news outlets. You see a new headline – a relevant one most of the time – when you reach the end of the page. Instead of comments or recommended articles to choose from, you can move to another article seamlessly, and you keep on reading without realizing. This is thanks to good design.
Comfortable UX
Having a good way to deliver content is only the beginning. There are so many things good design can do to boost user experience. Through the use of web elements, for instance, you can alter the look and feel of the site entirely.
For example, using a light blue background and supporting elements can create a more modern feel. Relying on solid black and white with touches of pastel colors is great for inducing warmth and a homey feel to the site.
Programering.com even has articles on how different animations and web elements can affect visitors. They matter more than you think, especially to the amount of time visitors actually spend on your site. When they feel right at home, they will continue to move from one page to another.
Performance Matters
Good design is also about performance. There is no point in having a fantastic-looking site if it takes 30 seconds to load. Today, the limit is around 2-3 seconds. Fortunately, there are ways to optimize design elements for maximum performance, especially with the tools available today.
Removing color profile is a good example. You can reduce the size of a JPG image by up to 80% just by removing color profile and metadata. You can still have a site that looks good and appeals well to the audience, but without sacrificing loading time and overall site performance. Once again, this is thanks to good design.
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