WEBSITE DESIGN
DIGITAL MARKETING
SEO
Websites need to do more than look good. A great design will be visually attractive, but it will also help Internet users. It will provide them with the exact information they are looking for, and even help them find that information via search engines.
A beautiful and informative website will impress visitors, but only if they know it exists in the first place. Search engines like Google provide a powerful service – connecting people with valuable information. Google can help the right people find your site.
What is On Page SEO?
Before search engines can rank your website, they need to understand what your web pages are about. They also need to think they are worthy of a recommendation. On-page SEO refers to the changes that can be made within a website, to improve SEO ranking factors.
At Design Point, we provide a full range of web design and digital marketing, including on page SEO services. These are five factors we always consider when designing a site and the types of SEO on page optimisation checks we stick by:
1. Hyper-specific content
Many people have heard about keywords and their importance in search engine optimisation. Subject matter however, is more important than keywords. A web page with a clearly defined subject will rank higher than a page with vague and generalised content.
Web designers need to consider this when they define the pages within their websites. While not every page needs to appear in search engines, the main pages should have content that will help them rank.
The main pages should have hyper-specific topics, that relate to the terms Internet users are searching for. The content should solve their problems, and provide them with the exact information they are looking for.
2. Unique content
Unique content can mean two things. Firstly, it means content you have created yourself, that is not published elsewhere on the web. Unique content also means that your content should go above and beyond to solve your visitors’ problems.
Your content should be better than your competitors’ content. Not just a little bit better, but much better. Almost to the point that it can’t be compared. Business owners often get stuck in a rut when writing blogs and page content. They copy other websites, and do what is on trend, because they think this is the right thing to do.
Google likes content marketing that stands out from the crowd, that is unique, relevant, and thoughtful. Prioritising your content will help your website succeed. It will impress prospective customers, and improve your SEO.
3. Linkable content
Backlinks are not considered on-page SEO, as website owners don’t have complete control over who does and doesn’t link to their pages. They can however, create ‘linkable content’, which is content that people are more likely to share with others.
People want to share content that is credible, useful and engaging. They are more likely to link to new ideas that help and inspire them. Website designers and owners should plan and create content that attracts attention and encourages sharing.
Not all businesses write their own content, especially highly-optimised SEO content. A copywriter with experience writing for the web, can write page content and blogs for you. Their writing should support your business’s branding and marketing goals.
Copywriters can be engaged during the web design process, revise text on an existing website, or create regular posts for an ongoing SEO campaign. Talk to our team at Design Point, about content marketing strategies for your business.
4. Structured information
The structure of a website helps communicate what each individual page is about. Search engines look at the website in entirety, to gain clues about a page’s subject matter.
Internal links are those that link to other pages within the same website. These can be in navigation menus, breadcrumb trails, tags, or within a body of text. Links can clarify which categories pages belong to, and show which pages are most important.
A good web designer will plan a website with content structure in mind. Not only does this help search engines understand the themes and subjects within the site, but it helps users navigate throughout the site.
5. Helpful labelling
The words you use are important, whether you consider these to be ‘keywords’ or not. The language used within a website should match your branding, and help consumers understand more about your business. Language can be used to sell your products and services, and help people find them quickly online.
The topic of a web page should be clearly written within the page’s title, and the meta ‘title’ tag. Headings and subheadings should also communicate what the page is about. Images should be highly relevant to the page’s themes, and be labelled using the ‘alt’ tag.
Navigation menus, categories and tags for posts, also require intelligent labelling. All text on a website, whether big or small, should help users and search engines understand your site.
On-page SEO starts with thoughtful content
At Design Point, we do more than make websites look stunning. We create powerful and engaging marketing tools, that are attractive and functional. We want our designs to look good and showcase your brand, but we also want them to boost your digital marketing efforts.
We design websites with consideration for search engine optimisation. We do this by labelling, structuring, and creating unique and relevant content. These on-page efforts are fundamental in website design.
Do you want your business to be found on Google? Whether you have an existing website that needs to be optimised, or are ready for a fresh design, we can help. Contact our experienced design and marketing team today.