How about this one…

If I build a website and no one see it – was there a point?

I’m frequently surprised by the number of websites about with a complete lack of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). A well constructed website should naturally do well in search engines without any major work. It’s pretty simple really:

1. Start with a well constructed site

What do I mean by this?  A website should under the skin be a well structured document.  It should include headings, body text, lists and images with descriptions.  You can also highlight content with bold and italic.  This is called semantics – and the idea has been around since the web started.

By building your site in this way Google can easily read your content and from the structure can understand what your site is about.  Headings and bold / italic are taken to be most important.

Internal links to your own website should be descriptive – not just the very unhelpful ‘click here’.

The upside of semantcs is that if Google can read it easily – so can screen readers used by visually impaired… bonus.

2. Tell the search engines you exist

Some people think that Google will find you as soon as you put your site online.  This isn’t always the case.

Search engines use ‘spiders’ to crawl the web.  They go from link to link to find pages and websites.  These get added to Googles Crawl List. If no one links to your site the spiders can’t get there.

What do you do? Simple.  All the search engines provide a submission page… there are loads but I’d start with Google, Bing and Yahoo.  Fill in the form and wait!  Shouldn’t take too long.

Google site submission page
Bing site submission page
Yahoo site submission page

3. Submit a Google Business Listing

Did you know you can submit your business listing to Google for free?  This frequently appears above well optimised websites and even Google Ads.

You need a Google Account (can be the same one you use for GoogleMail etc)… you visit the Google Places page, login and follow the instructions.  Once registered Google will contact you to confirm you really do exist – then you’re on the list.

You can upload images, videos, opening times, your website address etc.  The most important part is your business description.  This should include your search terms so Google knows exactly what you do…. but I’ll come to that in a minute.

4. ADVANCED – What are people actually looking for?

You may be the best ANGLING supplies shop in town…. but if everyone is looking for FISHING supplies you may be missing out on an awful lot of searches.

Now there are quite a few places to look for suggestions.  One of the simplest is MySEO Tool Keyword Suggestion Tool. Put in what you think people are looking for and this will give you number of monthly searches (international – not only local).  There are more advanced tools – the Google Keyword Tool is very powerful.

There are several more steps that I would take… but that’s beyond the scope of this article.

In conclusion

Make sure that you’re seen – steps 1 & 2 are a must.  I always do this for every website we build.

At a later point I may explain the finer points of SEO – but this will definitely get you moving in the right direction.

Just one final point… make sure you install Google Analytics – or you’ll never find out how many hits you’re actually getting!

It’s always difficult to know where to start with web design. Your website is your ‘window to the world’ and it’s important to get it just right.

You need to:

• Stand out from the crowd
• Appeal to you target visitors
• Reflect your other marketing material
• Have a style you’re comfortable with

Here are a few places for design inspiration…

Books

The Web Designers Idea Book vol.2
The book serves as a source of visual inspiration to web designers to help them see what others have done and how they can adapt those ideas to their own needs.
Find out more on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6a4ot9e

Taschen Icons
Web design moves quickly – and some of these books are getting on a bit now, but they are still great sources for inspiration.
Find out more on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6grnmv3

Websites

designfridge
A great selection of styles with a useful top 10.  Great site if you’re really trying to be ‘on-trend’.
Find out more here: http://www.designfridge.co.uk

Smashing Magazine
A great resource for all designers / coders… but has a especially good inspiration section.  Well written and instructional.
Find out more here: http://www.smashingmagazine.com

We’ve all been guilty of getting carried away – it’s especially easy for the designer.  You’re trying to impress the site visitors and be as current as possible.  But stop… there are some crucial things to consider first.

1. What’s your message?

Start by thinking about what you’re trying to say.

• What is the reason for your website?
• What are you trying to get your visitors to do?
• Why are you using a website rather than a printed advertisement?

That’s the most important question out of the way – you’re now ready to move on.

2. Who are you visitors?

If you already own a website this is actually easier to find out than you’d imagine.  Google provide a free tool called Google Analytics.  A small piece of code is added to the website and Google then starts tracking.

This is not just number of visits but visitor location, web connection speed, screen size, operating system to name just a few.  All this information can be invaluable – especially when taking into account new technology.  Just because you have a 27in iMac doesn’t mean that your average visitor will.

If this is a new website then it will be down to the experience of your web designer, they will be able to advise on typical statistics for your sector.

3. How will your design effect your visitors?

It’s no good producing a website which will immediately alienate your visitors and it’s easy to do than you think.

• A funky black and day-glo site for an Antiques shop.
• A soft pastels site for a youth club.
• Tiny font size for an optician.

… you get my point.

4. How much text should I have?

There are lots of statistics about how long a visitor will spend reading on your site.  If you have the statistics (as in section 2) then this can be a guide, but again consider your audience.

• It’s is definitely more difficult to read text on a screen so shorter sentences and brevity are always a good place to start.
• Does your visitor need technical data?  If not then consider adding as a seperate download.
• Will your visitor understand your terminology / jargon?  If not simplify as much as possible.
• Is your font suitable and easy to read.

If this really isn’t your thing then consider using a good copywriter.  It really can be more cost effective in the long run.

In conclusion

What I’m aiming to show is just how much thought needs to go into your website before the design is ever started.

Don’t be scared, most of this is just common sense… and if you need any help – just ask!