Creating SEO-friendly Sites

Posted by seotech on December 3, 2009 under web design | Be the First to Comment

Creating a SEO-friendly website

When creating an SEO-friendly website there are several things to take into consideration. First, choose a URL address incorporating keywords relevant to your site. Create a site map so your pages can be crawled and indexed by search engines. You can also submit pages to search engines to be included in their database. Then create a great website that actually deserves to be in the top ten search engine results. This includes a site that is easy to navigate, that is it has a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link. Write useful, information-rich, unique and readable content. Then give your content relevant titles and be accurate in your meta descriptions.

Try to use text instead of images to display important content or links, or at least use meta tags if you use an image. Keep links on any given page to less than 100. This goes for your site map as well. If the site map is larger than 100 links, you may want to break it up into separate pages.

Remember that even if you use great SEO techniques and end up with a great rank, it is important to present a website that will actually appeal to those reading it. This includes not deceiving users about the content in your website, known as  ‘cloaking’, or duplicating content or simply having pages of links.

Web Design

Keeping in mind that your website should appeal to users, pages should attempt to be easy for the user to read and navigate. You can design the site yourself or choose to employ a web designer, but here are a few tips to consider. Avoid strong colours for backgrounds, using it instead to highlight key features on a neutral background. Keep the design simple and balanced using good-sized margins to create space.

Use 3D effects, icons and buttons to a minimum. They can be used for a professional and high-quality look, but don’t over do it. Centre-alignment is also a good idea because it gives a balanced feel. And don’t forget to spell check- nothing looks less professional than a site full of spelling mistakes.