There are billions of websites online. More are being added every day. Even people who are online all the time have only heard of a small fraction of the sites “out there.” That’s because most are simply hidden in the abyss of the World Wide Web.
However, as you work to make your client’s sites more visible, focusing on web design is a must. Keep reading to learn how quality web design can improve SEO.
Page Speed
Several factors impact page speed. This includes the total number of JavaScript and CSS files present, junk code, and image quality.
Regardless of the cause, people who land on your site only give it three seconds to load. If it takes too long, they will bounce away. Google knows this and ranks pages that load quickly higher in SERPs. This is especially true for mobile users, which typically have slower processors.
Quality web design helps you avoid the issues that may slow down your page loading speed, which provides you with a quick loading speed to please even the most impatient visitors to your site.
Good design also includes lazy-loading images, which speed up the site even more.
If you have a new client, conducting an audit is recommended to see what slows down the pages. Once you know the problem, you can fix the issues.
Page Quality
From your blog posts to your homepage, several factors related to page structure, word count, and layout impact page quality. Your homepages and landing pages are the most important when it comes to quality, but in Google’s eyes, they are all equal.
Page quality includes links, meta description tags, and your H1 since crawlers consider these factors. Google also looks for things like average words per sentence, keywords, and duplicate content.
Having uniform quality on each page will help you rank higher.
Dwell Time
SEO is also affected by how long a visitor stays on your site and, therefore, it is a factor considered by Google’s algorithm. The fastest way to get someone to leave your site is by featuring a low-quality design.
Issues like mixed fonts, colors, and poor navigation will cause visitors to bounce away before reading anything. However, creating a clean and cohesive look will keep visitors present and browsing what your site offers. This also results in better performance in search engines.
Credibility
You can increase dwell time by establishing credibility for your site, too. Visitors want to know they are dealing with a real company and the best way to do this is by ensuring everything is clear and easy to find. If visitors are comfortable with your business, they will spend more time on the site.
Improving the Design of Your Client’s Sites
Taking steps to improve the design of your client’s website will pay off in the long run. Some tips to help you do this successfully can be found here. We can also provide outsourced services to ensure your clients have a top-performing site.