Search Engine Optimization

Creating a website presence is more then a great design and a compelling copy. Although these two features alone will offer you a dynamic web presence, they will not in and of themselves generate website traffic. It is the third step, search engine optimization that is more relevant than either of them. Why is the third step more important then the first two? Survey after survey shows that internet users use search engines to find the information they want over 90% of the time. Although getting 90% of anyone to agree on anything seems improbable, it is still a large chunk of the market and can not be understated. Of the scores of articles both on the internet and in print outlining design mistakes in search engine marketing, Click Here Designs has compiled a list 5 design mistakes and how to avoid them. These 5 items should be considered on each page of your website and although no single item on the list will determine your search engine marketing success, the combination will.

Lack of Meta data and consistent information flow

Meta data is the information in the header that is used by the different search engines to organize websites. This includes the title, description, keywords and search engine instructions on which pages to index and which not to. The information in the Meta data should also be consistent with the information on the page that is if the Meta data informs the search engine the page contains content about Montana Screen Savers, then the headers and the content of that page should be about Montana Screen Savers and not vintage Volkswagen parts. The page should start with a consistent theme in the Meta data and flow to the footer and copyright and the end of the page.
 

Improper use of images as navigation, flash navigation

Using images, or buttons as navigation, if done correctly will not hinder you search engine marketing goals and provide your user with a nice user interface. If done incorrectly it will greatly hinder your efforts. The same is true when using flash in the navigation of your website. Both flash and incorrect uses of images in navigation do not tell the search engines that internal pages exist. They are in effect dead end signs on the internet super highway. Although Google has made efforts to category flash sites it is still not advisable to use flash in your navigation structure.

Marketing too many keywords on any single page

Keyword prominence is the single most important item in writing compelling copy for your website. If your website is about Montana Screen Savers, and your title and meta data reflect Montana Screen Savers, and your copy is about Montana Screen Savers, and your website footer speaks of Montana Screen Savers, then it is likely that a search engine that does not physically look at your site, but only reads the content, will place your site high when searching for Montana Screen Savers. However do not expect the same page to return results when you try and sell those vintage Volkswagen parts.
 

Overuse of Flash in the design-splash pages

Flash usage in navigation without text links or as a splash page should be avoided completely. Flash leaves no foot print about what it is, or where it is going. form a design point alone it may be compelling, however, form a search engine marketing standpoint it can be disastrous. If you must use flash in your navigation, consider an alternate text/image page for both search engines and those who may not have the plug in.
 

Using website frames

Using frames in your design limits the number of ways your user can enter your website. You have created a fornt door that all users must enter, especially if you have put your navigation in a separate frame then your content. Let’s say you have a website that contains 20 pages. If you use frames in your site users must enter through your home page. If you do not use frames then users can enter through any one of the 20 pages. So the question becomes, how many door way pages do you want to your website.