How to design a search engine and user friendly
website
 By
Sophie Wegat, Nitrogen Interactive
...
How often
have you compromised website design for higher search
engine results? I’m sure we all have
at some time or other. But really, there’s
no need to. By following these guidelines you can
have the best of both worlds.
Before we get going, the most
important thing to remember when designing a search
engine and user friendly website
is to design the site for the user. Forget the search
engine. Why? Because (rather ironically), both the
user and search engines like the same thing. Then both
appreciate clear, rich and relevant content and they
both like clean standard HTML code. Now, let’s
get on with it.
Step 1. Requirements Gathering
The first step is to determine
the objectives of the website. These include issues
such as the websites
purpose and the target audience. Once this is done,
you can determine the content of the website. In some
instances this will be provided to you and in others
you’ll need to work with the client to come up
with ideas. Content can include product and service
information, product database, online ordering system,
articles, press releases, news, company information,
testimonials and so forth.
Step 2. Keyword Research
If you don’t already have your keyword phrases,
you’ll need to research and select them now.
They’ll be used in the building of the site,
so it’s important you know what they are early
on in the process.
Step 3. Site Structure and Navigation
Now that you’ve got your content and keyword
phrases, consider the site structure. How should the
content be grouped? You’ll most likely need to
break it into top level and secondary level. In some
cases even a third level. When labelling the navigation,
consider using easily recognisable descriptions such
as “Products” or “Services”.
Don’t ever make your user have to guess what’s
in a section by using cryptic descriptions.
Also, start to work out which
pages your keyword phrases should be incorporated
into. You’ll find in most
cases they’ll naturally fit within the subject
matter of certain sections/pages.
Step 4. Site Design
The first port of call in any design is the look and
feel of the site. Considerations here include ensuring
consistency with any branding the client may have.
Also be aware of colour choices. Colours that work
in print may not necessarily work well on screen, so
some adjustments may be necessary.
Next is page layout. How many
columns will you have? Where will your navigation
be positioned? If you have
more than one navigation level how will you present
this? Keep in mind that these days users expect to
see information in standard places. You don’t
want users to hunt for what they’re looking for.
This stage is also where you
first incorporate your keyword phrases. As you’ve
already allocated phrases to relevant pages you can
start to incorporate
them into your file names (where appropriate), headings,
sub headings, navigation links and anywhere else you
see fit.
With the navigation, you’ll need to decide whether
links should be text or graphic. Keep in mind that
search engine spiders crawl text links so if you go
with graphics you’ll need to incorporate text
links somewhere into your site design. It is worth
including your keyword phrases into your text links
where possible. Just make sure they read well and don’t
look awkward or out of place.
Step 4. Keyword-rich Content
Once you’ve got your site together it’s
time to add your content, ensuring you incorporate
your keyword phrases wherever possible.
When using headings and sub
headings, be sure you use the HTML header codes <H1>, <H2> etc
rather than graphics as they’re given more weight
by most search engines. They also load faster which
is a benefit to the user.
Bolding your keyword phrases, incorporating them into
lists and having them as bullet points are other formatting
tips I find work well. It also helps break up your
page and makes it more inviting for users to read.
Step 5. HTML Tweaking
Once your site is done and
your copy is in place, it’s time to make the final tweaks to your HTML
code. This is when you add descriptive Title tags (incorporating
your relevant keyword phrases of course), Meta Descriptions
and Keywords Tags. It’s also a good time to make
sure your Alt tags are relevant and contain your keyword
phrases wherever appropriate.
Be sure to have any non HTML code such as Style Sheets
and JavaScript as external files rather than embedded
in your HTML pages.
As a final step, make sure you remove any superfluous
code, blank lines and so forth. The less code in your
file the smaller the page which means a faster download
and a happy user.
Step 6. Site Map
The sixth and final step is
to add a Site Map to your website. A Site Map is
an index of your whole site.
It contains text links to every page on your site and
is a fantastic way to ensure search engine spiders
can crawl each and every page of your website. A Site
Map is also a great way for a user to find what they’re
looking for quickly and easily. Place a link to your
Site Map at the bottom of each page of your website.
Tip: Including a couple of lines of text about each
page can be a boost to your search engine rankings,
Conclusion
And there you have it. Follow
these 6 simple steps and you’ll not only have
a website that works well for your prospects but
one that is loved by the
search engines as well.
...
About The Author
Sophie Wegat is a web design and search engine optimisation
consultant based in Melboure, Australia.
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