Creating a website that ranks highly on search engines is a complex process involving a mix of technical, content and user experience (UX) strategies. No one can guarantee a top ranking on Google or any search engine. However, there are several proven practices that can increase the likelihood of your site being indexed and ranked well. In this article, we’ll explore SEO website design and explain why building a website that performs well in search engines requires thoughtful website design and SEO integration.
The relationship between website design, development and SEO
SEO (search engine optimisation) design and development refers to the process of creating a website that meets the criteria for high performance in search engines. The structure, speed, and usability of a site all impact how well it ranks, making website design and development a critical component of any effective digital strategy.
Adapting your website design to stay ahead
One of the benefits of a custom website design and development is having the flexibility to adapt to the frequent updates on Google’s search algorithms. These updates can have a significant impact on how websites are ranked and how search engines evaluate factors like content, site structure and user experience. Google regularly rolls out core updates to improve the relevance and quality of search results.
To maintain or improve your site’s visibility, it is essential to understand how these algorithm changes work and how to improve your website design, website development and SEO strategies accordingly.
1. Optimising for crawlability and indexing
When a search engine like Google evaluates your website, it does so by sending out “crawlers” that navigate the structure of your pages. To ensure these crawlers can easily index your content, the following elements should be addressed in your SEO web page design:
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XML Sitemaps: Creating and submitting a sitemap allows search engines to efficiently crawl and index your pages. It gives a clear roadmap of your website’s structure.
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Robots.txt: This file tells search engines which pages to index and which to ignore. It’s important to set this up correctly to avoid accidentally blocking pages from being crawled.
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Internal linking structure: A solid internal linking strategy helps search engines understand the hierarchy of your content. By linking relevant pages together, you make it easier for crawlers to navigate your site and improve the ranking potential of key pages.
2. Technical SEO in web design
Search engines prioritise user experience, and a significant part of that experience is the technical performance of your website. With tools like Google Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights, you can identify how well your site performs from a technical SEO standpoint. Some key factors that impact ranking include:
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Page load speed: Search engines prioritise fast-loading websites, particularly for mobile users. The time it takes for your pages to load directly affects user experience, and slower sites tend to rank lower. Optimising your site’s images, using modern file formats (like WebP), and enabling compression can significantly boost speed.
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Mobile responsiveness: With Google’s mobile-first indexing, it’s essential to ensure that your website is optimised for mobile devices. This means adopting a responsive design that adjusts automatically to different screen sizes depending on the user’s device.
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Clean, efficient coding: A well-built website should avoid unnecessary code bloat that can slow it down. Developers should focus on lean, efficient code to improve load times and overall performance.
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HTTPS security: Google has made security a ranking factor, which means that sites using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) are given preference in search results. Installing an SSL certificate on your website is a simple yet crucial step to boost your security and ranking potential.
The impact of website design on SEO performance
Website design decisions, such as how a site is structured or the way content is displayed, play a critical role in SEO performance. SEO website design needs to take into account the user journey, making it easier for users to find the information they need. Additionally, a well-designed site can reduce bounce rates and increase time-on-page, both of which are known to positively influence search rankings.
User experience (UX) and SEO
Search engines now consider user behaviour as a ranking signal. If users frequently leave your site quickly (i.e., a high bounce rate), it signals to Google that the content or design may not be delivering a good experience. Effective SEO web page design focuses on creating intuitive navigation, quick load times, and easy-to-read content to keep visitors engaged.
Mobile-first design
With the majority of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, you may want to consider a website design and SEO strategy that values mobile-first. A responsive design ensures that your website is accessible on all devices, which is crucial for both user experience and search rankings. Google’s mobile-first indexing means the mobile version of your site will be used as the primary version for ranking. Therefore, ensuring that the mobile experience is just as good (or better) than the desktop experience is key to success.
Understanding Google core updates
Google core updates are large, broad changes to the search engine’s ranking algorithms. These updates affect how Google evaluates websites and ranks them in its search results. The goal of core updates is to improve the overall quality of search results by refining how Google interprets factors like content relevance, user intent, and site performance.
Unlike smaller updates that might target specific aspects of the algorithm (such as spam detection or local search), core updates tend to have a wider impact across many websites. After a core update, some sites may experience a ranking drop, while others might see improvements depending on how well their content aligns with the updated ranking factors.
Google emphasises that there is no specific action required to “fix” pages that may drop in ranking after a core update. Instead, Google advises site owners to focus on producing high-quality, relevant content. Google, also provides a history of core updates, to help site owners understand when changes have occurred and to encourage them to review their content and technical SEO practices to meet the latest quality standards. This approach allows websites to gradually align with Google’s evolving criteria for search rankings and user satisfaction.
Designing a website with core updates in mind
As Google core updates aim to deliver better results for users, SEO web page design needs to evolve to align with the changes in how Google ranks websites. Here are a few strategies to keep your website performing well through these algorithm shifts:
Focus on high-quality content
Content has always been a cornerstone of SEO, but after core updates, it’s even more crucial. Google’s updates increasingly focus on content quality and relevance to user queries. To ensure your website continues to rank well:
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Ensure content relevance: Make sure your content answers the search queries it’s targeting. Google’s core updates often shift toward understanding user intent better, so content that directly addresses the questions users are asking will perform better.
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Comprehensive and in-depth content: Google rewards websites that provide thorough, well-researched, and up-to-date content. Offering detailed information that covers a topic extensively gives your site a better chance of ranking higher for relevant searches.
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E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google continues to prioritise sites that demonstrate expertise in their field. High-quality backlinks, a strong reputation in your niche, and well-researched content written by authoritative sources can help establish your website as a trusted resource.
Technical performance and user experience
Google’s core updates also frequently assess technical aspects of a site, such as speed, usability, and mobile-friendliness. The user experience directly influences how Google perceives your site, so a good corporate website design must focus on:
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Page speed optimisation: Fast-loading websites offer a better user experience and are more likely to rank higher. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to continually evaluate your site’s speed and make improvements where needed, such as optimising images, compressing files, and leveraging browser caching. Additionally, your website hosting plays a critical role in page speed, as the way content is delivered depends on your hosting infrastructure. Choosing a reliable hosting provider with robust server performance and content delivery network (CDN) integration can significantly reduce load times and improve overall site performance.
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Mobile-first design: As mentioned earlier, Google’s mobile-first indexing means that the mobile version of your site is what Google primarily uses to determine rankings. Make sure your website is responsive and fully functional on mobile devices. This includes ensuring text is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to click, and content is optimised for mobile consumption.
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Core Web Vitals: With Google’s focus on user experience, Core Web Vitals – which include metrics like loading performance (Largest Contentful Paint, LCP), interactivity (First Input Delay, FID), and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift, CLS) – are now essential for SEO success. Websites that score poorly in these areas may see their rankings affected.
Best practices for staying ahead
The key to maintaining strong rankings, especially in the wake of core updates, is to view SEO website design as an ongoing process. Regularly assess your website’s performance through tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics, which can provide insights into how your site is performing and how users are interacting with your content.
Staying ahead of algorithm updates can be a daunting task for businesses, especially those lacking the in-house expertise or resources to continuously monitor and adapt to these changes. Engaging consultants for digital strategy or digital marketing can be highly beneficial in this regard. These professionals bring specialised knowledge and experience, enabling businesses to stay informed about the latest algorithm changes and adjust their SEO and digital marketing strategies accordingly.