Most people know nothing about how to properly design and optimize their website so that it is somewhat informative, captivating, and search engine friendly at the same time.
The search engine optimization industry is still obscure to most people and the majority of the public knows nothing about it.
What’s more, many people have been sold pipe dreams (pay-per-click anyone?) or have been sold these cheap “build your own website” kits only to later find that they do not work.
SEO is work. There are no shortcuts for long-term success and there are no magic bullets.
Real companies that offer search engine optimization do not waive their magic wand and make you appear on page one on Google. It takes proper website structure, clean coding, targeted backlinks, article writing, directory submissions, and on page keyword rich content.
Without any of those items your website for your business will be handicapped.
Here are five major web design and SEO pitfalls that many business owners and webmasters, make when it comes to their website:
- Bad HTML Structure and/or CodingThis is one of the big ones. The coding has to be clean and pass validation at the world wide consortium (W3C). Your URL structure should allow you to navigate to any page in your website within two clicks. Your URL structure should be easy to read and understand by your users; file names with a bunch of numbers, letters, and symbols are signs of a poorly designed website. Website URLs that do not clearly tell Google, or any search engine, what your website is about is both confusing for the customer(first) and the search engines(second).
- No Content or Bad ContentGoogle likes content. They eat it up! Pages without content have little value to Google. Good SEO involves making sure the main pages and sub-pages all have WORDS on them.There is something more.
The content must have keywords you are trying to rank for and enough of them in the paragraphs (called keyword density) without looking spammy.
Most people not familiar with search engine marketing have no idea how to do this. You not only have to be a writer, but, you have to learn to be a specific type of writer who knows what search engines like to see.
- No Phone Number or E-MailYou would not believe how many businesses do not put the phone number or e-mail in a prominent position. This is the most important information on a website, and yet, it is not in plain view on many local websites.Check out the major corporations website. What do you see? They all have their contact information in full view and in plain sight. Remember, you ultimately want people to contact your business and spend money with you.
- No Call To ActionThis is marketing 101. Give your potential customers a reason to call you and call now!There are other people competing for the same business. You must give a person that push to pick up the phone and call you.
Is it because you are offering a free consultation for a limited time only? Are any goods and services 20% until the end of the week? These are things that attract prospective clients.
- Not Fully Utilizing All Traffic Sources AvailableSocial media allows you to connect with other people. Business comes down to networking and you are passing up a lot of clients if you are not good at it.There are many social media outlets for you to meet and talk with other people. Twitter, Facebook, Stumble, and Squidoo are some of those. They allow you to interact with other people and get your name out there.
Articles and press releases also increase your net presence. They turn your site into somewhat of an authority and make people view you, or your business, as experts in a particular field.
Ranking for a good search term is great! That is where 50-60% of your overall traffic is going to come from.
But, why not get that other 40% you could be getting from other sources?
Now that you know the major web design and search engine optimization pitfalls you can avoid them. An experienced local SEO company can help you steer clear of those obstacles.
SEO and SEM require specialized talent and skill. There are many little details that search engine optimizers must master before they can effectively rank your website.
Effective Web Solutions is a premier SEO firm serving the Portland OR, Vancouver WA, Tacoma WA, Seattle WA, and Spokane WA areas. We also have satellite offices in Santa Rosa CA and Tucson AZ.
Our niche is small to medium local businesses desiring to increase or maintain their online presence. We offer guaranteed results for local search term rankings and overall traffic building. Most of our clients have experienced a 300-500% increase in traffic in the first sixty days by utilizing our SEO services.
Please call 1-888-400-4002 to schedule your free initial consultation with one on our local reps.