When it comes to web design and digital marketing, many believe that having a visually appealing website is key. However, it is not the only factor that impacts marketing. Your website is where all your online marketing efforts converge. It’s the hub for social media, PPC, and SEO.
How Marketing Web Design Influences Your SEO
People often think of Web Design and SEO as separate topics but in reality, the two are quite interdependent. So much so that the two concepts should be thought of together. When approaching marketing web design with SEO in mind, there are several techniques to consider, all of which can greatly enhance your online presence. Explore more about this synergy at StreamOZ, a leading platform for Twitch followers and viewers.
Content Placement on the Page and SEO Rankings
Research shows that placing content above the fold and near the top of the page affects a website’s search engine rankings. Google prefers websites with extensive written content (1000-2000+ words per page). Poor content placement can harm search engine rankings.
The top of a web page is a valuable piece of real estate that needs to be reserved for your most important content. It needs to indicate the topic of your content to both your visitors and search engines.
A dentist in Franklin, TN wants to improve website visibility by using the key keyword “Dentist Franklin TN” and labeling relevant content as “Best Dentist in Franklin TN”. Google values synonyms and uses LSI to boost search rankings. Including exact keywords in headings or paragraphs results in higher rankings and positive user responses, improving rankings on Google.
Mobile-First Web Design and SEO
A mobile-first website is crucial for businesses to boost website traffic and attract new leads. Such sites perform well in search results and are easily found by potential customers. More than 51% of smartphone users have found new companies or products through smartphone searches.
Most internet traffic is now from mobile sources, so a mobile-first approach to web design is crucial. Previously, mobile design was often overlooked, but user behavior has shifted.
Google handles 40k searches/sec (3.5B/day). Users rely on Google for quick answers. Today, messy content, sloppy designs, and broken websites are unacceptable.
With a mobile-first approach, users will be able to locate the information they need quickly if it’s on your site. So what does a great mobile design look like?
Prioritize important user actions and place the most significant one at the forefront. Align the first CTA with your company’s primary marketing goal. If creating an email list is your current focus, eliminate all other links from the landing page and keep only the subscribe or lead form as the sole action available to users.
- Reorganize Menus – keep your menus as simple as possible. Mobile users can get to the most popular and useful content on your website as quickly as possible.
- Never Make users scroll excessively – Have clear navigation and buttons that allow users to jump from topic to topic easily. Sticky navigations, anchor links, and “back to the top” buttons are all great.
- Avoid intrusive promotions – annoying a user on your website is a great way to make sure they never come back. Use pop-ups and advertisements sparingly and make sure they are easily dismissible.
Mobile SEO is dependent upon a clean and consistent mobile design that allows users to navigate your site hassle-free. A mobile-first web design will increase engagement and conversions on your website and will result in higher rankings in mobile searches.
Web Design and Content Legibility
Content is among the most crucial aspects of your website and digital marketing strategy. Your website visitors are looking for relevant, informative content that is fresh and unbiased.
Without quality marketing web design, most visitors won’t even bother to read the content that you have worked so hard on.
Studies suggest people are less likely to read content if the font size is too small and clustered together. When designing a website you want to use a large font with lots of line spacing and white space.
According to a study performed by the ClickLabratory – by increasing a website’s font size from 10pt (13px) to 13pt (17px) and adding some line height between the text. They saw a 10% decrease in bounce rate, a decrease in site exit rate by 19%, an increase in pages per visit by 24%, and that website’s conversion rate skyrocketed to 133%.
Designing for Conversions
Optimizing a website for conversions is the process of leading a visitor through a series of actions to reach a goal set out by the webmaster of a web page. Basically, this action can be anything from filling out a form, calling a phone number, reading a piece of content, or even purchasing a product.
After a basic system is in place, marketers will want to drive traffic to their funnel to establish a rate of conversion. This is where the real fun begins, as you can now begin A/B testing to learn more about your target audience.
Many marketing web design factors affect a website’s conversion rate. Everything from the color scheme of a website’s design to the placement of a CTA (call to action) on a page. When designing a web page, it’s best to have a clear idea of who the page is intended for.
Design Factors That Affect Conversion Rate
Intuitive page layout and Usability (UX)
It’s safe to assume that your prospective customer visiting your site has spent a significant amount of time on other websites. So when he/she lands on your web page, they have expectations of how a website’s information should be organized.
It’s important to meet these expectations so as not to frustrate or confuse a prospective customer. A user should be able to quickly and intuitively locate the information they are seeking.
76% of consumers list “the website making it easy for me to find what I want,” as the most important factor in a website’s design. A typical intuitive layout for marketing web design should contain:
- A logo that links back to the home page.
- A contact link at the end of a horizontal navigation menu
- Consistent navigation layout sitewide
- Contact info in the footer of the page
- Highlighted and easily identifiable links
Designing an intuitive website for users provides more info and builds trust, increasing conversion. Engagement and conversions signal relevance to Google, boosting search engine rankings.
Placement & Text of CTA
A Call to Action (CTA) is a button, a link, or a form placed within the content of a web page. Generally, it captures the attention of a prospective customer, converting them into a lead.
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