How to reconcile SEO and modern website design
When it came to search engine optimization (SEO), the old wisdom held that each web page should be a minimum of 300 words in order to boost rankings. Does that target still hold water? How do you reconcile SEO and modern website design that focuses on minimal text and more images?
Layout
Simply stated, search engines like Google need enough written content to determine the subjects covered on a page and their relevance to a user’s search. You might be really proud of your clever, three-word tagline, but is it enough to tell Google or a reader what your company is about? Probably not.
One simple solution to this problem is the modern scrolling website, which can take many forms. (If you are interested in the geeky differences between fixed long scrolling to parallax scrolling, check out this primer.)
For our purposes here, all you need to know is that scrolling allows for more words to appear on your homepage without cluttering the user’s initial experience when landing on your page. Those additional words make it easier for a search engine to index your page and to rank it higher based on the (ideally) quality, in-depth content you have provided there.
Homepage SEO
In a blog post for the WordPress SEO plugin tool, Yoast, Michiel Heijmans asserts that companies don’t need to optimize their homepages for a keyword. However, he does offer some guidelines for homepage SEO, including (among others):
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“Make sure the page title focuses on your brand name or main product”
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“Add a clear, recognizable logo in the upper left corner for branding”
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“There should be a clear call-to-action that draws attention”
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“Product images are inviting, but the page needs textual information or a great tagline as well”
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“If applicable, add a search bar (prominent or as an extra)”
Sub pages offer another opportunity to support your SEO efforts with in-depth, quality content. Regularly providing in-depth content through your blog, adding new testimonials, posting informational videos and more can help boost your search ranking.
SEO needs content marketing
You can optimize your website to the nth degree, but it won’t lead to truly meaningful results if you don’t promote your site and your content. We covered this topic more in-depth in our last post, but it bears repeating that SEO and content marketing support each other.
“Your content plays a large role in your visibility on Google’s SERPs. Simply put, you can’t push out subpar content and expect to gain traction. Your content has to deliver enormous amounts of value if you’re serious about attaining the search giant’s attention.”~R.L. Adams, Entrepreneur
Creating great content and posting it on your site lays the foundation for SEO. Promoting and sharing that content through social media and other channels amplifies your reach. Great content is meant to be shared, so don’t expect the search engines to do all the work for you.
For more information on how integrated digital marketing can support your SEO efforts, contact us for a free assessment.
