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What is SEO and how is it related to web design for your utility?

Do you want your utility website to rank on the in the top search results on Google, Bing and Yahoo? In order to do so, your website needs functional web design and search engine optimization.

SEO, also known as search engine optimization, is the process of designing and developing a website that is optimized for both search engines and humans.

Why is SEO Important?

Your utility website may have a stunning design, but does it rank well in search engines? How will people find your website if it doesn’t rank in search engine results? To ramp up your website traffic and get to page one of the SERPs (search engine result pages), SEO web design plays a key role.

Here are a few key benefits:

  • SEO web design helps improve the experience for your site visitors
    Google favors websites with positive user-related metrics. Websites that are easy to navigate help a visitor find the information they are specifically looking for. When your website has a high-ranking in search engines, you will gain the trust of the website visitor.
  • SEO web design drives more traffic
    When someone conducts a Google search, they are often hoping to find an answer to a question. When your utility’s website appears at the top of the search results with the information they’re looking for, they will most likely click on your website and you will become an authority for that subject matter.
  • SEO web design makes your website search engine friendly
    Although a website may be very visually pleasing, its content can be optimized for search engines. A functional web design is compatible with SEO through aspects like clear content, descriptive links, easy navigation, and up to date technologies.

Together, web design and SEO build a strong foundation for the success of your website.

Factors to Optimize for Web Design & SEO

The ultimate goal of both web design and SEO is to provide website visitors with a great experience. To offer your website visitors important information, your site must be easy to find, functional, and visually appealing. While optimizing your website, here are a few factors to keep in mind:

Design

  • Mobile Friendliness
    Since an increasing amount of people access websites from their smartphones, Google favors websites that are mobile friendly. Responsive design allows your website to be accessible on all devices and browsers, thus increasing your ranking on Google.
  • Readability
    Fonts and sizes must be easy for website visitors to read. The text must also be informative and optimized to rank well.

Images

  • File names
    Copy is not the only element of your website that can be optimized. It’s easy to leave a file name as “IMG_0089.jpg”. However, a descriptive file name helps search engines notice your images and its context. Naming your file something like “lineman-rodeo-contest.jpg” provides a better context of the image and helps Google and other search engines understand the context of your images.
  • File size
    While high quality images are visually appealing, they cause slow load page times—creating a poor user experience and thus lowering your rankings. Smaller file sizes promote faster load times and positive user experiences.
  • Alt tags
    Alt tags help those with visual impairments understand what images are shown on the website. In addition to accessibility reasons, alt tags help search engines determine what is featured on your website.

Site Structure

  • Navigation
    A great user experience relies heavily on a simple navigation. The easier it is for your site visitors to find what they need, the more likely they’ll stay on your site for longer. Easy navigation avoids confusion, keeps website visitors’ attention, and improves your rankings.
  • URL Structure
    A descriptive URL that describes the content of a page helps search engines understand your page in comparison to random numbers and letters. In turn, website visitors will easily remember the page URL.

Make Web Design & SEO a Success For Your Site

Powerful’s team of web experts prioritize a humanized web experience, ultimately helping SEO rankings. Partner with Powerful to fully optimize your website.