Should I optimise my new website for SEO or is the design more important? This question is sure to raise some lively discussion but the answer you give will be heavily weighed by the job you do.

A graphic designer who specialises in visual design will suggest in many of cases that the web design comes first of course. And let’s face it without that aesthetically pleasing to the eye design a potential customer will bounce off your site within a matter of seconds or so they would have you believe. But then that raises the issue of how did they get there in the first place?

The commonest web site design curve goes along the lines of initial design is presented ..website design looks visually appealing and is given the go ahead. Needs some content ok, we’ll rustle something up…..website is uploaded and time passes but no traffic!

And then more time until eventually perhaps many months later the situation is either so critical or the company are having to invest in adwords that finally website promotion firm gets called in or the sales manager starts to question the lack of inbound enquiries from the web, and before you know it you are investing in a web marketing strategy to try and rescue some website rankings.

Is this the best way to launch a website? The thousands of website owners that have travelled this route will certainly argue that it most definitely is not as this put up and hope web development criteria delays any websites success by unacceptable periods of time, and even more frightening results in lost profit, lost time and lost potential customers.

The search engines don’t care about what the site looks like but with scant regard to optimisation so often this first opportunity to make an impact when the web site first gets indexed is totally lost, if all the search engines find is a poorly optimised site with a miniscule focus or regard paid to any SEM requirements or keyword capture.

A little extra attention and money spent on pre development SEO ,for example keyword research and optimisation gives an outstanding return on investment as invariably when the site goes live and gets indexed it will achieve a far better SERPS position from day one and even in some cases a page one result straight away.

To find out more about SEO visit SEO Services Southampton.

When designing a web page, one has to consider how they are going to attract and retain visitors. One way of reaching online users is to design a website that ranks high in the search engines. Achieving a high search ranking requires creating a web page that is search engine friendly.

To build a search engine friendly web page, one should implement the following tools:

1. When a search engine ranks a website, they assess the value of the content. Web content needs to be relevant to the website’s purpose and rich in relevant key words. Relevant keywords should be included in the headlines. As well, the content has to be relevant to the site’s product or service. The text should be easy to read and free of spelling and grammar errors. The page should have an introduction and conclusion with a clear purpose of the site. Try to update your web page with fresh content regularly.

2. The design and layout of the site should be professional and unique. Pages should be quick to load so you should use small graphics and pictures that are professional and relevant to the site. Every image should have an “alt” label and a text link. Bright colors, irrelevant pictures, and odd flashing animation will result in a low search engine ranking. The layout should be consistent with uniform colors. The web page should be easy to navigate and the various applications should blend well. The site’s navigation bar should be clear with professional titles. As well, your contact information should be easy to locate. A site map is an important part of the web design. You should also make sure that you do have any “page not found” error pages. Every page should include the appropriate domain name and professionally designed logo.

3. Make your web design interactive. This will give your site a boost in search engine rankings. You can use such applications as a Blog, chat room, surveys, polls, discussion boards, contests, user feed back forms, etc.

4. Reciprocal linking is important to achieving a high search engine ranking. These links should be relevant to your site. Consider posting to business directories. Don’t use link farms and other low quality link sites as they will only lower your search engine ranking. Embed text links in your content paragraphs to increase your ranking.

A professional website design tells a visitor and search engine robot that your site is professional and trustworthy. Search engine spiders and robots score professional websites high in the search engines. Because a high search engine ranking is so important, designing a web site takes time and good planning. There are professional web site design companies that are experts in creating web pages that achieve high search engine rankings. Using a web design company will significantly increase your search engine ranking.

Because the majority of online users use a search engine to locate a website, it is essential that your web pages are designed to be search engine friendly.

The way business is conducting is currently changing at a real fast pace. The days of having to travel hundreds of miles for a business meeting or paying hefty fees to a courier services to deliver important documents are over. The influx of new internet based businesses has also created a need for quality web design.

A quality well designed website is a tool that no business can do without. If your are planning to compete with other businesses and prosper, operating without a website is like choosing to make less money.

The components needed to capture your potential customers must be included in your website’s design. The design of your website should be able to convey your business objective, products, and services in a way that your customers can understand.

One of the first things that attract people to a particular website is the visual. The process of choosing the colors of a quality web design must be precise. For example it would be more wise to use green and brighter colors for a landscaping business.

Pictures is another visual quality that is important in capturing visitors to your site. Where the picture images are place is vital to bringing your website creation to life. There are certain places on a page that a human eye tends to roam to more often. A good web designer will have a good feel for the gift of image placement.

A good website design is one that is cohesive. The selection and placement of buttons, banners, and ad blocks will create a pallet that is inviting. When one is viewing your website, it should be a natural progression that peeks their interest for several minutes.

A great opening title should not be overlooked. A well written title should be able to grab the attention of your prospect and make them want to read more on what you have to offer. The title should also be written in bigger, bolder, or brighter text.

The best way to ensure your website is a quality web design is to hire someone that has the experience and background. A good web designer will be able to take your visions and create something that best represents your company.