How to fix and avoid SEO mistakes in web design

1. Poor keyword research 

If you are not familiar with using a keyword for SEO, then your site ranking may weaken. Using a relevant keyword is vital to help your website increase your audience. Researchers have shown that about 95% of people only look at the first page of search results.

So to be on the top pages of a search engine, you need to replace certain words with phrases that will be accurate to your site. And it is also advisable to find the right keywords to include on a webpage in the first place. Never over-stuff your content with words that will make it hard to read and unattractive. Your keywords need to make sense to your content.

2. Text inside images 

The text inside images is a prevalent problem, and it’s no surprise that many web designers commit this mistake. Most of the time, ‘text inside images’ is a bad idea for SEO. What do I mean by this? I mean when you are adding text to an image through a software like Photoshop rather than adding text on top of an image layer through HTML code. When you add text to an image, you are missing out on a chance of readability. Readability is a significant factor in online content and can significantly increase your site’s SEO levels.

3. Low quality/thin content

Major search engines love websites with original & high-quality content or fresh content as it makes a site more trustworthy and regularly visited. If a user doesn’t get engaging content, they will quickly click away to more relevant websites. However, it is not just the volume and frequency you post, but it is the quality that matters the most.

That is why you need to design regular high quality, relevant and engaging content for your site. The impression that a user has of your site is essential, so make sure to have useful and valuable content.

4. Design inconsistency/infinite scrolling 

If you poorly design your website in such a way that only confuses your user and ends up scrolling endless pages of a post, then you can be sure that the user has red-marked your site. This constant scrolling can ruin your SEO strategies. When a user opens up your site, design it so that everything is served in a platter for the user. 

For that to work, keep the top of the page the same throughout the website pages. You can help your user explore your site by designing the site menu consistent. It makes it easier for a user to navigate through different sections. No matter what category they click or switch pages, designing the top of the page consistent throughout it eases the user.

5. Unsecure website

Site security is a ranking factor. For any website to work, the user needs a sense of security. Any unsecured site is sure to be red-flagged by the users and may lead to shutting down that particular website. And these days, users are hot on web security. Even though your website may have unique and useful content, you lose SEO rankings if it doesn’t offer a secure environment. 

To give your user a sense of security, install a trusted SSL certificate. Websites like Bluehost.com and godaddy.com allows for a personalized extent of safety, so choosing a secure and capable host is the priority. While creating a secure website, you need a robust CMS (Content Management System). A decent CMS can  take care of a lot of website security issues for you.

6. Unresponsive website

The 21st century is rightly called the ‘age of internet usage’ – especially from mobiles and smartphones. Recent studies from Google confirm that any business, whether small or large, needs a mobile-friendly website for a competitive edge and sustainability in markets. There are still thousands of sites using old web designs that are desktop-friendly but fail when accessed by smartphone or tablet. So you need to design a website for mobile phones, not only PC or laptop, for new users but also the present ones you have.

If your website is few years behind in technological terms, you need to update to a more reliable and latest mobile version as it will also impact your SEO efforts and ratings. It is also essential to make sure that all of your multimedia elements are responsive in mobile versions. If your site does not have optimization for mobiles, expect it to be invisible in SERPs (Search Engine Result Page).

7. Outdated SEO practices

Since Google is continuously developing its search algorithm, SEO also keeps updating and changing. Those old SEO practices that you think best may not work for you in the current rating and searches.

So, keep yourself adapted to modern SEO practices and be on the lookout for updates and changes in Google. Overlooking these old practices may be a small and insignificant mistake, but it always attracts penalties instead of ratings if left unchecked.

Conclusion

You may have spent an immeasurable amount of time designing your website, hoping that users will find it attractive and well-maintained. The next step is to make sure users find it on search engines like Google and Microsoft Bing. If you don’t get the desired results as expected, avoid the mistakes we’ve shown you.

You can avoid many SEO mistakes by checking your website’s design for these critical mistakes. Fixing these issues helps you rise in SERPs too. It is essential to get your website’s design right by using creative designs and technology to enhance your SEO efforts. Avoiding those common mistakes bridge the gap between you and your users and create a compelling and exciting experience for your users.