Does Website Design Have An Impact On Seo?

Here are the Ways Your Website’s Design Impacts SEO Rankings and Performance

It goes without saying that a website is an essential marketing tool for organizations. What is a mystery, at least to most business owners, is whether web design affects SEO rankings and performance.

The truth is that the design of your website has an influence on SEO performance.

In this article, we will look at the top three ways that website design affects SEO, which are as follows:

• Responsive web design and mobile-first web design
• Website conversion factors that are essential to the core web vitals

But First, What Exactly Is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the process of optimizing your website and its content in order for it to appear higher in Google search results. If you can do this, your website will receive more visitors.

More traffic is fantastic, but the ultimate purpose of SEO is to drive online conversions, such as phone calls, web forms, and conversations. These conversions are qualified leads that your company can follow up on and sell to. Your SEO effort has succeeded if you can improve conversions. After all, it is a marketing expenditure. Users must first be able to locate your website before they can convert to it. Findability is defined as having a mobile-first website design that is readily found and navigated.

Mobile-First Web Design: Create Your Site With Your Customers in Mind

Here’s an interesting fact: The Google algorithm employs mobile-first indexing. That is, Google indexes (stores in its database of results) and ranks your website’s mobile version and content. If your website is not mobile-friendly and easily accessible on a smartphone, the design of your website has already had an impact on its SEO performance – and not in a positive manner.

Traditionally, digital designers would create a site in the manner that it would appear on a desktop device (desktop computer or laptop). The designer would then re-create a comparable yet distinct look for mobile use.

That strategy is now out of date, as mobile devices account for more than 54% of all internet traffic globally.

Because of Google’s mobile-first indexing and people’s tendency to purchase goods and services on their phones, it’s vital to build your website with a mobile-first mindset. Instead of creating your website for a laptop, start by developing it for a mobile device. After that, proceed to the desktop experience.

The Thing To Go with Responsive Website Design

Kreationsites suggests building your website using a responsive framework.

A responsive website automatically adjusts its layout and appearance to the device on which the user is browsing – desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. A responsive site identifies the user’s device and automatically transforms the page to match the device in the blink of an eye. Screen size, resolution, orientation, and interactive features adapt to the user’s device automatically.

A responsive website will not boost SEO performance, but it will ensure that you are not penalized by Google.

This is because, as part of its mobile-first indexing, Google’s crawlers will scan the mobile version of your responsive site. Your SEO performance will suffer if your website is not mobile-friendly. Use Google’s mobile-friendly testing tool to see if your website complies with Google’s mobile-friendly criteria.

Google’s Latest Attempt to Focus SEOs on Website Design and Functionality

Google finished the implementation of its Page Experience Update, which focuses on the usability of webpages, in September 2021.

Google, in particular, added a new ranking element dubbed Core Web Vitals to its algorithm in its Page Experience Update.

• Loading (Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP) – The time it takes for the largest content element (e.g., a banner image, video, contact form, etc.) on your website to appear in the user’s window. Simply said, LCP evaluates the speed with which your website loads.
• Interactivity (First Input Delay or FID) — The time it takes for people to engage with your website in their browser. Keeping your website’s code compact by minimizing third-party scripts will strengthen your site’s defences against FID.
• Visual Stability (Cumulative Layout Shift or CLS) – This metric measures the amount of visual change on your website when a user begins engaging with it. In Google’s opinion, the lower the score, the better the experience for your website visitors.

What Effect Does Website Design Have On Core Web Vitals And Seo?

The design of your website has an impact on Core Web Vital scores and SEO effectiveness. If you miss the mark, your SEO performance may suffer. The more complicated the design and functionality of your website, the more difficult it is to pass Core Web Vitals.

Videos, large graphics, animations, and other things that influence a user’s entire experience on your website, for example, may harm your SEO performance. Once your website has been created, an expert web developer will apply these elements in a Google-friendly manner (minimizing third-party scripts, compressing images and videos, etc.) to guarantee that your website meets Core Web Vitals.

What Are Conversion Elements and How Do They Affect SEO?

 (Bonus: Three Conversion Elements That Every Home Service Website Should Have)

Your site’s conversion components may change depending on the sort of business you run and your marketing objectives. For example, if an e-commerce company wishes to sell more items through its website, one conversion element could be a “Add to Cart” button on a product page. We’ll neglect e-commerce and concentrate on conversion aspects that any home service firm (e.g., HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, landscaping, and so on) must have in order to improve SEO performance and boost quality leads.

1.) Sticky Web Forms For Mobile & Above-The-Fold Forms (Desktop)

Go to the homepage of your website on your phone, but don’t scroll. Is there a sticky button that takes you to a web form at the bottom or top? Similarly, on a laptop or desktop computer, go to your homepage. Is an online form “above-the-fold” and immediately accessible without scrolling? Navigate to another website now. Again, don’t move your cursor anywhere. Does the design of this homepage feature an above-the-fold form on both mobile and desktop screens?

Congratulations if you responded “yes” to these questions. One of the most crucial conversion components that any home service website must have in order to increase SEO performance and produce more quality leads is already present on your website. It’s only one example of how web design affects SEO.

2.) Contact Numbers And Call-To-Action Icons

Not every website visitor will want to fill out a form. Some people require emergency services, while others just want to pick up the phone and talk to someone.

It’s critical for these visitors to see your phone number at the top of your website on desktop and a sticky, click-to-call button on mobile devices. If you ignore these, you can be sure that your website’s design will have a detrimental impact on conversions and SEO performance.

3.) Determining Factors Of Brand

Homeowners nowadays don’t know who to call when they need a house repair or are ready to embark on their next home improvement project. In reality, most buyers do not have a firm in mind while browsing online, according to Invoca.

Wrap up: How Does the Design of Your Website Affect SEO?

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: web design has an impact on SEO. It has less of an influence on your rankings, but it has a more significant impact on conversions and the number of quality leads your website generates each month. Great web design boosts website conversion rates and allows you to get the most out of your website visitors’ leads.

Kreationsites Can Help You Grow Your Business

Kreationsites is dedicated to expanding the trades. Almost 400 home service businesses across the United States rely on our team to develop and create attractive, conversion-friendly websites that also rank well on Google search. You’re ready to take your digital marketing to the next level, aren’t you? Send us a note or give us a call to set up a complimentary marketing consultation!