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Web Design Layouts that Convert (And Also Rank Higher on Search Engines)

Written by Matt Knolhoff on . Posted in design, infographic, Latest News, mobile, search engine optimization, user experience, user-friendly webdesign. No Comments on Web Design Layouts that Convert (And Also Rank Higher on Search Engines)

Success in the online world depends largely upon a delicate balance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).  Both are extremely important, but both are worthless without the other—page views don’t matter if your page doesn’t inspire anyone to take action; and even the best page will fail to meet its goals if nobody see it!

Fortunately, many SEO and CRO strategies are compatible—in fact, there are a number of adjustments you can make to your web design layout that will improve both your search engine rankings as well as your conversion rate.  Here are a few quick tips on web design layouts.

  • Start with a clear, on-subject title.  There’s no need to be overly elaborate or clever here—in fact, overly intricate titles add clutter (bad for conversion) while decreasing relevancy (bad for SEO.)
  • Include a strong and specific call to action.  Here’s a quick anecdote: back in 2008, Mozilla Firefox changed their call to action from “try Firefox 3” to “Download Now—Free! They immediately saw a substantial increase in downloads. Why? The strength and specificity and of the updated call to action was much more likely to inspire confidence. What’s more, specificity is always better when it comes to search engine rankings.
  • Quickly address all the important questions your customers may have—but don’t have everything you can do or sell right on your home page.  
  • Keep your front page uncluttered and focused on the goal (sign up, make a purchase, etc.) while including separate pages for FAQs, product descriptions, photos, reviews and feedback, terms and conditions, and a company blog. This can help to improve conversion (by centering your homepage on the opportunity to convert,) while still being genuinely helpful to your users (by including easy-to access information,) and boosting your search engine rankings (by including lots of relevant content.) – Here’s a great article with 100 key questions to ask also when you re-design or design a new website: http://marketingland.com/100-questions-you-must-ask-when-developing-web-site-86342

Here’s a great infographic that helps you design an effective home page:

effective webdesign layout infographic

Mobilegeddon: The Aftermath And Is It Still Going On?

Written by Matt Knolhoff on . Posted in Latest News, mobile, search engine optimization, seo tips, user experience, user-friendly webdesign. No Comments on Mobilegeddon: The Aftermath And Is It Still Going On?

Mobilegeddon: The Aftermath and Is it Still Going On?

April 21st, 2015 was one of the most anticipated days in the history of SEO.  Google had announced a month earlier that the importance of mobile-friendliness would be expanded on that day, “greatly affecting search rankings.”  This lead SEO analysts to dub the day “Mobilegeddon” in reference to the supposedly apocalyptic level of change this would bring to the SEO world.

That day, as you probably already know, was considered a bit of a dud.  But is it over?…  Absolutely not.

Initial reports found little impact, and those unprepared for mobile breathed a sigh of relief.  As the weeks went on, the aftermath of Mobilegeddon proved to be much larger than inaugural day led anyone to believe.  A recent digital marketing report from Adobe Systems, however, showed that traffic to non-mobile-friendly sites has fallen over 12% since mobilegeddon.  The volume of mobile traffic, also, has risen as much as 44%, as IgnitionOne pointed out in their Q2 digital marketing report.

A one way street

Mobilegeddon (the day …  April 21st) didn’t turn out to be nearly as dramatic as many had feared, however, its development over recent months shows that Google is committed to fostering mobile friendly websites–and this approach is unlikely to change anytime soon.  Google’s approach to mobile is headed clearly in one direction.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who pays attention to Google’s philosophy: give users exactly what they are looking for.  Considering the fact that mobile web traffic has been steadily rising for years, it is obvious that Google will continue making mobile-friendly sites a priority.  

Mobilegeddon is not over

In fact, those who expected a single apocalyptic moment of change were completely missing the point. Mobilegeddon is beginning, not an end.  There is undoubtedly more to come.

What it means for the future

Mobile development is a must for any serious website, and those who don’t begin working on mobile compatibility now will be left behind as Google is getting squarely behind the already popular trend towards mobile.  Any serious website designing firm or website manager should make mobile development, and mobile user friendliness a top priority for the future.

 

E-commerce SEO 101: 8 Key Factors To Work On Immediately

Written by Matt Knolhoff on . Posted in conversion optimization, e-commerce seo, Latest News, mobile, product page seo, reviews, search engine optimization, seo tips, seo tools, user experience, user-friendly webdesign. No Comments on E-commerce SEO 101: 8 Key Factors To Work On Immediately

E-Commerce SEO 101: 8 Key Factors to Work on Immediately

Many of the most important concepts in SEO are also the simplest. Here are 8 basic ways you could improve your search engine rankings:

  1. Develop user-friendly site architecture with well placed internal links

Organizing your site design in a logical and user-friendly manner will improve both crawlability and conversion rates. Category-based navigation is always a good strategy.

  1. Mobile is the new king

If you don’t have a mobile-friendly site, creating one should be your number one SEO priority–the growing importance of mobile is unlikely to stop anytime soon, and websites that fail to recognize this will fall behind.

  1. Handle product variation carefully

Products that vary based upon detail (i.e. plain blue baseball cap vs. plain red baseball cap) should not be given their own product pages, as this causes search engines to flag sites for duplicate content.

  1. Use original product descriptions

On a similar note, never copy product descriptions straight from product manufacturers–this will also bring up flags. The ideal system would be to write original product descriptions for all items.

  1. Let your customers add reviews

Allowing your customers to add reviews offers two distinct benefits. Reviews increase search engine visibility because they deliver freshness and original content. (They also do this at no cost, one might add!) Additionally, reviews tend to increase conversion rates, as they help foster trust.

  1. Use readable URLS

The best URLS (from both an SEO perspective and an audience engagement perspective) are easily read and/or spoken by humans. Excessively long URLs are bad, and URLs that use random numbers and characters rather than words are even worse.

  1. Use SEO tools

Google Webmaster is a great tool, available for free, that can help you identify SEO problems while providing insightful feedback. There are a variety of other tools available (such as search metrics and deep crawl,) that can help you address specific issues with your SEO strategy. Don’t be afraid to invest in these programs, as they can help bring your SEO campaign to a new level.

  1. SEO and conversion must work hand in hand in order to facilitate successful e-commerce

SEO is ultimately useless if your site is unable to produce conversions–which is why one of the premier goals of any website should be providing a quality user experience that will facilitate sales.