6 Ways Web Design Affects Your Rankings

In today’s technology, there is one thing that people can expect. It never stops changing. For digital marketers, this means that it is vital to be in the loop about all of the changes happening and the latest trends and developments, to keep from being left behind. With web designs, the fact remains the same. A once winning web design may no longer serve its purpose today. It does not matter whether a business offers an excellent product or service to its consumers. What matters is if visitors are interested enough to visit the site, stay engaged, and ultimately decide to make purchases. It would be a wasted opportunity to lose traffic because of an obsolete website that does not follow the latest standards that other websites do.

Web design is a process of mapping out and including vital elements to a website, from its structure to its colors, images, fonts, among others. All these elements work together to determine the way the website looks and how it responds to various devices. It is the overall appearance and feel that users experience when they use the site. It is not an easy process as it involves specific guidelines, terms, and other techniques that are all essential in creating a website that serves every purpose it is meant to. For many business owners, the time and work involved in creating the ideal website, not considering the technical savvy, may be something they cannot afford. It is for this reason that they enlist the services of the experts from a Chicago web design company to ensure that everything is done professionally for the benefit of the company. And while some features of a web design are still essential, including loading speed and security, search engines will always recognize web designs that have all of the latest features.

The importance of web design

  • For visitors to a website, its web design forms the first impression about what the business is all about. In a matter of seconds, judgments can be made. A professional web design elicits a positive reaction that impresses visitors.
  • A good web design is useful for an SEO strategy. The elements included in a web design, together with its practices have an impact on a site’s published content. In turn, it affects the crawlability of search engines and how they index the site. If the fundamentals of on-page SEO do not live up to standards, a website’s visibility suffers. To ensure that the correct web design practices are implemented, a professional Chicago web design company can best handle the job.
  • Professionally designed websites immediately build up trust. A poorly designed one will leave the impression that the business cannot be trusted. It can be viewed as shady and unreliable for the simple reason that its web design was neglected by its owner. It also reflects the type of customer service the company offers. An updated web design will show visitors that the business is legit, serious, and offers products and services they can rely on to be of high-quality. This would include customer service too. If a visitor cannot trust the site, they will certainly look for another one that presents them with an appealing website that offers the same products, plus the best features.

Here are 6 ways that web design affects rankings.

  1. Page loading speed

Page loading speed is a primary ranking factor for Google and other search engines. The goal of search engines is to provide their users with a much better experience each time they make searches. They want to ensure that the most useful information is provided for queries at the fastest possible time. Online users have become more and more impatient over the years. When they need information or are interested in finding out about certain products or services, they expect to get it immediately. A good web design offers quick loading, which lives up to the expectations of users. The faster they get their information, the higher the probability of visiting the site and staying there longer. Search engines rank fast loading websites higher than others.

  1. Mobile-friendliness

Unquestionably, users are more dependent on their mobile-devices for all their needs. These devices are portable and can be used anywhere. When users conduct searches, they can decide to do it wherever they go. With mobile-optimized websites, they can acquire the information they need in any location. A web design that is optimized for mobile devices will always gain the approval of search engines and earn a higher ranking on search results.

  1. Bounce rate

Bounce rate refers to the time that a visitor stays on the site. Websites should monitor whether they remain longer or immediately leave. Search engines also focus on user behavior the minute they enter the website till they leave. If a visitor does not remain on a page for a longer time, search engines interpret it as a lack of relevance in the site’s content and design. No matter how valuable the content may be, a weak web design may make navigation more challenging to visitors and prompt them to leave. An increase in bounce rate lowers the site’s ranking on search results.

  1. Crawlability

Although web designers take priority over the user’s needs, it is just as important to consider search engine crawlers and how they can easily crawl and index a site. When a web design is not optimized for this purpose, it can make it difficult for search engines to perform these functions and ultimately affect the site’s rankings on search results. With a well-designed website, there is a healthy balance that addresses the needs of both users and search engines.

  1. Duplicate content

While search engine crawlers are always up-to-date, they still require SEO directions to locate pages essential for a specific site. Duplicate content negatively affects a site’s ranking when it does not help search engines know which of its pages are the most important. When this issue is not corrected, it will result in a lower ranking.

  1. Imagery and content

Web design pays close attention to fonts and colors but must also focus on imagery and content. Even if a website looks attractive, it still needs excellent content to enjoy a higher ranking on search engine results. High-quality content and appealing images send out a signal to Google and other search engines that a website is relevant and deserves to be ranked higher.

Web owners should consider hiring experts from a Chicago web design company to ensure that their web design lives up to the standards of search engines, and gain the ranking they deserve.