By Brittany Unterweger, Charleston | Orwig
The hope of every website: “If you build it, they will come.” The painful reality for all too many: “If you don’t build it with search engine optimization (SEO) and usability in mind, they may not come—or stay very long if they do.”
While neither is as sexy as killer graphics or snappy copy, both SEO and usability are arguably the most essential steps to any site’s long-term success. They’re certainly the most overlooked.
- SEO: Think of Search Engine Optimization as the low-hanging fruit that will help you gain more website traffic organically (translation: for free). How can you make sure all your SEO bases are covered? Start by making sure you always, always, always complete title tags and meta descriptions, based on keyword research, thoughtfully and thoroughly (and without duplicating any of the information). You’ll also want to use mobile-friendly best practices and iron out all backend issues that could stand between your site and its ultimate success.
- Usability: Your visitors don’t want to be bored or sent down a dead-end road. Instead, they want to go on a delightful journey of discovery. What specific actions can you take to ensure that journey is always enjoyable and rewarding? A great place to start is with the site’s overall framework. Is the menu structure clear and easily navigable? Does it have an obvious logic that guides users to what they’re looking for? You’ll also want to make any calls-to-action clear, obvious and irresistible. Another key to usability: striking the perfect balance between copy and imagery. Too much of either will compromise your site’s impact and too quickly shoo visitors elsewhere.
As we said at the outset, this sort of heavy lifting isn’t always top-of-mind when thinking about a website. But it should be. By giving SEO and usability the careful attention they deserve, you’ll be well on your way to building a site that’s well worth the visit.