Show Me the Money (In SEO Web Design)
What makes web design beautiful? More importantly, what makes it powerful?
Apple taught us how much can be accomplished with design. In today’s market iPhones and Mac products are twice Microsoft prices for cutting-edge design and trusted functionality.
Apple did not just increase features. Apple enhanced user experience with design by removing features and ensuring the ones they kept, work (hint, hint, Microsoft).
Websites that perform follow design guidelines avoid confusing your visitor about where to click.
Remember sliders (rotating banners) on websites? They’re ubiquitous, yet research found they actually contribute to a poor user experience resulting in increased drop off – the exact opposite of what we want the user to do!¹
Trust a web designer that implements best practices for clean layout, modern functionality, and a compelling engagement experience.
Save the creativity for your website graphics.
Entrepreneurial websites are often on a shoestring budget and can greatly benefit from including a call to action or conversion offer to promote their book or grow an email list.
WordPress dominates the market as the best website platform for small business, and continues to improve. WP is user friendly, so you have control over small content edits and blogging.
It incorporates a blog on your website.
Using WordPress.org free service to blog on is an outdated practice that dilute your search and blog authorship from your brand.
WordPress doesn’t need to rank for your thought leadership, frequent content generation is the most powerful tool that you can offer a website under your brand or name other than time.
Time is Credibility, Opportunity, and Ranking.
That means that content allocated now to a free blog costs later when you have to transfer those links to your brand name that only time or costly paid ads can restore.
Your thought leadership content on your own domain is your ranking equity.
Hosting services have only improved. Check out Siteground (no affiliate link, you can trust this recommendation) that won last year’s customer service award and as of this publication offers hosting for rates that compete with cheap hosting without an SSL or http(s) URL (security and SEO certificate worth $80 alone).
Functionality and design can be customized to grow with your business. Search engines love and recognize WordPress code – it is still the gold standard for blogging or web design intent to create fresh and relevant content on a schedule. This is fundamental for non-paid or organic SEO ranking.
The purpose of investing in a website is to be found and seen online, and to become a trusted brand resource by your readers.
If you have already established a blog on a free WordPress or Blogger platform, you can transfer your blog *and redirect your SEO links* to your own website domain for a nominal cost.
If you have a website but aren’t tracking visitors or drop off, that can also be added for a nominal investment.
The point is, create a baseline where your business is at, so you can track growth.
You Can’t Celebrate Even the Small Victories if You Aren’t Measuring Them.
Begin small. Begin now.
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