Contemporary website design looks nothing like it did as recently as 2011. That’s because professional web designers can’t just focus on building functional, aesthetically pleasing websites. No, today Maryland web design and development companies also have to worry about local online marketing, which, in essence, means making sure that functional, aesthetically pleasing website actually shows up in Google search results. So what does it take to build search engine friendly pages for your website in 2016?
To explain, we’re going to use one common type of web page as an example: service area pages. John’s HVAC Company doesn’t just fix your air conditioners, they also provide plumbing, sewer replacement, and tankless water heaters. That means they need individual pages for each of their service areas, a common section of virtually all business websites today.
So how do we make sure these individual service area pages are optimized for search engines like Google and Bing?
1. Search Engine Friendly Pages Have Eye Catching Design
Too many Maryland search engine marketing companies get tunnel vision when it comes to SEO, just like web designers can sometimes forget that people need to actually find a website in order for it to be useful. But at the end of the day, you still need effective web design.
At the most basic level, that means websites that load quickly, because we know 40% of users will abandon a web page that takes more than three seconds to load. On top of that, you need an attractive, professional website. About 46% of people say a business’ website is their biggest criteria for determining the credibility of a company. The number of users who immediately click away from your website is called your bounce rate, and a high bounce rate can be the death of a website.
2. Mobile Responsive Website Design
Today, having a website that’s responsive to mobile users is essential. In 2016, the number of Internet users on mobile devices is catching up to the number of desktop users. Without a mobile-friendly site, you’ll be invisible on search engines. Even if they do find your site, 48% of users say that a bad mobile website is as an indication a business simply doesn’t care.
3. Quality Web Copy
Google updates its search algorithm 500–600 times yearly, but some of the biggest updates are known as Panda updates. These penalize “thin” websites with very little content on the page. That means it’s no longer possible to simply type up a few sentences about your sewer replacement services. You need at least 300-500 words of content on each page.
4. Search Engine Friendly Pages are Keyword-Specific
There’s a reason web design services don’t simply create one page listing all of John’s HVAC Company’s service areas. To rank well on Google and convert leads, each service area needs its own page, and each page of your website should be focused on a single set of keywords.
5. A Call To Action
Finally, the most effective service area pages won’t just contain keywords or eye-catching web design — they’ll also be designed to actually convert leads. After all, that’s the entire reason most businesses hire web design companies in the first place. At the end of your content, you need a clear, effective call to action and easy to find contact information.