Have you ever visited a web page where you’ve had to scroll past the large header banner or ads to read the content?
Google recently made a page layout algorithim improvement where it rewards sites that display content above the fold. When an internet user searches for information they want to see it right away rather than having to scroll horizontally or vertically to find it.
7 ways to create a web page layout that is visitor and search engine friendly
1. Create a beautiful design
People are automatically attracted to beauty. If they visit an ugly website or one that looks amateurish they will leave and go elsewhere. Ask for other opinions on the design of your website and listen to their suggestions for improvement.
Instead of using a template get a customized design that reflects your business and stands out from your competitors.
2. Use plenty of white space
A cluttered website layout makes it hard to read the content. When you use lots of white space between the elements on the page it’s easier on the eyes and visitors can quickly scan the content. For example make sure there is at least 10 pixels of white space around each image.
3. Fast loading
Site speed is included in Google’s algorithim therefore slow loading pages may see their rankings lowered. To increase loading speed reduce the size and number of images on your web page and make sure your html code is free from errors.
4. Server availability
Another factor that affects load times is the server your site is hosted on. Most websites are hosted on shared servers which means your website is stored on the same server as many others. If one website suddenly receives millions of visitors it may overload the server and cause other sites to disappear. To prevent this from happening monitor the uptime (server availability) of the server your site is hosted on. It should have at uptime of 99%.
5. Place your most important content above the fold
“Above the fold” refers to the part of your web page a person sees without having to scroll down to find the content. If the content a person seeks doesn’t immediately appear on their computer screen they’ll click away.
6. Emphasize benefits
When people first visit a website they usually ask themselves “what’s in it for me?” They want to know if the content will benefit them ie help solve their problems. If you only talk about your company or just mention the features it won’t get their attention. Hire a web copy writer if you’re unable to write it yourself.
7. Optimize your web page for the search engines
Search engines find web pages by the keywords people use. If your web copy doesn’t contain the keywords people are searching on you won’t receive traffic from the search engines.
Make sure you include your main keyword or keyword phrase in the meta tags, header tags, web copy, navigation links and internal links. Include an xml site map to make it easier for search engines to index your content and an html site map to make it easier for visitors to navigate your site.
Now take another look at your current website to see if it adheres to the 7 points mentioned above. If not take the time to either optimize your site or get it redesigned using the latest technologies.
And now I’d like to invite you to get a free evaluation
of your website by visiting: Maryland Website Design
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