The Basic SEO Checklist for Website Designers & DIYers
Whether you’re a web designer trying to grow your business or are an entrepreneur starting from scratch on a brand-new website, it’s so crucial to know some basic SEO tactics to implement for either your clients or yourself.
Having a website rich in white-hat SEO tactics and sales copywriting can mean the difference between sitting at the bottom of the rankings in Google or showing up for your clients’ search queries and getting new leads every day from your website.
Let me ask you — which of these scenarios sounds more appealing to you?
To make navigating the world of SEO easier, I’ve compiled a list of some basic SEO must-haves for websites. Each of these tips offers you insight and info on white-hat tactics that are super easy to implement and will make a world of difference for your client’s digital marketing presence (or your own!).
create title tags & meta descriptions for each page
Title tags & meta descriptions are a vital part of a positive SEO strategy. If you’re not sure what I’m referring to, I’ll explain further:
The title tag is the text that appears in a browser tab to tell you what the page is called. In the title tag, always try to include the primary keyword for that page, the business name, and the location (if the business is location-specific and not virtual). Try not to let your title tags surpass 60 characters.
Meta descriptions are the description of the page that you see in Google search results, and these should stay within 150-160 characters. Google’s bots crawl both the title tag and the meta description to provide the user with the most accurate search results possible — therefore, you have to make sure your description also has the primary (and secondary) keywords, business name, location, and a call to action where relevant.
Include Robust headings throughout the pages That Grab Attention
When Google’s bots scan a new page on a website, they don’t see all the beautiful images and designs that humans do. What they see is the content of each page in plain text only so they can assign relevance based on they keyword phrases used throughout. Note that keywords are even more beneficial when used in your headings, which is why it’s crucial to include your target keywords in your H1s, H2s, and other headings wherever possible.
Of course, you always want to make sure that you’re writing for the user, not the search engines. To avoid keyword stuffing that can ultimately lead to getting your website flagged by the Google monster, partner with an SEO-friendly copywriter who can get your clients the results they want without the penalties they don’t.
Use clear URLs (bonus points if they include a Targeted keyword)
One mistake that DIYers and web designers can make during their process is forgetting about the URLs, or slugs. The slug of the URL is the part that comes after the main website address (ie. glashousemedia.com/portfolio - in this case, portfolio is the slug).
If the URLs are forgotten and left as simply glashousemedia.com/new-page, they won’t benefit your SEO progress, and they can make your fresh website look a wee bit unprofessional to potential customers.
Optimize your images for an additional boost
An incredibly simple way to give your clients’ SEO a slight boost is to optimize their images. This process includes two simple steps: first, note that Google takes user experience into account when ranking websites in the search engine, so if your website is slow AF, your rankings won’t be great. Therefore, your first step is to use a tool like Optimizilla to decrease the file size and make sure the images on the website load quickly.
The second step is to optimize the image’s file name before uploading. Once you have the file size all set, rename it to something relevant (watch out for keyword stuffing) and re-upload it to the website. Bam — one more bit of micro-copy for Google to crawl and scan!
Partner with an SEO copywriter to get the best results for your high-ticket website design clients
As a web designer or DIYer just trying to get your website up and running, you definitely don’t have to be the SEO queen — but, it’s certainly beneficial if you know a bit about SEO basics while you design a website for either yourself or your client. Many people tend to forget about how important the SEO strategy for a site can be, which is why business owners often get frustrated when they have a fresh new brand and a hot website that isn’t attracting new leads or experiencing organic growth.
By implementing some basic tactics on the website, you can set it up for future success before either you or your client are ready to hire a copywriter or SEO strategist.
If you’re interested in learning more about how SEO-friendly copywriting can help get you even more leads and conversions, book a call today and let’s chat about your options.
