The Basic SEO Checklist for Website Designers & DIYers
Whether you’re a web designer trying to improve the visibility of your clients’ websites or an entrepreneur starting from scratch on a brand-new site, it’s crucial to know some basic SEO tactics to implement for 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?
At the same time, I also totally get that SEO can be a bear to navigate and fully understand, especially when you’re juggling so many other tasks (like, HELLO, running a business!). So, to make your life just a littttttle bit easier, I’ve put together a list of some basic SEO must-haves for websites. Each of these tips offers insight and info on a few key tactics that are super easy to implement yet make a huge difference for your clients’ sites (or your own!).
create keyword-rich title tags & meta descriptions for each page
Title tags & meta descriptions are vital to 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 descriptions 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 attention-grabbing, Robust headings throughout the pages
When Google’s bots scan a new page on a website, they don’t see all the beautiful images and designs that we do. They ONLY see the content of each page in plain text in order to assign relevance based on they keyword phrases used throughout. Note that keywords are even more beneficial when used in your headings, so it’s crucial to include your target keywords in your H1s, H2s, and other headings wherever possible.
Of course, you always want to ensure you’re writing for the user, not the search engines. This means not keyword stuffing (AKA, throwing multiple keywords into your copy and headings even when, contextually, they may either not make sense or make the content sound stiff and robotic).
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 you or your clients the results you want without the penalties you don’t.
Use clear URLs (bonus points if they include a Targeted keyword)
One mistake DIYers and web designers can make during their process is forgetting 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 the images throughout the site. This process includes two simple steps: first, note that Google considers user experience when ranking websites in the search engine. So, if your website is slowwwww as heck, that’ll affect your standing. Therefore, your first step is to use a tool like Optimizilla to decrease the file size and ensure the website images 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!
And, hey, don’t forget to add alt text to your images. Offering image descriptions is not only beneficial for SEO, but it also provides a courtesy to visually impaired users who can gain understanding from the content of each image on your website.
Partner with an SEO copywriter to get the best results for your high-ticket website design clients
When it comes to SEO, you definitely don’t have to be a total expert—but, it’s certainly beneficial if you know some of the basics while you design a website for either yourself or your client. Many people tend to forget how important a site's SEO strategy can be, which is why business owners often get frustrated when they have a fresh 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 how we can partner on your website needs.
