Search Engine Optimization has been the name of the game in web marketing and website development for many years now. As more and more blogs and sites swarm the web, it has become ever more essential to rank highly within the various search engine hubs online. Without strong SEO tactics, it can be nearly impossible to gain popularity online. A successful website relies completely on visibility on the web. If your site isn’t being seen, there is no way it can ever be very profitable. However, SEO tactics and techniques have in many ways become the burden of the content writer and marketing team. While these are perfectly logical areas for SEO to fall, there are plenty of SEO efforts that can be made in the area of web design. These are three major SEO mistakes that a web designer may make while designing a site that can really harm your site’s web visibility.

Too Much Flash
As many SEO specialists know, a Flash driven website bears no threat to its competitors because they do not rank well on Google. Many web designers use flash because it is great for interesting animations, games, illustrations, slideshows, and pictures. However, Flash just doesn’t make sense as the sole thing on a webpage. Google views Flash sites as websites without any content and, therefore, ranks them poorly. There are some ways to make Flash animation more SEO friendly, but it is still common belief that HTML content is superior. Some Flash is acceptable in your site’s design, but do not let it overpower the entire project. As a web designer, look into CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript programming over Flash animation.

Confusing Page Formatting
One of the most difficult aspects of web design is creating a page that is unique and exciting without being busy and confusing. All too often, designers will get carried away with the design of a page and completely overlook the functionality of the site. For blogs especially, it is essential that your site is easily navigable. As a designer, you should try to keep things relatively simple and straightforward in your design. For blogs, there needs to be a “categories” section where visitors can see the various topics being discussed in the blog. While this “categories” section can be designed intricately, it must also be clear. Do not let your beautiful design overshadow the content of the page. There needs to be a wonderful balance between design and content, where the two work flawlessly together.

Ugly URLs and Page Titles
Another aspect of web design that goes often overlooked is the titles of various pages and URLs. Having poor URLs can be a big detriment to SEO efforts. Many designers fail to see the importance of keywords in the URL. Long URLs with several parameter/value pairs should be avoided. Also, displaying the entire site hierarchy in the URL is frowned upon. Try to include keywords in the domain name for better SEO results. Also, including keywords in the title of an HTML document is a great way to boost your site’s visibility on Google. Work to avoid missing titles, duplicate titles, titles that are too short, and titles that are too long. You want to create page titles that are descriptive and keyword rich.

About the Author: Mariana Ashley

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.