Web Design: How Visitors See Your Website Part I

By Author: Brett Hastings
Total Articles: 5
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When it comes to web design, understanding how your visitors see your site is critical. After all, it doesn't much matter how your website looks to YOU - it matters how it looks to your visitors and potential clients and customers. But web design isn't just about the looks and style of a website - it's about what a user sees and what that compels them to do. After all, even if you have thousands of visitors to your website every day, if they're not converting in some way then it doesn't matter how cool or stylistic your website is.There are two types of visitors that will arrive at your site: real human traffic and search engine bots and spiders. But while these two groups are vastly different, they're often looking for the same thing on a web page:What's this page all about?Does it provide valuable information?Is it a reputable site?These determinations are made based upon what visitors to your site see. In Part I of this series, we'll discuss what search engine bots see and how this will impact your overall traffic and conversion rates.*Search Bots and Your WebsiteSearch bots are specialized software programs built and managed ...
... by search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. These bots scour the web to find, categorize and index information: primarily the information found on web pages. When a bot comes to your site, it will be looking for very specific items, so it's important to optimize for the following factros:*Page Load TimeIt all begins when the bot first comes to your site: the longer your page takes to load, the worse the consumer experience is presumed to be. This is important because if you and your competitor are equal in all other regards, if the page load time of your site is much greater than your competition's, then it's likely that they will outrank you for your key terms.*On-Page IndicatorsWhile Meta data isn't used by most search engines anymore, traditional On-page indicators are still used. This is generally found in the keywords, titles and descriptions of pages, posts, pictures, videos and other content on your site. This is why it is vital to properly describe and title/tag your content with rich, relevant keywords that your customers are searching for.*NavigationA good Pittsburgh web design company knows that a search bot is going to do many of the same things a human visitor will do, and this includes navigate the site. Sites that are difficult to navigate will generally be ranked lower than comparable websites that have smooth and fast navigation links.*LinkingA search bot is likely to follow, categorize and index the links on your site. This includes the links you point to other websites as well as the links that point to interior pages of your site. Link anchor text and descriptions allow you to tell the search bot exactly what the link is all about.*Ads / Back Button HindranceConsumers don't want a spammy experience, and neither do search bots. If your site is cluttered with ads or you make it hard to navigate away from the page, you'll likely turn off both types of visitors.In Web Design: Understanding how Visitors See Your Website Part II, we'll discuss how the design, graphics, layout and navigation of your site impacts real human visitors. But if you know that you need help with these issues right now, then simply use the links on the bottom of your screen for a confidential, no-cost consultation. Because ultimately, if you're website isn't appealing to humans or bots, then it's not likely that you'll be found by either.