This article reveals several important web design elements you must consider during website optimization process.

1. CSS Stylesheet

It is good to use CSS stylesheet to format your web design because it can standardize the appearance of your website. For the sake of convenience, some web designers use internal CSS.

It is no good! You should use external CSS stylesheet so that
your HTML coding becomes consise, and mainly compose of your website content. It is an essential SEO practice.

2. Content Management Software (CMS)

If you use CMS to manage your website, make sure your CMS provides these features:

a. Allows you to define different templates for different sections/pages. It gives you flexibility in optimizing website content.

b. Allows you to define Title and Meta tags for different web pages. Again, it gives you flexibility in optimizing every web page.

c. Allows you to generate static HTML pages instead of dynamic pages. Search engines are not good at reading dynamic web page. Accoding to Google webmaster guideline, Google may not index dynamic URL with more than 2 parameters within the URL.

If your web pages cannot get indexed, you definitely get no rankings no matter how many SEO effort you make.

3. HTML Code Compliance

As a good web design practice, make sure your HTML coding is compliant to some well recognized HTML standards such as W3C standard. Some search engine optimizers reported that non-compliant web design could cause difficulties for search engines
to index and analyze your website. It hinders your website to get top search engine ranking.

4. Use of Graphics

You must optimize the file size of your images. As search engines like to read text, you should consider avoiding the use of graphics near top of your website, whenever it is possible.

5. Multiple-level Navigation Menu

Many websites use multiple-level navigation menu in Javascript. However, the coding usually leaves in the HTML body. This is no good in terms of SEO. I recommend seperate Javascrpt from HTML coding by using external Javascript file. For example, Marketshare - an Asia consumer market research firm, found that their website cannot get indexed properly by several search engines. This situation has been changed only after adopting external Javascript.

6. Bad Web Design

To make your web design search engine friendly, you must consider avoiding:

a. Use of frame. Search engines have difficulties to index all your frameset. Even though they can index some frame pages, users would only access to part of your webpages only in case they can find your website from search engines, e.g., only see a left-hand side navigation menu with a blank page on the right-hand side.

b. Re-direct techniques. For some reasons, web designers may make some re-direct pages or adopt Javascript re-direct techniques and re-direct visitors from one page to another content pages. Since search engine spammers usually use this technique, search engines could penalize your website.

7. Flash

Web designers may sell you to build a flash website or make a flash intro page as your home page. Their point is that flash makes your website more appealing and it would improve effectiveness of your website. However, it is not always the case.

Visitors want to find information fast. Flash sometimes could make your website slow and require visitors to install plugins before they can see your website. In terms of SEO, simply speaking, search engines treat flash as a graphic and cannot analyze content inside a flash file. The implication means a flash website is hard to get top search engine ranking.

Conclusion:

For small business to succeed online, you must strike a balance between SEO and fancy web design. A too fancy web design, in many cases, cannot give you any business as no one can find your website from search engines and if it annoys your visitors.

Jimsun Lui, is working in Agog Digital Marketing Strategy Limited, a company offers SEO Services for both English and Chinese search engines. Click here to learn more about how to optimize website. The company also offers Ecommerce Web Design Service with an emphasis of search engine friendliness.

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If there was a web design and development Bible these would be the Ten Commandments

1.Thou shalt not make me wait.
If you make me wait more than 10 seconds for your page to load you might as well replace it with a nice goodbye message. Go easy on the graphics, optimize their size, and make the focus of your site the content you provide.

2.Thou shalt not make me work.
If it takes me 5 minutes to locate your contact information (or worse to figure out what it is you’re selling) - I’m leaving. People visit websites to get information quickly. There’s a reason why we don’t use the yellow pages anymore or spend hours searching classified ads in the Sunday newspaper. The general public is lazy and impatient. Don’t make a user work to find the information they’re looking for on your site.

3.Thou shalt not kill me with flash overload.
Flash is a great tool. It can add visually pleasing elements to your site and make you look like you’re up-to-date with current technology. That said - I don’t want to hear the same techno song over and over while I browse your site or get a headache from the laser show on each of your pages. A short and crisp flash message gives off the impression of professionalism and keeps you from violating Commandment #10.

4.Thou shalt not provide me with useless, stale information.
Have you ever been looking at a site, reading the content, only to realize that it’s referring to a years old event as if it occurred yesterday? That might be the fastest way to get people to leave your page. Do not promote sales offers that have expired weeks ago on your site. Rich, updated content is the key to a visitor’s heart - not to mention one of the most important aspects of search engine rank.

5.Thou shalt not forget to offer me something.
I love when people give me things. It doesn’t much matter what it is, but if it’s free I have no reason not to take it. You should offer visitors to your site something useful right away. If your website promotes a service offer an e-book or a newsletter that highlights free tips and information relevant to your service. If you sell products offer special coupons or free offers for submitting an email address. In each case the goal is to build a targeted subscriber list filled with people you already know are interested in what you have to offer. You’d spend countless hours and thousands of dollars with direct marketing agencies to develop targeted marketing strategies of this caliber.

6.Thou shalt not frustrate me with unclear navigation.
This goes hand in hand with not making me work but it’s so important it deserves its own commandment. Navigation should be consistent. Don’t make me go searching for a way to go from page to page. Pick a horizontal or vertical layout for your primary links and stick to it. If you intend on using a second-tier navigation system as well for things like external links, news, and other detailed information make sure it is also consistent from page to page. A quick tip: Have someone you know browse your site and watch how they navigate it. It is an exercise that will provide you with valuable information on how easy your site is to navigate.

7.Thou shalt not look like an amateur.
Probably the greatest quote I have ever heard about website development was, “A website has the ability to make a million dollar business look like its run out of a basement - but it can also make a business that is run out of a basement look like a million dollar business.” Which kind of site would you rather have?

Broken links, outrageous color schemes, and strange font-types and sizes will make you look like an amateur. But crisp, clean, professional design can make your home-based business look like a well oiled Fortune 500 power.

8.Thou shalt not believe in the “Field of Dreams” phenomenon.
Have you seen the movie Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner? If you haven’t I suggest you rent it, watch it, and then take the theme of “if you build it they will come” and throw it out the window immediately while planning your website.
You can’t just build a website and hope that people will just show up and buy. Like the development of any business it takes time, effort, and (some) money. Plan an internet marketing strategy that separates you from your competition so that you can build traffic and as a result, your business.

9.Thou shalt not forget to plan for the future.
Once you build your site and promote it your business will change. How do you plan to evolve with it? Have a plan in place from the start with future goals. If there’s one thing I’ve learned while consulting for small businesses it’s that those who set specific targets have success (even when they fall short) while those who operate on a day by day schedule struggle. Set realistic goals and even some far-fetched ones. You’ll notice a difference in your progress when you have something to work toward.

and the last and probably most important:

10.Thou shalt not think me to be an idiot.
Forget the gimmick lines like “guaranteed to make you millions” - “never have to work again”. They don’t work and they scream, “SCAM”. Be professional and earn the trust of your visitors. Offer them useful information that is reliable. The customers you want are the ones who keep coming back. Show them you’re worth their time and don’t undermine their intelligence. Gimmick businesses like that are plentiful on the Internet but if you plan to stick around awhile build your business the right way and you won’t need the scam strategies.

Follow these 10 Commandments when building and developing your website and you’ll be on the path to Internet business salvation. If you have any questions about this article or how to start planning for your site contact us today for a free consultation.

Derek Falvey is the owner of Acuvar Creative a full-service web design and development firm http://www.acuvar.com. He has helped numerous businesses from law firms to home builders (and even farm owners) create internet business strategies.
Acuvar specializes in web site development and creative e-marketing as well as graphic deign, flash and multimedia presentation, and newsletter creation.

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