What Your Web Designer Doesn’t Know
Many years ago I was under the impression that all web designers did more than just “design” websites. I thought they also incorporated search engine optimization (SEO) techniques into their websites to give them greater visibility and improve search engine rankings.
My Former Web Designer Taught Me The Hard Way
I hired a web designer to create a site for me and I kept wondering when he was going to ask me what I thought the keywords for my industry were. (The answer was apparently “never”!) After
my website was published, I asked the web designer why keywords weren’t incorporated into my site, why all my page titles were the same, etc… I was told that the price I had been quoted for web design covered only the “design”. The price did NOT cover keyword research and website or search engine optimization.
If I wanted my website optimized for search engines, it would cost me more money! I was given a second quote, labelled Phase II, for optimizing my website and making it more visible on the internet. I feel very strongly that SEO should have been part of Phase I. After all, there’s not much point in having a website if no one can find it on the internet!
I hope that by sharing my story, you will not make the same mistake I did many years ago. Be sure to have keyword research and website optimization incorporated into the design of your website. Doing so will save you money in the long run! And, you won’t need to have your website reworked to include search engine optimization techniques.
What Many Web Designers Don’t Know
While providing marketing services to my clients over the years, I’ve learned that many web designers
don’t talk about search engine optimization to their clients and don’t offer it as a service! Many of them do not know how to conduct keyword research to discover the words/phrases your target market inputs into a search engine to find your product, service or information. Many also do not know “where” in your website to place your researched keywords so that your site is optimized for search engines and easier to find.
What To Do If You Are Having a Website Designed or Redesigned
If you are having a website designed or redesigned, make sure you:
Hire a web designer who knows how to perform keyword research and how to incorporate researched keywords throughout your site.
Or, hire a Search Engine Optimization Consultant to:
- conduct keyword research
- provide your web designer with keyword rich text
- give your web designer direction on “which keywords to place where”
I have experience on both sides of the SEO fence!
- I paid a web designer for a site that wasn’t search engine optimized.
- Now I’m a web designer and search engine optimization consultant. I work with clients AND other web designers to help them incorporate search engine optimization techniques into their designs.
Do yourself a huge favor…make sure keywords and search engine optimization techniques are part of your initial web design or your redesign project. Doing so will save you money in the long run. It will also make your website more visible on the internet from the beginning.
In conclusion, make sure you know whether or not your “web design” quote includes keyword research and search engine optimization. If it doesn’t, ask your prospective web designer if they offer these services. If they don’t, look for another web designer. Alternatively, you could hire a search engine optimization consultant to work WITH your web designer.
Passionate about optimization!
Kimberly