Search Engine Friendly Design

One inevitable outcome of having a website is becoming obsessed with showing it off. We want to tell everyone that WE have something that will knock their socks off and we want to tell them now! One advantage to using the right custom web designer is that they will be able to build your site so that there is no wasted effort when a search engine collects your information. Here’s how search engine friendly web design works…

A search engine does what is called crawling. It uses the links on your web page to find other pages on your site and on the internet. This means that your information needs to be in a format the search engine can read. What can a searching engine read? Text. Text, text, text, and text. This means issues such as javascript (or Flash), fancy links, images, frames, and “splash pages” all need to be addressed.

Javascript and Flash
Javascript and Flash are great tools to grab your viewer’s attention. These are the codes that will animate your site. They make your buttons shine, your pictures move, and your music play! They are also almost completely ignored by search engines. What does this mean? If you have something important to say make sure the information is also said somewhere in addition to your site animations or search engines will not log the information for users to find.

Links
So going back to our first point, search engines do not read javascript, you have to make sure that any fancy menus used can be read by the search engine or provide regular links to those pages for the search engine to find. A site map is a great way to counter act the debilitating consequences of a super shiny and animated menu. As an added bonus a site map will not only help users land on your website but it will help them find their way if they get lost. For example, you can view a fancy roll out menu and site map at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Images
Like Javascript and Flash, images are also unreadable. It is a good practice to use an “alt” tag for all images. An “alt” tag is simple a line of code that no one can see but the search engine. It will help important images like buttons be seen as well as help all other images be defined and described for people using web readers for the visually impaired.

Frames
Frames act like windows that let someone look through one page and into another. What’s all the trouble about? A search engine cannot read anything through the window. So, the information you really want them to see is exactly what’s missing!

Splash Pages
Splash pages are used as an introduction to a site. They will often display a grand flash animation, motto, or welcome message with a link that lets you “enter” the site. Try to remember that you want a search engine to read the most important information first and burying your data in an inner layer will only make it more difficult to get your message heard. If you must use a splash page be sure it includes a link to your site map.