Website Designers Santa Barbara and Goleta – How to Choose a Good Designer

by | Sep 12, 2011

10 Steps to Choosing a Good Website Designer

  1. Time in Business – How long have they been in business.

  2. Depth on the bench – If you are using this person/company to design and develop your new website, have they surrounded themselves with reliable support staff.  It’s very difficult to find one person that has the skills of a graphic designer, skilled Html and CSS expert, website developer, content writer, Search Engine Optimization Specialist and has good client communication skills.

  3. Time to develop – It’s a fact that the longer it takes your selected company to make your website, the more dissatisfied you will be with your choice.  The average small to medium size business website should take about 3-5 weeks to develop.  If someone quotes you several months, you should continue your search.

  4. Fixed Bid Pricing – Don’t get stuck having your website cost you twice what you were quoted.  Make sure to sign a “Fixed-bid Agreement” with your website developer.

  5. Good Content Management System “CMS” – Make sure your new website comes with a good Content Management System, which will allow you to edit your own content at no cost.  Do not develop a static Html website, or a Flash movie website.  These websites will increase your cost of maintaining the site, and dramatically reduce your optimization of content in the Google Search Engine.

  6. Search Engine Optimization “SEO” – Your new website should be able to easily allow you to optimize content for the Google Search Engine.  Even the best CMS can only automate about 50% of the optimization of your content.  The other 50% comes from the guidance of your website developer.  Make sure the person you hire is adding your content to the site with the intention of getting maximum exposure in the Search Engines.

    SEO is typically a paid service that is separate from the building of your website, so it is not difficult for your website developer to complete the SEO of the content as they are adding it to the site.

    The worst experience you can have is to spend your dear dollars on a beautiful website that no one can find.  You might want to ask your new Website developer if they can show you clients that have good ranking in the Google Search Engine.

  7. Design for Visitor Conversion – It’s one thing to get visitors to the site, it’s another to convert them into clients or customers.  For this you need to have “Call to Action” opportunities on multiple pages of your site.  Make sure your website designer/developer talks to you about how they are going to convert your visitors into clients.

  8. Reliable Hosting – All websites require a monthly fee for hosting. There are hosting services that cost as little as $5/month, but be aware that you may be getting what you pay for.  You will probably need to rely on your website developer to recommend hosting, just make sure it is a reliable service, with live support, just in case you need to call them for support.

  9. Reliable Email Service – Email service is usually provided by the company hosting your website.  We usually recommend a 3rd party service, like Google Email. Google offers FREE Email service for up to 10 Email accounts + 10 List Group Accounts.  For the average small business, this is enough.

  10. Customer Support – After your website is complete, does this person have a support system to answer you questions and issues you run into, or are they only developing new websites and moving on?

Designing a website with SEO in mind is crucial for improving its visibility in Google searches. Here are some key aspects to consider for optimizing your website design for SEO:

### 1. **Keyword Research and Implementation**
– **Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research**: Identify relevant keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
– **Strategic Placement**: Integrate these keywords naturally throughout your website, including in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body content.

### 2. **Responsive Design**
– **Mobile-Friendly**: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices as Google uses mobile-first indexing. Responsive design makes your site accessible and functional on both desktop and handheld devices.

### 3. **Site Structure and Navigation**
– **Logical and Intuitive Structure**: Organize content using a clear, hierarchical site structure. This helps search engines understand the organization of your content and improves user experience.
– **Breadcrumbs and Internal Linking**: Use breadcrumbs and a robust internal linking strategy to enhance navigation and authority distribution across your pages.

### 4. **Page Speed Optimization**
– **Fast Loading Times**: Optimize images, leverage browser caching, and minimize HTTP requests to improve page speed. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help assess and improve load times.

### 5. **Content Quality and Originality**
– **High-Quality Content**: Regularly update your site with high-quality, original content that provides value to your audience. This engages users and encourages sharing and backlinking.
– **Content Freshness**: Updating content with the latest information can improve its relevance and ranking.

### 6. **Meta Tags and Descriptions**
– **Compelling Meta Descriptions**: Write concise and compelling meta descriptions that incorporate primary keywords to improve CTR (click-through rates).
– **Title Tags**: Ensure each page has a unique title tag that includes keywords and accurately describes the page content.

### 7. **Use of Headers and Formatting**
– **Proper Use of Headers**: Utilize header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure content and highlight important information, making it easier for search engines to understand the hierarchy of your content.

### 8. **Optimized Media**
– **Alt Text for Images**: Add descriptive alt text to images using relevant keywords to improve image search ranking and accessibility.
– **Video Optimization**: If you use videos, ensure they’re properly optimized for fast loading and include transcriptions or captions.

### 9. **Secure and Accessible Website**
– **HTTPS**: Ensure your website runs on HTTPS to secure user data and improve trust and ranking signals to Google.
– **ADA Compliance**: Make sure your website is accessible to all users, which can also positively affect your SEO.

### 10. **XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt**
– **Submit an XML Sitemap**: Submit a sitemap to help Google understand the structure of your website and prioritize crawling.
– **Optimize Robots.txt**: Use the robots.txt file to guide search engines on which pages to crawl and index.

### 11. **Local SEO Considerations**
– **Google My Business**: Ensure your business is listed and updated on Google My Business if you target local audiences.
– **Local Keywords**: Include location-based keywords and create content relevant to your local audience.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll lay a strong foundation for your website to be more easily found and ranked by Google, ultimately increasing your site’s visibility and organic traffic.

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