So, you’ve got a pretty website — awesome! But is it search engine friendly? 

A well-designed site isn’t just about looks. It’s about functionality, visibility, and user experience.

While search engine optimization (SEO) often gets labeled as purely technical, design plays a huge role in how well your site ranks and how users interact with it. 

By blending smart design choices with SEO best practices, you can create a website that looks great and performs even better.

SEO Design ‘Dos’ for Better Rankings

1. Stick to a Consistent Color Palette

A cohesive color scheme isn’t just about making your site look pretty — it’s about usability. Good contrast aids visibility, reducing bounce rates (people clicking away right away) and making your brand memorable.

Pro Tip: Choose colors that reflect your brand and ensure they work well together. Stick to a simple palette of around five colors and avoid combinations that strain the eyes, like red and black, and blue and yellow.

2. Use Clear and Compelling CTA Buttons

Your call-to-action (CTA) buttons are the MVPs of your site. They guide users to do what you want them to do. When users interact with your site, search engines take notice.

Pro Tip: Make your CTAs stand out with bold colors and place them where users will see them immediately. Use action-oriented phrases like “Shop Now” or “Start Today” to boost clicks.

3. Always Pick High-Quality Images

Great images aren’t just eye candy. They keep people on your site longer, which is a win for SEO. But beware, as heavy images can slow things down, and that’s a no-go for both users and search engines.

Pro Tip: Use images that add value to your content and look sharp. Compress them to keep your site zippy, and don’t forget alt text! They help search engines understand what your images are about and make your site more accessible.

4. Use Simple, Non-Serif Font Types and Appropriate Font Sizes

Font choices directly impact readability and user experience. When your content is easy to read, visitors stay longer on your site, which sends positive signals to search engines and can improve your SEO rankings.

Pro Tip: Stick with clean, non-serif fonts for body text and save the fancy serif styles for headings (H1, H2) in larger sizes to enhance legibility. Always keep text sizes at least 14px/pt to ensure readability, though 16px/pt or larger is even better for most users.

5. Have a Clean and Structured Layout

An organized layout improves navigation and helps search engines understand your content’s importance.

Pro Tip: Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content and embrace whitespace to avoid overwhelming visitors. Remember, there should only ever be one H1 on a page to signal the main topic. Also, break up large blocks of text with bullet points and short paragraphs for a cleaner look.

6. Design with Visual Hierarchy in Mind

A clear visual hierarchy helps your visitors and search engines figure out what’s important on your page. When key information is easy to spot, your site becomes more effective and SEO friendly.

Pro Tip: Play with size, color, and placement to make your most important info pop. Put the spotlight on crucial elements so that they grab attention right away.

7. Optimize for Accessibility and Mobile Friendliness

Making your site accessible and mobile-friendly isn’t just about being nice — it’s crucial for SEO and ensuring that everyone, regardless of their device or abilities, can access your content.

Pro Tip: Use a responsive design so your site adapts to any screen size. Test on different devices to catch any issues and ensure a smooth user experience. This makes your site more user friendly as well as aligns with SEO best practices for mobile friendliness.

8. Write Clear, Descriptive URLs

URLs that are clear and easy to read help users and search engines grasp what your page is about.

Pro Tip: Keep URLs short and descriptive, incorporating relevant keywords to improve visibility in search results. Avoid long, complex URLs that can confuse both users and search engines.

9. Add Internal Links

Internal links act as a roadmap for both users and search engines, helping them navigate your site and discover related content.

They also help search engines understand the structure of your site and the importance of various pages.

Pro Tip: Use descriptive anchor text for internal links to improve usability and SEO. Connect to related pages or articles to keep visitors engaged and to aid search engines in indexing your site more effectively.

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SEO Design Don’ts for Better Rankings

1. Do Not Use Excessive Colors

Too many colors can make your site look chaotic and overwhelm users. It’s also harder for search engines to interpret a cluttered design.

Pro Tip: Stick to a cohesive color scheme that aligns with your brand and maintains readability. Avoid combinations that strain the eyes.

2. Do Not Use Graphics Willy-Nilly for No Reason

Using blurry or irrelevant images can make your site look unprofessional and confuse users. Search engines also favor high-quality content, so poor visuals can negatively impact your SEO.

Always ask yourself, “Will this graphic help users or improve functionality?” If it doesn’t, consider leaving it out.

Pro Tip: Avoid using irrelevant or low-quality graphics just for decoration.

3. Don’t Use Massive Chunks of Text

Huge blocks of text can overwhelm users and make your content hard to digest. Break up your text to keep things clear and engaging.

Pro Tip: Keep your text short and sweet with shorter paragraphs, bullet points, and headings. This not only improves readability for users but also helps search engines better understand and index your content.

4. Do Not Overcrowd Pages with CTAs

Too many CTAs can confuse users and split their attention. You want your main actions to stand out without being lost in a sea of buttons.

Pro Tip: Focus on one or two main CTAs per page. Make them clear and compelling so users know exactly what to do next.

5. Don’t Upload Massive Images

Did you know it takes just 5 milliseconds for visitors to form an opinion about your website?

Large images can slow down your site and frustrate users. Search engines like Google consider page load speed when determining a page’s rank, so faster-loading pages can boost your SEO.

Pro Tip: Compress images to keep them under 200kb while maintaining quality. Free tools like TinyPNG are great for this. They reduce file sizes of WEBP, JPEG, or PNG images with minimal visual changes.

6. Don’t Rely Solely on Graphics for Important Information

Not everyone can see or understand graphics easily, and search engines can’t always “read” them very well. People who can’t see or understand those graphics might miss out on crucial details. Plus, search engines won’t properly index or rank your content if it’s hidden in images.

Pro Tip: Always include key information in text as well. This ensures everyone gets the important details and helps search engines understand and rank your content. Use HTML for tables and critical data to keep things clear and accessible.

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Push Your SEO Limits for New Levels of Success

Great design and effective SEO go hand in hand to ensure your website not only looks stunning but also ranks well and attracts visitors. 

By following these tips, you’ll boost your site’s visibility, enhance user experience, and drive more traffic.

If optimizing your website feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. SEO can be time-consuming and requires ongoing effort, but it’s essential for achieving lasting success. 

At 9 Clouds, we make SEO simple and impactful — helping you build trust, increase local visibility, and drive more traffic to your site. Let us handle the details so you can focus on growing your business.

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