The phrase “never judge a book by its cover” may not extend to websites and their SERPs rankings. Although website design is viewed by many as the process of making a website look and feel great and up to consumer’s expectations, search engines care about your website’s aesthetic as well. Does Google care about web design? Short answer, yes.
Your Web Design & Google’s Algorithm
Granted, it may be more interested in the ‘feel’ than the ‘look’, per se, but the website design is something that will . In fact, here are 3 major ways it happens:
1. User Experience Matters to Google
User experience (UX) is a major ranking factor for Google and other search engines, and the reason why is pretty understandable. People use a search engine to look for something, and they will click on one of the results on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). It’s important that these results provide relevant information to what the user searched for. If not, Google wouldn’t be the leader for searching the world’s information.
If Google search results included websites that were difficult to navigate, took forever to load, and had poor web design, we would get pretty annoyed. This is why poorly designed websites have a more difficult time climbing the SERPs ladder.
2. Crawlers Sometimes Need Help Scanning a Site
The process of web development and design also includes creating the site map and site structure. Platforms with a good hierarchical structure are more easily scanned by search engines, which ensures all of your pages can be indexed. Chaotic web designs, or those that aren’t structured or link correctly can have a negative impact on Google finding your site for specific search queries. The better “flow” your website has, the better chance it has by being seen by your target audience.
“User experience has to do with the way your website works, but the looks of the site are just as important.”
3. Well Designed Websites Can Have Lower Bounce Rates
Consider you’ve ended up on a website with its text written in neon-yellow font on a light grey background. How long do you think you’ll give that website a chance before you hit the return button?
User experience has to do with the way your website works, but the looks of the site are just as important. Websites need to be visually appealing to ensure your visitors don’t quickly leave because the design of your site is not eye catching.
And the design doesn’t have to be very artistic for it to be visually-pleasing. Usually, it’s about making sure visitors can easily read the content and having enough high-quality visuals to catch their attention. It’s important to make things easy for the user. Use clear CTA’s (call-to-actions), label links correctly, and keep it simple!
Web Design by Hungerford Media
Get in touch with our team today to make sure your website is set up to achieve optimal SEO growth and results. We’ll design a visually appealing website that is easy to use for your users and represents your brand and business correctly.
Contact us here or call directly at (616) 259-0078 to get started with our digital marketing services. We’re committed to helping your customers connect with your business!
