SEO Website Design Tips for Small Businesses

10 February 2021

As a small business owner, you may feel like you need to do everything at once. Build your site, generate great content, advertise, keep up with search engine algorithms, learn who your audience is, learn who your competition is – and on and on that list goes. At these stressful moments, it is important to step back and remember the adage “slow and steady wins the race”. Your business wasn’t built overnight, and neither will your digital marketing be.

The key to effectively marketing your small business is knowing where to put your efforts first. Website design is one of the most important elements of that and is a great place to start. Once you have the basics of your web design ironed out, you can do more work here and there to complete your digital marketing strategies over time.

Not sure where to start? Our Nashville web designers offer six tips for getting started.

Contents

1 SEO Website Design Tips for Small Businesses
2 Put It All Together

SEO Website Design Tips for Small Businesses

1. Learn how Google Crawls Your Site

As you are building your website and planning for your future in digital marketing, it is important to understand how Google crawls your site. That means understanding what it is that Google looks for on websites when they rank them in search engine results. Google’s algorithms change routinely, but there are a few concepts that are always the same – such as SEO and website design.

When ranking websites, Google looks at factors like:

Utility and usability (user-friendliness, page load speed, graphics loading, etc.)
Content (quality long-form content)
Long-tail keywords
Related key terms
Backlinks
Internal linking strategy
Optimized media

2. Choose a Clean and Simple Layout

As you get started with website design, one of the best ways to start is by choosing a clean and simple website layout. You want users to be attracted to your site and engaged with it, but you don’t want it cluttered or distracting. Choose a design that speaks to your brand and mission. Choose a color scheme that matches your logo and branding. Make sure your font is easy to read. Use the same template style for all pages.

3. Make Sure Your Site Performs

Yes, Google crawls and ranks based on SEO, but they also crawl and rank based on performance. That means you should make sure your site is optimized for fast page load speed, mobile use, and image speed. If your site only works on a computer, you will lose an endless number of possible mobile users.

4. Use a Consistent Layout and Formatting

Web design is just one aspect of building your brand. You should make sure that your website layout and formatting is consistent with other marketing materials, such as social media. Being consistent helps you establish your brand and makes you easily recognizable to customers from various platforms.

5. Use Every SEO Opportunity

Search engines match up results with websites based on their optimization and relevance to the search term. That means you should use every SEO opportunity you have. That means including your keyword in the page title, meta description, and URL. If your page is titled “Best Dog Toys”, your meta description should include that phrase, and your URL should be something akin to www.yoursite.com/best-dog-toys.

6. Add Alternative Text on Your Images

Alternative text, or ALT text, is an SEO tactic that seems small but can have big results. When you add an image to your webpage, you will have an option to add ALT text or an ALT tag. You want to put your keyword in that box so that search engines know that your image also links to your keyword for the page. Your images are indexed just like content.

Put It All Together

As you can see, there are many aspects to web design. For a small business, one of the best things you can do is to make a plan for where you will start and what goals you want to accomplish here and there. By using these six tips as you build your website, you will have a solid foundation for your digital marketing that will last a long time. For the latest trends and challenges in SEO click: https://whitepeak.io/blog/seo-trends-challenges-2022/

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Ariana Smith

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.

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The Best Photo Editing Software You Need to Know About

We all know the Photoshop tool, so much so that we call Photoshop retouching any photo editing. However there are many other photo software, but in this article, we are just highlighting the top 8 best photo editing software which you can use to edit your images without downloading the program. You can edit the image you want from any computer, and you will only need an Internet connection. But the best of all is that some are so simple that without any knowledge you can use them because they are very intuitive. How about? Has the bug bit you? Well, keep reading! So, let’s discuss more. Eight Best Online Photo Editing Software: 1. PicMonkey: I start with this one because it is the one I use the most, it will surely not be the best, but it is effortless to use, and if you do not know Photoshop or other similar programs, it will be beneficial. With it, you can also create collage, design cards or make up the face of a photograph. Some of their tools are paid, but you can do thousands of things without having to pay a penny. 2. Adobe Photoshop Express: Very similar to the original program allows working by layers, select elements. It requires more knowledge and practice, but everything is to put and learn. Besides, some necessary actions you can perform without problems. 3. Skylumluminar: Skylumluminar is the more professional photo software that offers many editing features. Its artificial intelligence feature differentiates it from any other photo software. Skylumluminar’s beautiful Interface offers a sleek canvas to enjoy and enhance your photography without additional distraction. It is a one-stop-shop for photo editing that can be used by itself or as a plugin in with other photo software too. 4. Pixlr It is a complete editor with three variants: Pixlr Editor: With an interface so similar to Photoshop Express that it seems that you are in it. It is complete and more professional, with a lot of tools and filters. You can also use keyboard shortcuts and even the right button. It happens to you like Photoshop, and it requires a bit more learning for more advanced editions. Pixlr Express: More basic and at the same time more intuitive, it is above all for quick touch-ups. It allows us to open photos from the PC, a URL or even from Webcam. You can also make collages with this program. Pixlr O-Matic: Much more comfortable to use, ideal for automatic retouching. A quick way to apply frames, filters, and effects. Of course, you will not find anything else, and you will not be able to select where to add them since they apply to the whole photograph. 5. Fotor: A very careful interface consists of five complete sections that will serve to edit, make collages, covers for your social networks, greeting cards and even "makeup." As the last option offers to merge an HDR image by uploading three photographs with different exposures. Read for more information in Fotor Review. The handling is very intuitive, you can add texts, and it offers a massive amount of creative filters, frames and clip art. And when you finish, you can share your image directly on social networks. 6. Phixr: The editor is quite complete, allows to focus, blur, adjust exposure levels and color, reduce noise and many other options as well as filters and effects. I find it somewhat uncomfortable to work, but the worst is that the photo takes a long time to load at the beginning and can despair a little. 7. Pho.to Editor: It happens the same as the previous one. It takes to load the image, although not so much. The options are minimal because the settings such as saturation, temperature, and filter application are automatic, so you cannot choose the intensity or graduated. It is simple to use and also allows you to share the result directly on social networks. 8. Befunky: To edit and create collages. You can upload your photo from your computer, webcam or some social networks. The highlight is the number of filters, textures, and effects it offers, in addition to the frames. You can include your image in a lot of ways and even letters. It is effortless to use, and the changes are applied to the whole picture although you can choose the intensity or the size of the brush and they are displayed at the same time. Read Also: 5 Things To Take Into Account To Hire Custom Software Development Services Why You Trust Your Photographer?

Picture Collage- Essential Things to keep in Mind while making your First Collage

A picture collage is perhaps the ultimate way to immortalizing your memories. Putting together your favorite pictures in a single frame could be the best thing to cherish your moments. There are several ways by which one can make a picture collage. One can simply use different online tools as well as numerous mobile applications that provide effortless collages at a single tap. You can either take a print-out of the collage, and embellish your bedroom’s wall, or just share it with your friends on social media. Read also: App Development Benefits: Here’s Why You Should Go Mobile Here in this article, we’ll provide some essential tips that will help you in making a perfect collage. Source: zdwired.com Pick the Most Colorful Pictures Many people are unaware of the fact that vivid and energetic colors bring out the finest masterpieces that augment the walls. One should pick the bright images that harmonize with your walls and your room décor. Your images contain certain sentimental values, which deserves a good artistic makeover that can increase their value. Sometimes people usually ignore the fact that dull or low-light pictures aren’t perfect for making a collage. You should focus entirely on colors and intensity of an image before finalizing it for a collage. Never Compromise on Quality According to the designing experts, one should consider images with high-quality preferably more than 100 dpi. However, the more you need to include the pictures on your collage, the lesser will be the requirement of quality. You can use images taken with a professional camera such as a DSLR, and some mobile cameras with a good camera can be preferred either. Read also: Handy Tools For Outdoor Photography Sometimes it has been seen that people don’t pay attention to the quality of images that they are using for making a collage. The tools used for editing can though enhance the quality, but only up to some extent. Choose the Appropriate Tool There are numerous online tools and platforms available in the market that offers best collage making experience. One just needs to select the images that need to be filled in the collage and upload it to the web application. Make sure you pick the right editing tool that doesn’t compromise on the quality of the pictures. Some tools may eventually ruin the quality of your images. Some online platforms like Canva offer free collage making services without demanding a single penny in return. One just needs to have some basic skills of editing a picture, and knowledge of color combination to create a masterpiece. Furthermore, you can also use your mobile phone to make a collage of your favorite pictures. Just download a reliable picture editing application on your mobile or tablet, and start creating a magnum opus out of your creativity. Source: images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com Consider some Editing There can be some exposures and color imbalances in your pictures that need to be rectified before putting them together in a collage. You can try to edit your pictures using some tools that can quickly add a subtle touch of excellence to your images. Sometimes people prefer to use some filters that mesmerize the entire collage. These filters are available in almost every photo editing app and online tools that provide effortless editing. You may also crop some portions of your pictures that you don’t want to add to your collage. Think over some Expert Advice There’s no harm in taking some advice from the industry experts regarding making a perfect collage. You get a better idea of color combinations as well as creating certain boundaries that augments your pictures. Apart from this, the perfect scaling of the image is necessarily important to maintain a proper boundary of the images. You can seek help from online tutorials as well to get a better idea of things.

Why Prototype Design Is A Way To Make Your UX Design Perfect

You are now ready to launch a new product to the market- where do you begin? You must consider many factors before letting your customers try out your product. One of the crucial processes is known as prototyping. UX designers develop a model that will test its usability and evaluate its functionality – a functional app prototype. Many UX services offer are ready to help business owners and organizations develop prototypes. You need a professional UX team to work seamlessly, identify the product's gaps, and enhance user experience. As for app design costs, you can read more in Eleken’s article. If you want to launch any successful product, you need to employ the best UI and UX designers for the job. When it comes to interacting and engaging with tech products, user experience and interaction is a top pre-requisite. By working with the professional UX design agencies in San Francisco, you will be able to create better, more efficient, and productive products that are loved by your customers whether you operate in the B2B or the B2C niche. Besides enhancing product quality, prototyping mitigates the risks involved in web development. Therefore, creating a prototype is a crucial step in product development. It is a process that brings the design concepts to life. This article examines the importance of prototypes to show why you need to create one for your web product. What Is a Prototype? During web development, the UX team creates a model of the product. This mockup replicating user interaction is known as a prototype. It is a design phase that shows how the product will function from the entry point to the various sections. This layout helps the client to understand the design direction and the overall approach. The primary purpose of creating this mockup is to gather feedback and improve on the design flaws. However, the reasons might vary for many designers, depending on the project goals and business needs. You can use different design programs to create the mockups, such as Adobe XD, Sketch, Figma, and Webflow, among many others. But how do you know how to rate the quality of a prototype? An effective prototype has an appealing representation, accurate details, and interactive features. It is important to note that prototypes are not final; it undergoes continuous improvements depending on the user feedback. Why Prototyping is Important Since you now know what a prototype entails, let us explore why it is an essential process in user experience design. 1. Better Outreach to Clients The web development industry is quite competitive since many companies and large organizations want different web products. Thus, you can use a prototype to convince clients that your development team is up to the task and can deliver impressive products. Talk is cheap, and most clients will go for an agency with a realistic mockup of what they want. Your web design firm has a higher chance of landing a client if you develop a detailed prototype. This will show your commitment level and preparedness to accomplish the project. Besides, it is a fun process that brings out your creative side compared to written documentation. Therefore, develop a flawless prototype and land that huge product development contract to gain a competitive edge. 2. Accurate Feedback Developing a prototype is important since it saves you a lot of frustration in changing a product. Sometimes a client might come with different expectations after you have completed the development phase. These changes will consume time and resources that you could have avoided if you had a detailed mockup. Thus, it is advisable to have a prototype that displays the final product. It will help you gather accurate feedback and additional requirements from your client. They will have a better understanding of the final product. 3. Enhanced Design Process Creativity does not happen once; you have to change the first design until it suits your product objectives. Developing a prototype ensures you achieve the desired results. Prototyping does not need much time and money; thus, you can change it many times until you are satisfied. This iterative process will help you improve the model and create stellar products. 4. Better Project Planning Most design teams often focus on short-term goals to complete the tasks. This approach might be detrimental to the entire project because they do not plan it accurately from the beginning to the end. But developing a prototype solves this problem. You can plan your projects better since you have a precise idea of what you want and can accurately calculate the resources required for completion. 5. Client Satisfaction The product development process is transparent; the customer gives the product requirements, and the team does the work. After completion, the client checks the work and makes corrections or closes the project if they're satisfied. However, this model does not involve the client 100%, and there will be many communication gaps. Prototypes work much better as they encourage client interaction and allow room for communication. You can follow the progress and give intermediate feedback to avoid costly errors and revisions afterward. 6. Less Frequent Modifications Completing projects without prototyping might seem fast. Still, making any changes to an already finished product is expensive and frustrating, especially with a team of freelancers. It usually has negative consequences. Therefore, take time to create a mockup and engage the client for feedback before proceeding to the development phase. You can easily alter a prototype compared to a finished product. Thus, avoid these modifications by presenting a detailed prototype and confirming every essential aspect of dev work before it gets done. 7. Better Work Morale Many people love to procrastinate when a project arises. The team might postpone starting projects even at design agencies, especially if they don't understand the product and client's needs. But with a prototype in place, the team will be motivated to start the design process right away, as they have a set of workable tasks and milestones. 8. Stellar Final Product When the client gets a prototype, they provide feedback on improvements. This is an effective approach to making the web product better with every iteration. With ongoing changes and revisions of the product design, the team and the client better grasp the progress. They can continually revisit the initial specifications and make adjustments to stay on track with the original business idea. Even large-scale changes surfacing underway can be implemented quicker and cheaper at the prototyping stage compared to the final product's revision. Final Word The design phase is not complete without a prototype. Develop accurate prototypes if you want to create a top-tier product with an exceptional user experience. Thus, prototyping is a win-win situation, as your client will know what to expect from the final product, and the team will simplify the development process. Read Also: Guide to Hiring a WordPress Developer 7 Advantages of Using Website Design Templates Bootstrap Templates and Allied Tools to Make Your Web Presence Easy and Instant

SEO Website Design Tips for Small Businesses