Search Engine Optimisation and Web Development

Website Design and Development

Every project is unique with its own set of specific requirements to be met. To get you thinking about what criteria your website should satisfy you could consider the following:

  • Do you have an existing identity / brand image that needs to be reflected in the web design?
  • Who do you expect to be visiting your website?
  • What is the purpose of your website? Marketing, product catalogue, provision of information or a service?
  • Do any of the sections in the site need to be secure?
  • Would you wish to take payments online?
  • Do you want to maintain the content yourself? All of it, or only some of it? - for example a latest news section.

Accessibility

Websites must be designed with the end-user in mind. The needs of people who might find it difficult to use the web must be fully considered, for example:

  • The physically impaired or learning disabled.
  • Inexperienced users or those with older technology.
  • Non-English speakers.
  • Users behind strict firewalls.

Sites must also be visible to search engines.

Search Engine Optimisation

The best time to consider search engine optimisation is right at the start. To perform well in search engines your website needs to have relevant content which contains your keywords and phrases. In addition the code should be accessible in order for the search engine robots and spiders (the small programs which analyse your website content and add it to the search engines). Complicated, poorly designed code can mean that these robots do not see all the content in your site making it difficult or impossible to find.

5 basic rules of SEO