If you own a website, you probably know that search engine optimization is an inherent part of design and development process. It would not be an overstatement if we said that the website design and development process is critical and a determinant of your position on search engines. It can make or break your success online.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is not only for search engine marketers. It is as much the responsibility of web designers, front end developers and business owners as it is of online marketers. Still, the World Wide Web is flooded with websites search engines can't crawl and index. The problem is mainly on account of poor design choices, unfriendly URL structure, back end programming, etc. etc. We could possibly write a book on it but for starters we will stick to SEO mistakes we frequently encounter.
1. Optimize as an afterthought: The biggest mistake to make is treat search engine optimization (SEO) as a secondary activity when it is a main component of the entire process.
A search specialist can perform keyword research and supply you with targeted words and phrases that can be incorporated in headings, categories, breadcrumbs, internal links, navigational schemes, etc. - the whole information architecture in short.
If a search specialist is brought after the site is created, you may have to rework parts or whole of website and this will cost you both time and money.
2. Splash Pages: A Splash page is a main entry/introductory page of a website and usually has a big graphic image or flash animation. In either of the cases there is a single link to “enter” the website which would usually take you to the home page.
Now if the link is text based, search engine crawlers will follow the link to the home page but if the link is embedded in a Flash object they may not. Making the home page invisible to search engines is a big problem because predominantly it is the strongest and highest ranking page of any website. You stand to lose a lot in terms of search engine visibility and visitors.
From a user perspective, Splash pages are usually an irritant for site visitors and therefore scores low in user friendly design. It also does not hold much value from a SEO perspective because of its inability to rank in search engines.
3. Overuse of Flash: While the use of Flash makes a website interactive and aesthetically pleasing, it also makes the website partially (if not fully) invisible to search engines. While search engine claim that they can now read Flash websites, the evidence is far from conclusive.
Search engine spiders are text based and in most circumstances cannot read text embedded in graphic images or flash files. It would therefore be advisable not to use:-
a) Image or Flash based Content
b) Non Spiderable Flash Menus
4. Overuse of Ajax: A lot of website owners get overly obsessed with the use of Ajax. No doubt it looks cool and provides great interactivity but what good will it do if the website cannot be found via search engines.
Because Ajax content is loaded dynamically, most of it cannot be indexed by search engines. If it cannot be indexed, it cannot be displayed in search results – simple as that. We are not implying that you should not use Ajax at all; use it but in moderation and in consultation with your search specialist.
5. Imbalance between graphics and HTML text: An effective website is the one which strikes a perfect chord (not literally) between HTML formatted text and graphic images. Extreme use of any of these two elements is not desirable.
At one extreme if you use too much text with little graphic images, the website would look bland and have an amateurish feel to it. On the other hand, the overuse of graphic is not advisable either from a SEO perspective. A website needs to have a culmination of text and graphics.
6. Empty image Alt attribute: If you have stayed with us this far, you now know that search engine crawlers are image blind – they cannot read images.
Alt attribute (text description) is what describes your image and is used by search engine crawlers to make sense of the image. Leaving it blank is like leaving it out.
Note: We are advocating its use not misuse for keyword stuffing.
7. Poor URL structure: Getting the URL structure wrong is quite easy at the design stage, especially in the absence of a search specialist and a list of important keywords and phrases. As the pages get named and the navigation structure gets setup, this small issue will quickly take mammoth proportion even before you realize it.
Friendly URL structure is good from both user and search engine perspective, and should be sprinkled (not stuffed) with keywords.
Example of friendly URL: domain.com/page-title
Example of unfriendly URL: domain.com/?p=12345
8. Use of session Ids: Session ID is a unique identifier attached to each visitor that allows you to track the visitor's journey from start to finish. It is widely used with eCommerce sites because it can be used to effectively track actions performed by the visitors. However, since session ID is tagged to each URL it creates a lot of duplicate pages and content, and is a nightmare when it comes to search engine optimization.
Now, this issue can be effectively addressed by use of canonical tag and URL parameter handling but that's just for Google.
9. Improper use of title tags: The commonest of all tag mistakes is the repeated use of same title across the website. Each page needs to have a unique title as it is one of the most important on-page ranking parameter. Using the same title for every page is effectively telling search engines that they are all the same.
I have also seen many instances wherein the title of a page is nothing but keywords separated by commas. No doubt you need to have your keywords in the title but not just them – it should be meaningful at the same time. Also, the title of the page should be limited to 65-70 characters, nothing more as it would get truncated when being displayed in search results.
10. “Click Here” as anchor text: It makes perfect sense to have actionable anchor texts because if you tell a person what he/she needs to do, you are more likely to get better results. “Click Here” fits the bill but use of anchor text is not limited to action element.
Anchor text also carries SEO value, and it would be great if you could take your search specialist in confidence and use actionable anchor texts which makes use of targeted keywords. Again, don't overdo it.
A website can have various functions but none of it can be fulfilled in full or parts if the website lacks online visibility. It is therefore incumbent upon the website owner and the design and development team, whether in-house or external, to avoid these often repeated mistakes. It would be ideal if you can have a search specialist working and consulting the design and development team from early on. Top 13 SEO mistakes web designers and developers make.