In today’s digital landscape, having a beautifully designed website is only half the battle. To truly thrive online, small businesses need to ensure their website is discoverable by search engines like Google. This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) comes in. At New Century Design, we not only provide small business website design services, but we also ensure that every website is optimised for search engines from the ground up. We specialise in creating small business website designs that are both visually engaging and SEO-friendly, helping your business stand out and attract the right audience.
1. Website design and keyword optimisation
One of the foundational elements of SEO is keyword optimisation. These are the words and phrases people use when searching for the products or services you offer.
- How to get started:
- Research relevant keywords: Think about what terms your target audience might search for. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to identify popular search terms in your industry.
- Place keywords strategically: Once you’ve identified your main keywords, incorporate them into your website’s key areas:
- Page titles
- Headings and subheadings
- Body text (without overstuffing)
- URLs
- Image alt text
However, it’s important to maintain natural readability—your content should still be engaging for real people, not just search engines.
2. Create killer content about your amazing small business brand
Search engines love fresh, high-quality content that provides real value to users. By creating content that answers questions, solves problems, or provides helpful insights, you’ll not only rank better but also engage your audience more effectively.
- How to implement this:
- Start a blog where you can share tips, industry news, or customer success stories.
- Create product guides, FAQs, or case studies that address common questions or problems your target audience faces.
- Regularly update content to keep it relevant and accurate.
3. Optimise your meta descriptions
A meta description is a short snippet that summarises the content of your webpage. While it doesn’t directly impact search rankings, a well-written meta description can encourage more people to click on your link, increasing your click-through rate (CTR), which does influence SEO.
- Best practices for meta descriptions:
- Keep it under 160 characters.
- Include your target keyword.
- Write a compelling and concise summary that entices users to click.
4. Make sure your website is responsive!
In today’s mobile-first world, having a website that looks great and functions well on all devices—whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or desktop—is essential. Google uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor, so if your site isn’t responsive, it may hurt your SEO.
- How to check and improve mobile responsiveness:
- Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to see how well your site performs on mobile.
- Ensure your design is flexible, meaning text, images, and layout adjust seamlessly to different screen sizes.
- Prioritise fast loading times by optimising images, reducing code bloat, and leveraging browser caching.
5. Internal linking
Internal links are hyperlinks that point to other pages within your website. They help search engines understand the structure of your site and spread link equity (the value passed from one page to another).
- Why internal linking is important:
- It keeps visitors on your website longer by encouraging them to explore more content.
- Helps search engines crawl and index your site more effectively.
- It allows you to highlight important pages, like service offerings or product categories.
When creating internal links, use descriptive anchor text (the clickable words), so users and search engines understand what the linked page is about.
6. Image Optimisation
Images play a key role in web design, but they also need to be optimised for search engines. Large images can slow down your site, hurting user experience and SEO. Additionally, search engines can't "see" images in the same way people do, so it’s important to help them understand your visuals.
- How to optimise images:
- Use descriptive filenames for images that include keywords.
- Add alt text to each image, describing the content and including keywords where appropriate.
- Compress images to reduce file size without compromising quality, using tools like TinyPNG or JPEG-Optimizer.
7. Build Quality Backlinks
Backlinks—links from other websites to yours—are a crucial part of SEO. Search engines see backlinks as a vote of confidence, suggesting that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
- How to build backlinks:
- Guest blog on other reputable websites.
- Collaborate with local businesses or industry partners to share links.
- Create high-quality content that naturally attracts links from others, like guides, infographics, or research.
8. Use SEO Tools for Monitoring
Lastly, monitoring your SEO efforts is key to understanding what’s working and where you need to improve. There are a variety of free and paid SEO tools available to help you keep track of performance.
- Tools to consider:
- Google Analytics: Track traffic, user behaviour, and other key metrics.
- Semrush: Track traffic and keywords
- Google Search Console: Monitor your website’s performance in search results and fix any indexing issues.
- Yoast SEO (for WordPress users): This plugin helps you optimise your content for search engines, providing real-time feedback.
Final Thoughts
Implementing these basic SEO strategies will set your small business website on the path to greater visibility and higher rankings in search results. Remember, SEO is a long-term investment that requires ongoing effort, but the rewards—such as increased traffic, higher conversion rates, and more qualified leads—are well worth it.
At New Century Design, we specialise in building SEO-friendly websites for small and independent businesses across the UK. If you need help optimising your website, we’d love to collaborate with you. Get in touch today to find out how we can help elevate your online presence.
