Search engine optimisation (SEO)

The best SEO results come from combining useful content, accessible design and sound technical performance. Search engines need to crawl, index and understand your pages, while users need a fast, clear and reliable experience.

Basic SEO techniques include:

• site accessibility
• high quality content
• links to and from other websites
• use of relevant keywords

Make your site accessible

The most important part of making a website search-engine friendly is good design. A well-designed website that will attract repeat visitors and satisfy customers should include:

• well-written, interesting content
• easy-to-navigate pages
• well-designed e-commerce systems 

You should consider the technologies to be used and whether they lend themselves to SEO. SEO can always be improved but, it's harder once the technology is established and the site is built. If you use a content management system, you should make sure it produces SEO-friendly pages.

For more information, see best practices in web design.

More technical considerations include using friendly URLs, standards-compliant code, and dynamically created XML sitemaps that search engines can use to index your website. Ensure that you don't prioritise 'style over substance'. Any features that enhance how your website looks should be balanced with search indexing, accessibility, and usability issues.

Have high quality content

Regularly reviewed, well-written and relevant content can improve SEO. It also gives other websites a reason to link to your pages and gives users a reason to return. Focus on useful content that answers real customer questions.

Descriptive page titles and subheadings will contain relevant keywords. This will help users understand what they are reading and help search engines match your content to related search queries. 

Mobile SEO

Mobile devices are now a standard way to access search results. Make sure your website works well on mobile and desktop, loads quickly and is easy to use. Use tools such as Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse to check performance and page experience.

When optimising for mobile, consider the nature of 'mobile' search. Should you include location-based keywords in your key phrases? If you design a mobile website, you should consider:

• using CSS layouts (style sheets) to support cross platform compatibility
• page layout and information hierarchy given limited screen space
• the types of content that you use, eg the use of rich media will increase download times
• the placement of any navigation and ease of use on mobile devices
• optimising e-commerce functionality for mobile, eg shopping cart