Search engine optimisation (SEO)

The best SEO results come from optimising site design and content. This should be done based on the factors search engines use to index web pages. Good site design helps search engines index your site, and increases your chances of a higher ranking in the results pages. 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 updated, well-written, relevant content will improve your SEO. It also provides a good reason for others to link to your website and for users to return. Blogs are an excellent way of keeping your content fresh and is well received by search engines.

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

Nowadays, mobile devices, such as smartphones, are commonly used to access search results. Research indicates that more than half of search traffic now comes from mobile devices (Statista, 2017). Search engines will 'qualify' content based on how well it renders on mobile devices. Although your website will be viewable on mobile devices, a more effective mobile presence may require a responsive mobile website. You can check if your site is responsive using Google's mobile-friendly test.

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