11 Tips for Designing an SEO-Friendly Website in 2023

Shay Berman
May 1, 2023
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With more and more people today turning to the internet to discover brands and businesses near them, having an SEO-friendly website has never been this crucial.

The whole purpose of SEO is to help your site rank higher in the search engine results.

Higher rankings are vital for improving your online visibility and generating more organic traffic as well as qualified leads, which can eventually result in more sales.

And, with them, your target audience will be able to find you quickly when searching for businesses like yours on the World Wide Web.

That’s the power of SEO.

However, with so much constantly changing in the world of search engine optimization, it’s no surprise that businesses have to stay on top of the latest trends and best practices. It’s the only way to keep your website ranking high on Google and other search engines.

Fortunately, there are so many simple ways to design an SEO-friendly website in 2023, and there are plenty of web design tools available to help you, as well.

From keyword research and content optimization to technical considerations, this guide is here to get you started on ensuring your business’s site is futureproofed and well-positioned on relevant search engine results pages.

Sound exciting? We know! Before we talk through what you need to do, though, let’s give you more reasons to get excited as we reveal the awesome benefits SEO has in store for you.

Benefits of Having an SEO-Friendly Website

By optimizing your company website for search, expect these incredible results coming your way.

Increased Visibility

SEO is designed to make it easier for search engine bots to crawl, index, and rank your website for relevant queries. This means that, when potential customers are using keywords

relevant to your business or offerings, you’ll most likely show up near the top of the related search results.

More Organic Traffic

Increased visibility leads to increased organic traffic. As a matter of fact, 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search. SEO will expose your business to users who are interested in

your brand or offerings, leading them to visit your website as soon as they see it as one of the top results.

Higher Conversion Rates

A well-optimized website will help you reach more people, and particularly those who are interested in what you’re offering. Once they’re on your site and they enjoy your content, as well as the overall user experience, there’s a huge chance that you’ll convert them.

Improves Trust and Authority

As your website climbs its way up to the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs), its credibility and authority will increase as well. This will give your audience confidence in your brand, as they’ll be used to seeing big, respected, and well-known companies there.

Better Customer Experience

A lot of the steps you’ll take to optimize your website for search engines will also help you to provide a better customer experience. For instance, it could involve improving your website’s loading time and navigation. This can translate into increased engagement and improved customer retention over time.

Cost-Effective Marketing

SEO doesn’t require costly ad campaigns or PPC models. You can count on your organic rankings to drive traffic to your website, which is a great way to reduce costs while still allowing you to reach the right people.

Top Tips for Designing an SEO-Friendly Website in 2023

Now that you’re well aware of how SEO can take your business to the next level, you’re more than ready to learn the different ways to implement it. Have a look at them below!

1. Focus on Relevant Keywords

Here’s something all SEO experts can agree on: keywords play a major role in SEO. They basically tell search engines what your page is all about, helping them determine how your website should be ranked for the best results. When you include the right keywords in your content, crawlers can be sure to present it in response to the most relevant queries. This helps your website reach more people and attract the traffic you want.

That’s why keyword research is one of the most important aspects of building an SEO-

friendly website. Obviously, you want to use the most appropriate keywords for your field of work or products. For instance, if you own a construction company, including top-performing keywords or phrases like “construction companies near me” or “home remodeling in [your city]” in your content can help to successfully boost your rankings.

A good rule of thumb is to pick keywords that aren’t just relevant to your topic, but those that have low competition at the same time. These would be keywords that are seldom or never used by others in your industry. Also, look at the average monthly search volume for your chosen words or phrases – the higher, the better.

Once you’re done listing all your keywords, use them throughout your pages, and — more importantly — add them as naturally as possible. Your content should speak to humans, not bots. Don’t overdo it to the extent that your post makes no sense anymore. Not only will this turn off visitors, but it’ll also affect your rankings as Google prefers to promote sites that offer a great user experience.

2.Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

What do you see after typing a query into the Google search bar? That’s right – links pointing to the 10 most relevant pages along with their title tags and meta descriptions, both of which are essential elements for improved SEO.

A title tag is the clickable headline displayed on the SERPs for a given result. And, under it is the meta description, which is responsible for providing users and crawlers alike with an overview of the webpage.

Optimizing these two elements can help boost your website’s search engine rankings. And, with catchy headlines matched with well-written, engaging descriptions, you’ll also notice an increase in your click-through rate (CTR).

Here are proven ways to optimize your title tags:

  • Keep them short and sweet — under 70 characters is ideal, as this is typically what search engines will display
  • Add modifiers like “best”, “2023”, or “guide” to your titles to make your page sound more appealing to your target audience, thus driving them to click on your link
  • Don’t stuff them with keywords. Otherwise, they’ll look spammy, giving users a reason to skip your page

And here’s how you can make the most of your meta descriptions, too.

  • Stick to the character limit. As with title tags, search engines will only display a certain number of characters in the results pages. In the case of meta descriptions, 160 is enough
  • Include your target keyword to help search engines understand the content of your page. Doing so will also give it a better chance of ranking for that keyword.
  • Make them enticing. Meta descriptions should encourage searchers to click on your page, so try to include something unique and particularly interesting in order to stand out from other results

3Make Your Website Mobile-Responsive

An SEO-friendly website in 2023 is one that responds well to all sorts of mobile devices.

As millions of people use their phones or tablets to browse the internet, Google decided to switch to mobile-first indexing in July of 2019.

If you’re unfamiliar, mobile-first indexing means that Google now primarily uses a website’s mobile version to determine its search engine rankings. In other words, the search engine prioritizes mobile-friendly sites over those that only cater to desktop users.

Besides improving your online visibility, a mobile-responsive website will offer a better user experience for everyone, regardless of the device they’re using. This will make them want to stay longer on your site, browse other pages, make a purchase, and come back for more.

Here are some quick tips to ensure your website looks fantastic and functions well on Mobile:

  • Adjust its layout to fit different screen sizes
  • Cut down on text; mobile users prefer simple, concise content
  • Use larger fonts and button sizes to make things easier to read and click on
  • Optimize images by compressing and resizing them appropriately so they don’t
  • take too long to load
  • Include mobile-specific features, such as ‘click-to-call’ buttons, which allow users

to quickly call you directly from their device

  • Include social media buttons to make it easier for users to share your content with their friends
  • Avoid pop-ups, flash videos, and other elements that lead to a slower loading time
  • Test your website on different devices and browsers to make sure it works correctly

4. Improve the User Experience (UX)

Enhancing your site’s user experience is another way to make it more SEO-friendly in 2023.

Search engine algorithms are constantly being updated to prioritize sites with better usability, as this guarantees that visitors are receiving a positive experience when they land on a page. Plus, it provides them with all the more reason to keep returning, and perhaps even hit the call-to-action button the first time they’re there.

So, what can you do to improve your website’s UX and delight your visitors? We have a few tricks for you:

  • Make your website easy to navigate and search. This means having a simple, clear menu structure with prominent search bars on all pages
  • Keep it fast. Invest in good hosting services, optimize your images, and don’t use pop-ups or flash animations
  • Get rid of any unnecessary clutter and distractions that might detract from the user’s primary task — focus on providing a clear path for users to get where they need to go
  • Offer helpful resources, such as an FAQ page or tutorial videos so users don’t have to search elsewhere for information relevant to your business
  • Provide a notification when users take an action on the page to give them confidence that their tasks are being completed correctly
  • Test your website across different devices and browsers to ensure compatibility and consistency in the user experience

5. Post Fresh and Valuable Content Regularly

Content is king — especially in the realm of SEO. It helps search engines index and rank your website. Essentially, if search engines see that your content provides relevant information that highly resonates with your audience, and that you’re posting on a consistent basis, search engines will typically reward you with better rankings.

Not to mention, the more relevant your posts are, the more your prospects will perceive you as a reputable brand and thought leader in your industry. And, the more they trust you, the more likely they’ll buy from you in the near future.

Keep your target audience in mind as you’re creating your content. Plus, you’ll want to write in a way that speaks to them effectively. Think about what they’re looking for so you can tailor a strategy to meet their needs.

Use words that reflect your personality and avoid sounding too robotic. Feel free to include visuals like pictures, infographics, and videos to make your content more entertaining and engaging, too. Most importantly, don’t forget to add your keywords sparingly.

6. Work on Your URLs

Many businesses make the mistake of overlooking their website’s URLs. But, what they don’t realize is that URLs can also affect search engine rankings.

You see, your URL can make your site more comprehensible for search engines and users. So, a clean and organized URL structure increases your chances of ranking high. If you want nothing more than to dominate Google, be sure to keep these pointers in mind:

  • Make your URLs simple and easy to read — this means avoiding long strings of numbers or letters that don’t make any sense
  • Steer clear of excessive numbers or letters at the end of the URLs, as it can make them look cluttered and hard to read
  • Try to use shorter URLs whenever possible, so they appear neater and more professional

7. Caption Your Images and Videos

As you’re already aware, search engine bots rely heavily on content to determine a page’s rankings. But, they can’t always understand the imagery you use. This is where captioning comes in.

Adding captions provide more context for your images and videos, helping bots better grasp what a web page is about. As of now, it’s the only surefire way to ascertain that they capture the information you’re trying to convey.

The key is to keep your captions concise but informative. Try to use a maximum of 50-75 words, as shorter captions are more likely to be read and have higher engagement rates. Also, incorporate relevant keywords to help your posts appear in more searches.

8. Add Internal Links Evenly

Internal links point from a certain web page to another that belongs to the same site. Including them throughout your content can help produce an SEO-friendly website. That’s because they direct search engine crawlers to the rest of your pages, allowing them to index everything accordingly.

Here are five good internal linking tactics to give you a head start:

  • Create a hierarchy with your internal links — use parent-child relationships so you can link related pages together in a meaningful way
  • Use descriptive anchor text when linking internally so readers can quickly get an idea of what they’ll find by clicking on it
  • Avoid providing too many links on one page as it can overwhelm readers and reduce the effectiveness of each one
  • Use keyword-rich anchor text to help boost the relevance of your internal links and improve their searchability for crawlers
  • Check that all your internal links are working properly and don’t contain any broken links

9. Build Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your own. They act as a sort of “vote” for your site, as they show other site owners are interested in reading and sharing what you have to offer.

Having more high-quality backlinks to your website will help boost its ranking on relevant SERPs, giving you more visibility and traffic. That’s why designing an SEO-friendly website in 2023 requires having a solid backlink strategy in place.

Find websites in your industry that have broken links on their pages. To do this, simply type “(your target keyword) + resources” into Google. The search engine will then display a list of sites that contain resource pages. Then, scan each of those sites for dead links by using a link checker tool like Screaming Frog.

After you’re done making a list of those websites, reach out to the respective owners.

Tell them that you have a similar post that could replace the link. If they’re happy to make the switch, you just earned yourself a backlink!

Broken link building isn’t the only way to acquire quality backlinks, though. For instance, you might also want to guest post for authoritative websites, submit press releases, collaborate with niche influencers, or take advantage of online directories.

10. Update Your Website Every Now and Then

For your SEO-friendly website to continuously generate the results you desire, you need to keep it updated. That way, bots will see that it continues to hold relevance and value for your audience, which means it’s more likely to maintain a good ranking.

Keep an eye on industry trends, create new blog posts, and update existing pages with new information. Remove stale or outdated content that’s no longer relevant, too, so visitors don’t get inaccurate information from your site.

11. Track Your Results

Once you’ve implemented all of these strategies, the last step is to monitor your progress.

Doing so helps you determine whether your SEO campaigns are working or not. It helps you better understand what’s working and what needs to be tweaked, as well, so your SEO efforts are as successful as possible. You’ll be able to see where changes need to be made if there’s a sudden drop in traffic or rankings, for instance.

With tracking tools like Google Analytics, you can gain insights into how visitors are interacting with your website, which pages they’re visiting most often, and how long they’re staying on them. This data will help ensure that your SEO efforts are effective and producing the desired results.

Final Thoughts

Bear in mind that SEO is an ongoing process and requires consistent effort to maintain its effectiveness. Keep yourself posted on the latest industry trends and best practices for digital marketing to ensure your website remains optimized for success.

Then again, you might also want to consider hiring a professional digital marketing agency to do all the heavy lifting for you. Whatever your decision is, we wish you the best of luck in growing

your business through SEO!

Written by Shay Berman on May 1, 2023

Shay Berman is the founder and president of Digital Resource, a full-service digital marketing agency located in South Florida. Shay’s clear-cut approach to internet marketing has driven his clients' businesses to new heights and allowed Digital Resource to land on the Inc 500 list two years in a row and be named as No. 49 on Entrepreneur magazine's Entrepreneur 360 list.