With Website Design, as with so much else, there’s an old saying that always holds true: ‘you get what you pay for’.
It’s a theme we keep returning to, as prospective clients talk to us about either having a new website built, or having an existing but under-performing website re-built. Always, no matter how small or large the scope of the site, they ask us: ‘how much will this cost?’
We already answered that in our last blog – where we said that’s like asking how much a car costs. It all depends on the type of car you want.
For example, have a look at these:
They’re both cars, right? Both will get you around, and both will get you noticed. But how they do it is very different. And those differences are easy to see.
Unfortunately, when you commission somebody to build you a website, it’s not as easy to spot the differences.
You don’t get to bring it for a test drive first. You don’t even get to see it first. And even when you finally do get to see it, as it’s ready for launch, you probably won’t spot the problems with it. But all parts making up a website are every bit as important as the parts making up the engine of your car. And just as a car can look nice but not go very well if the engine isn’t up to scratch, so too can a website look nice but perform poorly if it’s not properly built.
Website design – the important parts
If this is your first time to consider a website, then this is probably new to you. Or, if you’ve already had a site built but are not happy with how it’s doing, then this might be something you wish you’d known more about earlier. Because the unfortunate thing is that too many website design agencies simply don’t put these important parts in place.
These are typically the ones operating at the ‘budget’ end of the scale. They don’t do it because it all takes time – and they simply can’t afford to give your Website Design that much time if they’ve only quoted a few hundred euro for the entire build. They’re in a hurry to move onto the next build and the next few hundred euro. So, they skimp on important parts like:
- Meta Titles – These are the titles given to each page of your website. They’re absolutely essential for Google and other search engines to find that page and show it to people. But amazingly, many developers will overlook them, purely to save on time. Your site will still function okay without meta titles, once you’re actually on the site – it’s the finding it in the first place that’s the problem. Put simply, it is impossible to rank highly without effective meta titles.
- Meta Descriptions – These are the descriptions that you see on the search engine results pages after you’ve keyed in a search term. They’re typically two lines of text, and while they have no real direct SEO power, they’re crucial in attracting click-throughs from that results page. There will always be nine more websites on a results page, vying with yours for attention – so having powerful meta descriptions will get you more clicks.
- Site Maps – These allow search engines to index all pages on your site. They’re the most effective way to tell Google what your site includes – and yet, some ‘budget’ developers don’t bother with them. Again, the main reason is they take time, and time means money. If you’re not paying for a full and proper service, you can’t expect to get it.
There are several other important factors too – like H1 tags, keyword optimisation, image optimisation, mobile responsivity, loading time, and much more.
Poor SEO: like keeping your website locked up
On the face of it, a website will look like it’s working properly, even without all these important SEO elements. Once you’re actually on the site, you’ll still be able to browse around and find all the content on that site. But the problem is how difficult it is for Google and therefore other users to find the site in the first place. No matter how good it looks, if people aren’t finding it, then it won’t do anything for you.
Having a website where people can’t see it would be like buying a snazzy sports car but keeping it locked up in the garage. You know you’ve got something good, but nobody else does.
That won’t happen with us
Choose a budget operator for your web design, and chances are that’s what you’ll end up with. At New World Digital, however, we perform all important on-page and off-page SEO techniques as standard with every Website Design we do.
That’s why we’ve got so many clients ranked on Page 1 for so many different terms, and it’s why we can do the same for you if you choose us for your Website Design and opt for one of our monthly SEO packages.
If you want things right with your first website – or if you want things put right with a website which you’ve already got but which simply isn’t performing – then get in touch with us.
Contact Us for an in-depth and no-obligation consultation on what exactly we can do for you with our Website Design, SEO Services, and Digital Marketing campaigns.
