Behind the Scenes

Many people don't realise just how much goes on behind the scenes of a website, and how critical it is that everything is done right so that you can get that all-important high search engine ranking.

Everyone who has a website is competing for high search engine rankings. For example, if you use Google to search for 'florist worthing' you get 76,500 results - yet its being in the first ten search results that matters! This is because people who use search engines openly admit that they very rarely trawl the second, third or even fourth results page. So being on that first page, and as near to the top as possible, is very important. This is where we can help.

Search Engine Friendly Websites

The way that a site has been put together will have an impact on how search engine 'friendly' it is.

The website should be built in such a way that search engines can read all of the information from the site, in order to build an extensive database of relevant keywords. This will ensure that you get the best rankings.

A site should have a description. Images should have ALT and description tags. Hyperlinks should have titles and all of this should be tested to ensure they are not broken, as a search engine will penalise you for any mistakes.

It's also important to get the balance right. Too few keywords and you won't be a good result - but too many, and Google and other search engines will accuse you of 'keyword stuffing', and penalise you further.

Another important factor is to ensure that your website is cross-browser compatible. There are quite a few browsers in common use, such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera - and that's just to name the main browsers.

Fonts

Did you know that in order for a font to appear correctly, it needs to be present on the computer of the user viewing your website?

However, there are tricks that we can use to ensure that your text is presented properly.

Website Accessibility

Did you know that you have a legal obligation to ensure that your site does not discriminate against people who are colour blind, partially sighted or have any other disability that might prevent them from being able to 'experience' your site as you intended?

Did you also know that the RNIB have warned companies to make changes to their websites, otherwise they are well within their rights to sue for discrimination?

Therefore, it's important to get your use of colour, navigation, links and content right, as if not, you'll not only be making the site unpopular, but you will also be turning away potential customers.

Wording

This is often one of the most overlooked areas of website design.

You need to ensure that you get the phrasing right, and that you get the right balance of keywords.

There is a skill and an art to getting it right, but the results are worth it. Search engines will see your site as being the most valid result for peoples searches. 

Much, much, more

These are just a few key aspects of web design, although there is much more, such as image titles, URL masking and re-writing, tooltips, email encoding and spam avoidance, accuracy, consistency, regular updates, testing, reciprocal links, page ranking, Google analytics, paid advertising and more.

Over 17 years of web design experience has ensured that our knowledge is top-notch. We develop websites that are proven to be effective and we can work with you to help you every step of the way.

The Competition

As soon as you have a domain, you will be bombarded with emails from companies claiming that they can get you top search engine rankings. Treat these emails with caution.

Some of them are spam and well be trying to confirm whether your email address is valid before selling your details as part of a contact list. Other, less dubious messages are from overseas or bulk mailings, in the hope that if they cast a wide net, at least a few will bite.

Also, bear in mind that a good eye for design does not a good website designer make. Whilst a website might look pretty and professional, it really is what lies beneath the surface that will ultimately lead to the website's success.

Therefore it's all about getting the right balance.

To sum up:attractive visual design + simple and logical presentation + good balanced wording and phrasing + behind the scenes settings + appropriate content = good website.

Why RAW-Systems?

We have been involved with the internet since the early 90's, even before most people knew an that internet or a world wide web even existed. Rob Wassell designed his first website in 1994, and has been building and maintaining them ever since.

We have evolved alongside the internet. We understand how it works and we keep up to date with new developments in technology. In addition to this, we have a great deal of experience with user interaction, software design, software development, testing, quality control, marketing and sales.

This is how we are able to work with our customers on all aspects of web design and associated services.

For more information on our success at achieving high-rankings, please refer to our case studies.

For further information or simply to discuss how we can help you, please get in touch.