Web Design and SEO

[PaulMycroft]

Hi guys,

I really enjoy the podcast and have learned a ton about white hat SEO. It's "good stuff", as David says!

As a Web designer, I have been developing a decent SEO understanding over the past few years and currently include search engine-friendly architecture and design in my clients’ Web site design and build. This allows their sites to gain a decent foothold in the engines and attract some traffic on an ongoing basis but I do not have time to work on my clients’ sites full-time.

I would be interested to learn what SEO services you think a Web designer like me could offer compared to a full-time SEO specialist. I spend much of my time each month designing, building and maintaining Web sites but I also do some monthly SEO maintenance, including Google Analytics/traffic software analysis, keyword and internal linking adjustment, and some external linking. It covers about 4 hours/month so I know it's not much. In fact, I can hear you laughing. But I do get decent results for my clients.

Just wondered what you thought.

Thanks!

[mjtaylor]

Hi, Paul,

Glad you are enjoying the Podcast and learning about SEO ... and I think you will find a lot of information on this board to support you in expanding your SEO services. You might want to have a look at SEO: Where Do I Begin? (http://www.webproworld.com/search-engine-optimization-forum/49747-search-engine-optimization-where-do-i-begin.html)
It's a great thread and has much to offer all the way through ...

Let us know how we can help.

Cheers, MJ

[incrediblehelp]

Lots more here to MJ:

Search Engine Marketing For Newbies - Jaan’s Search Marketing and SEO Blog from Cincinnati, Ohio (http://www.jaankanellis.com/search-engine-marketing-for-newbies/)

[Webnauts]

Since you are a web designer, I hope the mods will not consider my post as self-promotion if I place here a link to one of our services describing Human & Search Engine Friendly Web Design Services (http://www.seoworkers.com/search-engine-optimization/friendly-web-design.html) and a tutorial The strong link between Usability & SEO (http://www.seoworkers.com/seo-articles-tutorials/usability.html).

Also you can find excellent tips at our site review request in our own forums: SEO Workers would appreciate review. (http://forums.seoworkers.com/seo-workers-would-appreciate-review-t34.0.html)

I am sure you will find there the best tips around concerning human and search engine web design.

Just my two cents.

[mjtaylor]

Hmmm... *I* would consider those posts self promotion ...

[Webnauts]

Hmmm... *I* would consider those posts self promotion ...
Please delete my post MJ. And maybe also of Jaan too?

Thanks. :)

[incrediblehelp]

Done and done Webnauts. Those links can only help this post and new members and their is no reason for someone to retype everything into a seperate post here, but since they seem to be self promotional i no issue with deleting both of them.

[SteveGerencser]

I don't know, any time you have to start a statement with, not to be rude, or no offense but, or I hope these don't seem self-promotional, you kind of have to assume that they are all of those things and the person making the statement knows it..

[PaulMycroft]

Thanks MJ, that's a great thread for me to use in my ongoing SEO/web design efforts.;)

Not sure I understand what the last 3 are on about though. Maybe something got deleted (a Webnauts post?)? :confused:

[brian.mark]

We are discussing this thread tonight for airing on 1.9.2008.

Brian.

[summer14]

Since I was once Web Designer, having background in Web designing can help greatly in SEO, because of the reason of you can design the site both for users and search engine bots.

[drmadcow]

I'd team up with an SEO that is a reseller, or pays out a nice commission. I've found the more things you try to focus on the less specialized you are at any one. And there is a shortage of companies that do search engine friendly design, without trying to dabble in SEO while doing their clients a disservice. That being said you could read up on areas such as keyword density, then build a nicely optimized page and hire a link building company to build up the reputation of the sites. Cheers.

[Webnauts]

I was once the web designer too.
And so what?

[kevsta]

john i think it might be time to get some sleep again dude, unless im losing the plot, that last post is in the wrong thread? :)

[Webnauts]

john i think it might be time to get some sleep again dude, unless im losing the plot, that last post is in the wrong thread? :)
No man. :lol:

The mods deleted the posts of a spammer I was responding to. :)

[kevsta]

aha :) ..ok that explains it. but surely youre far too busy to respond to spammers?

[kronikmedia]

I think as a web designer you could look into offering may types of SEO services. At the end of the day SEO has no trick; only hard work. As such I don;t think the services you can offer will be different to what and SEO expert may offer.

Have you though about offering new content services. If many of your clients belong to a specific industry then maybe you can look into creating combined RSS content that you can offer specifically to your clients. As long as you do not syndicate your content to too many other websites and keep it specifically for your clients each one of them will still be able to get some benefits to their search position due to new content on their website.

[Webnauts]

I think as a web designer you could look into offering may types of SEO services. At the end of the day SEO has no trick; only hard work. As such I don;t think the services you can offer will be different to what and SEO expert may offer.

Have you though about offering new content services. If many of your clients belong to a specific industry then maybe you can look into creating combined RSS content that you can offer specifically to your clients. As long as you do not syndicate your content to too many other websites and keep it specifically for your clients each one of them will still be able to get some benefits to their search position due to new content on their website.
What??? You better read this because we continue discussing this: Don't Hire a Butcher to do a Baker's Job - Search Engine Watch (http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3629474)