Are Web Designers the Biggest Threat to SEO's?

[janeth]

Web designers build pages that attract visitors and convert those visitors. Unlike SEO's who only worry with were the page ranks.

Both SEO's and Web Designers want keywords that are:

1. Relevant

2. Get lots of traffic

3. Have low competition

The difference is a web designer knows keyword research starts with an understanding of what the page will offer.

A web designer writes title tags that include the keyword to let the web visitor know what the page is about. SEO’s include the keyword a certain number of times in hopes of getting a little extra brownie point from Google.

A web designer takes it a step further and tells a story inside the title tag. A web designer knows that the first step is getting someone to click onto the page.

A web designer uses header tags to break up the content and make it easier to read. SEO’s use them to stuff keywords making the content unreadable.

An SEO uses navigation to funnel link juice through the site. A web designer uses dynamic navigations. The navigation changes depending on the users experience and understanding of your product. Giving the website owner more control of the link juice.

SEO’s write emails asking website owners to exchange links. Web designers build awesome websites that tell a story. Other webmasters link to the story.

For a web designer, the best form of SEO is—no SEO!

A web designer writes short, punchy, unique, colorful, and valuable information. While the SEO tries for long and boring articles.

Are Web Designers the Biggest Threat to SEO’s?

[leonstreete]

I think the other role is the Content creator who is versed in SEO, Web Design and understands Conversion Rate and how Call to Action invokes successful web design.
This person knows content is king, but they can design the right elements in Photoshop and knows how to Optimise their page with little SEO. The other point is they know how to use the right language which focuses on converting prospects into leads.
Pause...

This is the rise of the Content Creator / Internet Marketer post Panda & Penguin - bridging the gap of web design, seo, social media and engaging their audience. But if a company is big enough may be they have one person per role in their company to offer even more ideas to the pot.

My conclusion - their is no threat, it is time to evolve and understand where your strengths lie, where you choose to be and work on moving forward.

[janeth]

Most content creators don't have the skill set. Plus look at all the types of content. You have video, text, blogs, websites, social media sites ...

[C0ldf1re]

... the SEO tries for long and boring articles...

Plenty of original keyphrase-rich content, certainly. But even a large webpage can be split into punchy and colorful sections. Does anybody try for boring?

OK... many SEO'ers are useless at writing content that humans want to read. But so are many website designers too!

That is why there is a separate role for a content creator -- somebody who writes good copy or produces brilliant artwork. (With all respect to leonstreete, it is a separate role, although naturally many people try to be content creator and/or website designer and/or SEO'er, combining 2 or 3 roles at once.)

[janeth]

Plenty of original keyphrase-rich content, certainly. But even a large webpage can be split into punchy and colorful sections. Does anybody try for boring?

OK... many SEO'ers are useless at writing content that humans want to read. But so are many website designers too!

That is why there is a separate role for a content creator -- somebody who writes good copy or produces brilliant artwork. (With all respect to leonstreete, it is a separate role, although naturally many people try to be content creator and/or website designer and/or SEO'er, combining 2 or 3 roles at once.)

Yes but the web designer should be the one incharge of the content. A web designer is the one that lays out the fonts, colors, images and video that may or may not be used.

The content writer would write the content and the web designer would approve or disapprove of the content. If the web designer is trying to increase conversion (which should be his/her job) then they should know what is or what is good content. Heck...even I can do that. Read and tell you if I find something interesting or not. Then the web designer would test it too make it better.

[medecure]

If anybody expert in his filed then no one can defeat him. Web designer has to make pages ready he is more concern about the website look and feel rather than SEO point of view. If anyone know this points then he is no more designer. He will be SEO expert who know designing concept too. It is very important in SEO filed to have basic knowledge about the web designing. I have learn web designing for my SEO and not to excel my carrier in web designer.

[alanf]

Web designers build pages that attract visitors and convert those visitors.
..snip..
Are Web Designers the Biggest Threat to SEO’s?

Well, that is exactly waht Google wants. They want webmasters to follow the web master guidelines and achieve results that way, they don't want an SEO industry trying to beat the SERPS.

The answer to your question is no, Google is the biggest threat to SEO. IMHO

[janeth]

Well, that is exactly waht Google wants. They want webmasters to follow the web master guidelines and achieve results that way, they don't want an SEO industry trying to beat the SERPS.

The answer to your question is no, Google is the biggest threat to SEO. IMHO

I like that. They created them on accident and have spent years trying to destroy them. The thing is the direction that Google is trying to push SEO's is the better direction for the end user. But I do agree, if SEO's don't move in that direction they will become ineffective.

That and the warrior forum is the reason so many have turned to email marketing.

[C0ldf1re]

... the reason so many have turned to email marketing.

Or "bottom feeding" as some call it.

And have you seen Janeth's new sig?

WordPress Website Developer | Designing For -conversion | DUI Attorney Nashville TN

A DUI Attorney! Did somebody say "bottom feeding"?

[printisnotdead]

The way I look at it is SEO determines where the viewer will go and web design decides what site the viewer will stay on longer. SEO uses sites like Google so that it gets more noticed, where as a designer is more focused on the uniqueness and aesthetics of a site.