5 Things People Overlook When They Build Their Own Website
Building your own website can be an exciting and rewarding endeavour, but it's easy to overlook key details that can hurt your site's performance, SEO, and user experience. Whether you're just starting out or revamping an old site, it's crucial to pay attention to the finer points. In this post, we'll dive into the common mistakes people make when building their own websites and share actionable tips to ensure your website works as hard as you do.
1. Image Size Matters: Slow Load Times = Frustrated Visitors
In today's fast-paced digital world, users expect websites to load quickly. In fact, 47% of consumers expect a webpage to load in 2 seconds or less (Source) and 40% will leave a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load (Source). Slow load times frustrate visitors and affect your SEO ranking, as search engines like Google factor in page speed when determining rankings.
Hot Tip:
Keep your image sizes under 500KB and optimize video sizes for faster loading. Tools like TinyPNG and ImageOptim can help compress images without sacrificing quality. For video, consider using platforms like YouTube or Vimeo for hosting, so your site doesn’t get bogged down by large files.
2. Meta Data and SEO: Don’t Overlook the Basics
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. A big part of SEO is meta data—information embedded in your website that helps search engines understand your content. This includes meta descriptions, title tags, and alt text for images. While it may seem small, meta data plays a huge role in improving your site's SEO ranking.
KEY TERMS:
Meta Description: A brief summary of a webpage’s content, usually displayed in search engine results.
Title Tag: The title of your webpage, displayed in search results and the browser tab.
Alt Text: Descriptive text for images, which helps search engines index your images and improves accessibility for users with visual impairments.
Hot Tip:
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner (Link), Ubersuggest (Link), or Moz Keyword Explorer (Link) to research relevant keywords. Use these keywords in your meta descriptions, title tags, and throughout your content to improve your site’s search engine visibility.
3. Structure for User Experience: Make Navigation a Breeze
A website’s structure is critical for both usability and SEO. A well-planned structure allows users to easily find the information they’re looking for and enhances the overall user experience (UX). If your website is cluttered or difficult to navigate, visitors will quickly leave—and so will your chances of ranking well in search engines.
Hot Tip:
Sketch out your website plan before starting design to ensure clear, logical navigation. When you hire professionals to design your site, they should provide a wireframe that establishes the planned navigation, layout, and structure of the site. This ensures your site’s structure is mapped out and intuitive before any design work begins.
4. Mobile Optimization: The Majority of Traffic Is on Mobile
Mobile traffic has been on the rise for years, and in 2023, mobile devices accounted for over 60% of global web traffic (Source). A website that’s not optimized for mobile will lose visitors and hurt your rankings. Google’s mobile-first indexing means that mobile-friendliness is now a key factor in search engine rankings. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it could seriously harm your SEO performance.
Hot Tip:
Always preview your website on mobile devices before launching. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test (Link) tool to check how well your site performs on mobile and address any issues before launch.
5. Content Strategy: Your Words Matter
If you don't have all your website copy and content ready, or you aren't sure what to include on the site, it can be difficult to create a cohesive, user-friendly experience. Having a solid content strategy is often overlooked, but it's key to keeping visitors engaged and guiding them toward taking action. Content needs to be clear, compelling, and aligned with the overall structure of your website. It should speak directly to your target audience and support your business goals.
Hot Tip:
I create customized content templates that make content creation easy and ensure it aligns perfectly with your site’s design and structure. This ensures that your content is developed with both the layout and the user experience in mind, leading to a more seamless and effective website.
Why It’s Worth Paying Attention to These Details
Each of these overlooked elements—image size, meta data, structure, mobile optimization, and content strategy—plays a significant role in making sure your website performs well, not just in terms of speed and usability, but also in search engine rankings and user engagement. A well-optimized website isn’t just about looking good; it’s about delivering a smooth, fast, and valuable experience to your visitors, which ultimately drives more conversions and business success.
If you're feeling overwhelmed or unsure about how to address these areas, it might be best to hire a professional. At Badlands Design Co., I work with clients to ensure every detail is covered. From creating a fast-loading, mobile-friendly website to implementing a strategic content plan that speaks to your audience, I can help you create a website that works as hard as you do.
Ready to get started? Let’s chat about how we can bring your vision to life with a website that’s optimized for performance, SEO, and user experience.
