SEOs Vs. Web Designers

Do SEOs respect web design? Do web designers ignore SEO? This debate has been going on forever. It’s not particularly surprising, given that we’re always being forced to work together. But the problems develop from just that – NOT working together.

Designers work diligently to ensure their sites display and function properly in all browsers – testing and retesting for compatibility so no technical issues will prevent visitors from interacting with the website. SEO requires the same diligence, only to Google and Bing instead of Firefox and IE. Refusing to bring a site in line with search engine requirements is like dismissing a compatibility issue with a browser – only it’s the biggest, most important browser.

A web designer who’s unwilling to get up to speed on basic SEO principles can do a lot of damage. Every SEO has come across plenty of brand new web sites that appear to have been accidentally created from the entire “SEO Don’ts” list.

But, many designers have also encountered the SEO who seems determined to completely destroy a website’s aesthetic appeal and user experience in the name of improved search engine rankings. We know how frustrating it is to have us come in and demand that you add 17 paragraphs of text to your clean, minimalist design, or insist that you remove all Flash content immediately. I can absolutely see how designers may feel they are being impinged upon, or possibly disrespected by SEOs. We’re too demanding or unyielding, perhaps?

I suppose it makes sense that we would be at odds. SEO is not a creative process on the surface. If you get into it, you come to know that many sites will require more creative solutions for search marketing, and that the “feel”, concept and branding of the site need to remain intact through the optimization process. But by the same token, web design is not all about pleasing color palettes and graphics. The structure of the site is crucial for strong search results, and you can only be so “creative” with your site architecture before it becomes a problem.

If you’re about to fully redesign your existing website, or you’re preparing to launch a new one, this is the ideal time to hire an SEO firm. Bring them onboard to consult BEFORE the design is finalized, and definitely before the site is complete. Every SEO has heard “I’ll be in touch to get started as soon as our new site is live”. This timeline certainly makes sense from the client’s point of view, but realistically, it’s only creating more work, higher costs and longer wait times for everyone involved.

Of course many designers have decided to take advantage of the situation by also tacking SEO on to their service list. Which would be fine, if so many of them weren’t under the impression that SEO is all about meta tags or submitting the site to the search engines.

What search engine optimizers and website designers need to remember is that we both have the same end goal in mind for the client – a successful site. To get there we need to work together to build a structurally sound, attractive, content rich site that keeps conversion at the very top of the priority list.