DE101: Design Guidelines

Specializing in Effective, Affordable Web Site Promotion

In addition to providing attractive Web design and reliable hosting services, Acorn Internet Services specializes in effective, affordable Web site promotion. Included below is a list of Website Design Do’s and Don’ts Guidelines. It’s very important to make sure your Web developer understands what the search engines do and do not like. If you do not build your Web site to be search engine friendly, you will be missing out on the Organic / Natural traffic. Remember, it is this type of traffic that does NOT COST per click. You can get a robust list of Google Recommendations at Google’s Webmaster Guidelines web page.

WEB SITE DESIGN DO’S

  • Do have a pleasing, easy to read, easy to navigate, fast loading, informative (words and images) Web site that is tested on all current browsers.
  • Do include best Meta and Descriptions Tags with supporting text on EVERY page of your Web site.
  • Do use a search phrase look-up tool such as Keyword Discovery or Google to determine what people are typing.
  • Do work to increase appropriate link popularity.
  • Do work to get accurate citations.
  • Do add ALT Tags to your images – but don’t use images in place of text. Search engines can’t “read” an image (other than the alt tag) but they do read real text.
  • Do have Search Engine Friendly navigation including both a HTML and XML site map.
  • Do have at least 150 words of well-written, natural sounding, text on each page you plan to market.

ONCE YOUR SITE IS SEARCH ENGINE FRIENDLY …

  • Do submit to any and all free listings and directories that support your business type.
  • Do submit to all the free search engines available.
  • Do sign up with all the online directories that best support your business.
  • Do sign up for PPC (Pay Per Click) with Google, Microsoft adCenter, Facebook, etc. if you aren’t getting the business you need.

WEB SITE DESIGN DON’TS

  • Don’t use FLASH on your Web site – Google can’t read FLASH, and many mobile devices won’t display FLASH.
  • Don’t have a “framed” site – Search Engines have difficulties crawling a framed site.
  • Don’t participate in Link Farms.
  • Don’t over “stuff” your keywords in your text.
  • Don’t overpopulate your Metas (title, description, etc.)
  • Don’t use hidden, off page or slightly off-color text to fool the search engines.
  • Don’t search engine market more than 1 URL to your Web site.
  • Don’t provide more than 100 links on any one page.
  • Don’t have a splash entry page.