Houston Web DesignersOptimizing a website for search engines is a fairly challenging task and can be even more so if it is not built initially with SEO in mind. The way a site is initially designed is crucial to its success, which makes choosing the best firm from many Houston web designers very important in overall website success. It is important to find a company that knows and understands SEO principles and how to apply them.

The selection process is made difficult because there are so many self-acclaimed web developers that it is hard to differentiate between those with actual skills and those who are overselling themselves. Following are a few important things on how to find the right one to fit individual internet needs.

Search Engine Optimization

The first thing that must be learned before hiring anyone is the concept of search engine optimization. Without the proper knowledge about SEO, it would be impossible to gauge the competency of a developer to improve a website’s visibility so it can be easily seen and indexed by search engines.

Search engine optimization involves several stages, going from the initial website building to marketing it away from the actual site. Because the building process serves as the foundation, SEO strategies must be integrated at this stage, from the programming language to using the right meta tags as well as the URL format, text anchors, and content. Leaving out these important components will make future SEO efforts difficult and will likely mean an extensive and costly overhaul.

Designer Selection

The relationship between design and SEO is directly connected; therefore, finding Houston web designers who know the importance of both SEO and design should be a priority; however, before hiring anyone, considering the following important details.

  • Established Firms – A wise choice is to hire only an established web design firm that can handle every from layout and graphics to quality content. A firm that has been doing this for more than 2 or 3 years will undoubtedly still be there to provide support, maintenance and upgrades as it becomes needed.
  • Portfolio – Check any firm’s previous work for SEO conformity. Professional web builders should have a portfolio or compilation of previously designed websites, which could be useful to compare layouts and aesthetics. A live version should also be inspected to check its SEO effectiveness.
  • Language – Check the language used and avoid designs that rely heavily on Flash and JavaScript which are detrimental to successful SEO. See if keywords have been used in the metatags as well as in the content. Finally, see how a website ranks on search engines for its key words or phrases.
  • Testimonials – If possible, contact the owner of one of the websites in the portfolio for an unbiased review of the developer’s services. Ask about performance during the planning and building phase as well as the quality of aftermarket support. This is crucially important since it is not always smooth sailing the first time websites go live, often requiring some tweaking to finalize them.

SEO and website design is definitely intertwined; getting the perfect ratio between the two lies in the hands of competent Houston web designers. Hopefully this article has provided helpful information for selecting the proper web developer!

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