When working to bump your small business in the online rankings, and to draw in potential clients, presentation is everything. As a web designer, this optimization falls into your hands. By following these basic tips for improving your site, your business will move that much closer to search engine optimization best practices.

1. Clean Up Your URLs
   Create and organize your URLs in an intuitive manner. Labels are key in being recognizable in search engines. For example, if someone is in the market for a new dog and types “dogs for sale” into a search engine, they are more likely to select “www.website.com/dogs-for-sale” than “www.website.com/id73625327.” This will also be important when you try to build a citation, as your service will be more recognizable.
2. Keep Your Page Moving
   Be sure that your page is loading quickly. If the website is loading slowly, potential customers are going to click away, and they will be unlikely to return. Frequent speed check ups will keep page visitors interested and satisfied.
3. Create Easy Navigation
   This tip is similar to the above point: Make the user experience as efficient and simple as possible in order to keep users around. If site visitors can quickly find the product, information or service they are looking for, your sales value will reap the benefits. Intuitive navigation will also be helpful when you are trying to get reviews, likely leading to more positive comments.
4. Don’t Overuse Flash
   SEO experts seem to agree that most search engines and devices to not support flash well. If you cannot avoid using it, try to only implement flash on part of the website. Experts also recommend to avoid using flash in text and navigation.
5. Keep Your Site Friendly for Multiple Devices
   Remember that site visitors are finding your page from a multitude of devices. For this reason, it is important to set up your site to be compatible with a spectrum of screen resolutions. Also, don’t leave mobile users behind. Your site should be able to comfortably fit on a phone or tablet screen.

Boosting your business’ SEO value comes with many steps, web design being one of the most important. By taking the time to create an aesthetically-pleasing and user-friendly webpage, you will attract site visitors and guide their navigation to your product or service.