Anyone who has built and launched a website has likely encountered an oft-repeated acronym: SEO (search engine optimization). And while you might not have ever done SEO yourself, you've benefited from it in the past: Every day, search engines like Google employ complex algorithms to sift through more than 400 billion web pages and deliver the most relevant results.
Website owners like you use SEO techniques and strategies to get their websites to the top of the search results for relevant user queries. But SEO is not a one-time endeavor — Google and other search engines change often, and ongoing SEO ensures your website stays in front of the people you want to reach. Just as a physical storefront requires regular maintenance and updates to stay competitive, your website needs ongoing SEO to remain visible amidst the ever-changing digital landscape.
The ABCs of SEO: What is Ongoing SEO and Why Does It Matter?
Don't let the techy jargon intimidate you. HubSpot — considered one of the gold standards for SEO and digital marketing advice — defines SEO as simply a collection of strategies and tips that "expand a company’s visibility in organic search results'' and help "drive more visitors to the company’s website, increasing their chances for more conversions which leads to more customers and more revenue."
SEO Connects the Search Engine Algorithms With Your Website's Content
Regardless of your website's goal or industry niche, all SEO techniques have one thing in common: They look at ways to optimize your website's content, keywords, and links to help search engines rank your website higher in the search results when someone searches for something related to your keywords, content, or brand name.
According to HubSpot, SEO needs to address the key factors that all search engines use to determine the value of your website's content — and therefore how high in the search results your website or specific landing page should appear:
- The intent or meaning behind why someone is searching for a specific term or question
- The relevance between what someone searches for, and the content on your website
- The quality of your content (for instance, a website about physical exercise written by certified personal trainers is deemed by Google to be higher quality than a website where the articles are written by non-experts)
- The performance of your website, such as how long it takes a page to load and whether it works well on mobile devices
Static SEO Versus Ongoing SEO: Why It Matters to Stay Fresh and Keep Your SEO Updates Current
As users' web behavior changes and technology evolves, search engines proactively adjust their algorithms.
If you aren't conducting ongoing SEO maintenance and upgrades, a well-optimized website today can quickly become obsolete tomorrow, causing your search rankings to drop and attracting fewer organic visitors. Google itself updates its algorithms several thousand times per year, including significant "major" changes every few months that dramatically change how it crawls and ranks content. For example, Google's infamous Panda update changed how it ranked how-to lifestyle content on the Internet, causing one major content publisher to lose a whopping $6.4 million of traffic and advertising nearly overnight.
How Ongoing SEO Influences Your Website Strategy
Staying abreast of changes to SEO techniques and strategies provides important guidance to your content, marketing, and overarching website strategy. For example, it can dictate or influence:
- How much content you publish, and the content's format, length, and focus
- How you incorporate other forms of media on your website, including images, video, and audio
- How you organize content on your site, including landing page layouts and your site's navigation
- What keywords and target users your website focuses on
Embrace the Power of Ongoing SEO
Caroline Forsey, an expert in thought leadership and marketing content, looked at the survey results from more than 400 of the world's leading web analysts to predict the biggest SEO trends of 2024. According to her data, some of the top changes in SEO strategies this year include:
- A heavier emphasis on expertise, meaning the content on your website should come from experts in your related field (including bylines and author bios that demonstrate the author's credentials and experience on the topic they're writing about)
- A renewed emphasis on first-person, credible content, especially as more websites generate high volumes of low-quality AI content (Google itself has announced upcoming changes to tackle low-value articles created by AI)
- A priority on websites that are deemed trustworthy, such as e-commerce sites with well-rated customer service, or content sites that do a good job of citing trustworthy research and statistics
- Bonus points on content that is creative and original and doesn't simply rehash content found on other sites
Of course, these SEO trends will inevitably change every year, and ongoing SEO will keep you competitive no matter what Google, Bing, and other search engines do. No matter your website's industry or content strategy, ongoing SEO requires that you:
- Focus on keeping your content fresh and high quality, including new blog posts or regularly refreshing and updating old product descriptions or articles
- Conduct keyword research often, since the terms or phrases that your core audience uses will evolve over time
- Maintain your website's overarching performance, such as mobile-friendliness as mobile devices evolve, and page load speed
- Build a diverse portfolio of high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites within your niche, which may include outreach campaigns, getting others in your industry to write guest blogs, and participating in online forums or communities
- Keep on top of technical and performance metrics, such as scanning your site for broken links (and fixing the links you uncover) and using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and conversion rates
- Stay on top of algorithm changes so you can adapt your SEO strategy in real-time
Some website owners think of SEO as the first step of their promotional strategy. But it's less a first step, and more an ongoing journey to ensure you, your brand, and your content stay relevant in such a competitive atmosphere. Whether you choose to go it alone and take a DIY approach to SEO, or you choose to consult with a digital marketing and SEO agency, check in often and make sure your SEO evolves as the world around you evolves.
The digital age has transformed numerous sectors, including website design and development. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly made a significant impact in this field, offering automated design solutions and streamlining the design process. However, there is a constant debate about whether AI can completely replace human creativity. As we delve into the pros and cons of AI in website design and development, we will underline the importance of hiring a professional website design agency.
The Pros of AI in Web Design and Development
1. Speed & Efficiency
The biggest advantage of AI lies in its capacity to enhance the efficiency of redundant processes and tasks. AI-powered tools can quickly produce basic website designs. By leveraging predefined templates and configurations, they can churn out functional websites in a fraction of the time it would take a human designer. With the power to execute complex tasks in mere seconds, AI empowers web designers and developers to streamline their workflow. By employing AI-powered tools, design professionals can automate repetitive and basic tasks, including setting up margins, generating filler text, and button formatting. This automation liberates valuable time, enabling web designers and developers to focus more of their time on strategic and creative design decisions, elevating the overall quality of their work.
2. More Personalized User Experience (UX)
Today, exceptional web design revolves around user experience (UX). In fact, 88% of online consumers report that they are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. Plus, every dollar companies invest in UX results in a return of $100 - that's a 9,900% ROI. AI offers powerful tools that elevate traditional approaches to UX in several ways. For example, integrating AI-powered chatbots, predictive product recommendations, and tailored content can enrich UX dramatically, creating a frictionless interaction that feels enjoyable and effortless to the user. This can help reduce bounce rates and improve customer loyalty, keeping users engaged and satisfied with their interactions.
3. User Insights
AI tools in web design and development provide valuable insights into how users interact with websites and apps. While it was possible to gather user feedback and analyze results in the pre-AI era, the accessibility and efficiency of these tasks have greatly improved with AI. AI tools can analyze transcriptions for keywords and repeated terms instantly, allowing designers and researchers to extract insights more efficiently and make more informed, data-driven decisions.
4. Accessibility
Creating an inclusive and accessible web experience is a priority for website designers and developers. AI has the potential to bridge this gap by improving web accessibility, making your site easier to navigate for all users. AI tools can help identify areas in the design that need improvement for accessibility, such as automatic tooltips, sizing of icons and characters, and screen size adaptation.
Cons of AI in Web Design and Development
While AI offers significant benefits, there are also potential drawbacks that need to be considered.
1. Lack of Creativity
Simply put, machines cannot replicate human creativity. While AI can reproduce and combine elements from preexisting designs, it falls short when it comes to imagination and creativity. AI-generated designs lack originality and the ability to create unique, innovative designs that are representative of a brand's distinct personality that evoke a unique emotional connection with users. Since 94% percent of first impressions of a brand’s website relate to its design, it is imperative that your website stands out among your competitors. Unlike AI-generated website designs, professional web designers will advocate for innovation and take risks to ensure that designs remain original and engaging.
2. Dependence on Data
AI relies exclusively on data to make decisions and predictions and lacks the ability to understand and adapt to nuanced user behaviors, preferences, and emotions. The accuracy and relevance of the data used can significantly impact the effectiveness of AI-powered interfaces. Insufficient or biased data can lead to poor user experiences and flawed AI-driven decisions. Designers and developers must ensure that the data used to train AI models is comprehensive, unbiased, and of high quality.
3. Ethical Considerations
The ethical use of AI in web design is a growing concern. AI systems can perpetuate and amplify biases if trained on biased data, leading to unfair or discriminatory outcomes. Additionally, the lack of regulation around AI poses challenges in ensuring ethical use, such as the lack of citation of sources AI uses, as well as the potential misuse of AI to create deceptive graphics or branding. Organizations and individuals must take responsibility for using AI ethically, considering the potential implications and consequences of AI-driven design decisions.
4. Lack of Guidelines
As AI in web design continues to evolve, there is a lack of comprehensive guidelines around its ethical and practical use. Designers and developers must navigate the rapidly expanding landscape of AI tools and technologies, making informed decisions about which tools to use and how to incorporate them effectively into the design process.
5. AI Misconception and Job Displacement
A common misconception is that AI can replace human designers and developers entirely. While AI undoubtedly offers advantages in web design and development, it is essential to recognize the unparalleled value of working with a professional web design and development team. AI tools can streamline processes and automate certain tasks, but they cannot replicate the creativity, unique perspective, and experience of human designers and developers. Strategic inputs and effective use of AI outputs still require human creativity, strategy, and context to be successful. Organizations that rely solely on AI solutions without human oversight may miss out on the expertise and problem-solving skills that the best professional web design teams bring to the table.
The Value of a Professional Website Design Agency
Given the limitations of AI, the importance of human touch in website design and development cannot be overstated. A professional website design agency brings:
1. Deep Creativity: Design agencies are skilled professionals who can bring unique ideas to life, infusing creativity and individuality into every element of a website.
2. Customization: Design agencies create websites tailored to the specific needs, preferences, and brand image of a client, moving away from the cookie-cutter approach.
3. Understanding of User Experience: They understand user behaviors, motivations, and expectations, providing a design that enhances user experience and satisfaction.
4. Ongoing Support and Maintenance: Unlike AI tools, a professional agency provides ongoing support, updates, and maintenance to ensure your website remains functional and up-to-date.
The Takeaway
Although AI has revolutionized website design and development, it can't completely replace the depth, creativity, and understanding of user experience that a human designer brings to the table. Consequently, even in this age of automation, hiring an experienced professional web design agency remains a crucial investment. Striking a balance between AI's efficiency and the inventiveness and insight of human designers allows businesses to develop websites that are not just aesthetically pleasing, but also user-friendly and distinctly representative of their brand identity.