A lot of people make the mistake of focusing essentially their efforts on on-page and off page SEO
when trying to rank with search engines. But, Google is putting more emphasis on factors such a
bounce rates and site performance to compile their rankings. This is why sound web design is more
important than ever in this day and age. In this article, we’re going to give you four examples of
classic design mistakes that might ruin your SEO efforts.

Using Splash Pages

There was a time when splash pages were all the rage. For those who are unfamiliar with the
concept, splash pages are pages that whose sole purpose is to introduce the website. In some cases,
splash pages are used to capture user information. But splash pages are very ineffective these days.
Splash pages can have high bounce rates, which can be disastrous for your rankings. Instead, opt for
an unobtrusive pop-up that will appear after your visitors have landed on your main page.

Using Excessive Flash

While flash can be very pleasing to the eyes and add another element to your website, it is not very
search engine friendly. While it would not be wise to get rid of flash completely, you should refrain
from using it for important elements such as navigation or content.

Wrong use of Images

Using images as your main navigation elements will not be indexed properly by search engines.
Using text-only is only is also something you should avoid. The best thing to do is to use text over an
image with CSS. Also, it is unwise to use images as headers for your posts. The best thing to do is to
use text first and then insert an image after. This is because headers are the main identifiers for your
post when it comes to keywords, and images are not processed the same way by search bots.

Using Bad Navigation

Many people have a tendency to neglect navigation when creating a website. But navigation is one
of the most essential aspects of web design. Not only that, but search bots may have difficulty
crawling a site with poor navigation. If you don’t understand the principles of good navigation, you
could always ask a third party to perform an audit for you. Digital marketing company Single Grain
can help you identify if your navigation is lacking and how you can make proper improvements.
Sound design will go a long way in the current climate. Google is putting more and more emphasis
on user experience and a high-performing, well-designed website is sure to score points. Just
remember to keep the use of flash and images to a minimum, use CSS if you’re going to use image
elements for navigation, keep the navigation clean and simple, and avoid splash pages at all costs. If
you manage to steer away from these mistakes, you should start getting more favorable results with
search engines and avoid being penalized.