The first step to getting your content noticed online is to publish high-quality, helpful, relevant content. The second step is to make sure that content looks great and is easy for both users and search engines to read and navigate.
When your website and blog look good, users are more likely to see your content and your company as credible and trustworthy (which makes you more likely to rank in searches). A well-designed website is also easier for Google and other search engines to scan and categorize.
Good website design goes well beyond color, style, and branding. The typography, images, and white space you use play a big role as well.
In this blog, we’ll look at the basics behind optimizing page layout for your website to improve readability and, in turn, boost your SEO and rankings.
Page layout does a lot more than make your website look pretty. One of the biggest benefits of page layout, in fact, is that it improves readability. This is true regardless of the format, whether it’s a blog, eBook, landing page or other web page, etc.
Good readability makes it easier for people to consume your content, which keeps them on the page longer…which, in turn, improves your SEO.
The following are a few easy ways to improve the page layout and readability of your website. A few of these tips are specific to blog posts, but the rest are relevant to all web pages and landing pages.
Keep your page titles (for blogs, landing pages, etc) between 40 and 60 characters whenever possible. Longer than this, and your title is likely to get cut off on the search engine results page (SERP). Much shorter, and it won't be as compelling to searchers.
Organize your content with header tags to make it more scannable and search-engine friendly. Header tags (H1, H2, and so on) do more than change the look and size of your titles and headers. Each type of header tag indicates a different level of organization, similar to creating an outline for an article:
...and so on. Clear organization like this enables Google’s (and other search engines’) bots to easily find the most important information on your site, so they know how to categorize your content. Header tags also help improve user experience by making your content easy for the eye to scan.
The type and size of font you choose matters as well. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
White space is just as important as any other design element on your website…if not more important! This is because white space boosts reader comprehension by almost 20%!
To incorporate more white space into your website, ensure your page has wide margins and try to use shorter paragraphs when writing blogs and website copy. Long, unbroken blocks of text will tire out readers’ eyes and make them more likely to leave your site.
Use high-quality, relevant images, GIFs, and videos to break up your content. Visuals like this help make your content more visually appealing and easier to read, as well as enhance the meaning of your copy. They also have the potential to increase traffic to your site via image searches.
Include social sharing buttons right on your blog pages so readers can easily share your blog on social media. When a reader can quickly and easily share a blog to their social platform of choice, it makes them more likely to do so, and can help improve your website traffic and boost your SEO.
More people browse the internet on their mobile phone than on a computer these days, so mobile friendliness is KEY to successful SEO. Plus, Google favors websites that are optimized for faster mobile speeds.
If your site isn’t mobile friendly, you’ll lose a ton of visitors and your bounce rate will go through the roof. It’s especially important to make sure your calls to action (CTAs) stand out so they’re more visible on mobile (and therefore more likely to get clicked).
And there you have it! Seven simple ways to improve your website’s page layout and readability. Optimizing your page layout like this is a great way to improve both the user experience AND search engine rankings of your website.
Want to explore more SEO tips? Make sure to read the first two blogs in this series:
Curious to know how your website stacks up when it comes to performance, SEO, mobile responsiveness, and security? Try our FREE website grader to learn where your site is doing well and where it could use some help. Then, schedule a call with the Wild Fig team to learn how we can help you improve your website and boost your SEO.