Website Optimization 101: SEO, Layout, & More

When it comes to your website, it's easy to rush it, throw something together, and hope for the best. But your website, whether you're an interior designer or a virtual design assistant, is a vital piece of the business success puzzle, so it's worth giving it real attention.

Think of your website as your business hub. Social media is nice, but your website lends legitimacy, provides vital information, and is the starting point for shop, blog, and newsletter funnels. But none of that matters if no one can find you, that's where optimization comes in.

Host

It starts with your hosting platform. WordPress needs a separate web host (BlueHost, HostGator, GreenGeeks); Wix or Squarespace are all-in-one, bundling hosting, website, and domain together. There's no wrong answer. It depends on your preferences, budget, and what you want your website to ultimately do.

Tip: Compare platforms by looking at blogging abilities, how a shop would work, and whether built-in SEO settings are included.

Layout

You're aiming for the smoothest, most enjoyable user experience possible. Ask yourself: how easy is it to find information? Is it clear where clients find services, prices, and contact info? Does the site load quickly? Keep fonts easy to read, paragraphs short, and services easy to find. Use high-quality images, but keep them to a minimum so pages load fast.

SEO

The most basic aspect of SEO is keywords, making sure your titles match your content, your pages are titled correctly, and your photos have alt descriptions. WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace all offer tools or plugins to guide this. Choose keywords the average person would actually use to search for your business, and check your URLs to make sure they aren't generic or left as "test."

A note on keywords: Keep it simple. Call your services page Services, your shop page Shop, your contact page Contact. Use only one H1 heading per page for your most search-friendly line, and use H2/H3 for subheadings. Vary how keywords appear across your site, reviews, a blog, an FAQ page, and small headers for key services all help.

This is just an optimization 101 (not a comprehensive SEO strategy) but these fundamentals set you up for a strong head start as you build out your website.