Before the age of the internet, pest control companies typically gained clients through personal referrals. Now, most people search online to find pest control services.
When building a website for your business, web design and SEO are two critical components to success. SEO brings potential customers to your website, and good web design keeps their eyes on the page.
How do you master web design for pest control companies to create an eye-catching website that ranks in search results? Our digital marketing experts explain everything you need to know about web design and SEO for pest control business websites.
Why SEO and Web Design Matter
The goal of web design and SEO is to create a well-organized, engaging website that ranks number one in a Google search to boost organic traffic. Organic website traffic comes to your site through a search engine or any other unpaid method. Traffic from paid advertisements like Facebook ads is inorganic.
Most people click on the first listing when they do a Google search. They may not always continue all the way through to contacting you for service, but once they click on your website, they gain awareness of your business.
When web design and SEO work together, you rank higher in Google searches. Here are some ways to optimize both.
Write Clear Copy
It doesn’t matter how pretty your website is if potential clients can’t read what it says. Your web design should leave plenty of room on the page for copy long enough to rank in a Google search. The font style, color, and size should be easy to read.
The length of the website copy affects the ranking factor. If your entire service description is only a couple of sentences long, that will not benefit you when it comes to SEO. Your website needs thorough, informative, keyword-rich content in order to do well in search rankings.
Build SEO-friendliness into the Website Code
Your designer’s coding language can affect search engine rankings. HTML and CSS are the best coding languages to use for SEO. Flash websites may be aesthetically pleasing but are challenging to optimize.
When thinking about ranking factor in relation to code optimization, it’s important to consider title tags. Each title tag should include the target keyword. Optimal title tag usage helps Google know your website is relevant to that keyword search.
Improve Page Speed
The search engine should be able to quickly and easily read over your site and assess the information. This process, called crawling, happens instantly. How crawlable your website is depends on the coding language and site structure. The best code for high-ranking crawlability is HTML, and always make sure to organize your pages and sub-pages with a clear tree structure for easy navigation.
The better the crawlability, the higher your page will rank in a search. The websites with the highest rankings get the most clicks.
A big factor in crawlability is the use of JavaScript. The more complex your JavaScript library becomes, the longer it takes Google to crawl your website.
Optimize Images
There are two ways your images affect SEO: file name and file size. Google reads the name of each image when it crawls your website. The name of the image adds to the readability of your website code.
Resizing images so they load quickly helps with search engine rankings. When your website tries to load huge images, the page speed will be too slow for Google to crawl, and your audience retention will drop. When images can’t load quickly, potential customers move on to the next business.
Don’t Forget Accessibility
Your website should keep accessibility in mind. Alt tags describe images to visually impaired customers, allowing them to get the full scope of your business. Alt tags are also helpful for visitors who do not use a browser that supports your website.
Create a User-Friendly Navigation
Potential customers should be able to easily navigate your site. A cluttered and disorganized website will frustrate your audience, and they will move on to your competition. You only have a few seconds to engage a potential customer and convince them to utilize your service.
Your bounce rate is the percentage of users who only visit one page of your site and then quickly move on. A high bounce rate causes you to rank lower in Google searches.
When a user can navigate your website easily, they will spend more time on your website getting their questions answered and potentially contacting you for service.
Design Your Site for Mobile, Too
These days, most website traffic is from mobile devices. Creating a website that is both desktop and mobile friendly is imperative. A reader should be able to scan your website, determine if you offer the services they need, and call your business right from their phone.
Hire a Marketing Agency that Specializes in Pest Control SEO Web Design
Unless you’re already an experienced SEO web designer, you probably need help implementing these best practices for your site. Web design and SEO require experience, time, and knowledge of changing search engine algorithms.
By hiring a marketing agency, you can focus on your business and let the marketing experts do what they do best: optimize your website and craft an SEO strategy to keep your pest control website at the top of search results for “exterminator near me” and “pest control near me.”
Get Rid of Digital Marketing Bugs with Professional Web Design and SEO Help
A fully developed website isn’t just optimized to rank high in a Google search. It is also full of helpful information and designed for the best user experience possible.
When you find the perfect balance of SEO strategy, user-friendly design, and quality content, your website will rank high and retain customers all the way through the buyer journey.
Don’t let your business suffer due to poor web design and SEO optimization. At MarketingPests, we offer comprehensive digital marketing services, including web design tips and full-service, totally custom marketing strategy. Call us at 732-497-8463 or fill out the contact form to book your free lead flow session.
