Why Your Site Design Affects SEO (More Than You Know)
Why Your Site Design Affects SEO (More Than You Know)
SEO and Design: An Unlikely Pair
Everyone's mind runs to keywords, backlinks, and technical Band-Aids when they hear SEO (Search Engine Optimization). But the bad news is—your site design is the one holding the power to make or break whether your website shows up close to the top or gets lost in a ocean of digital excess by others.
And no, we’re not just talking about aesthetics. Google doesn’t care if your site looks like it was designed by Picasso or a kindergarten student. What Google does care about is how well your website functions, how users interact with it, and whether it provides value in a structured, user-friendly way.
So, if your SaaS business or startup isn't getting seen, your website design might be sabotaging your SEO. Let's dive into how—and better yet, how to fix it.
If your page takes longer than it does to microwave a burrito to load, you have an issue. Google's Core Web Vitals are all about page speed, and if you're slow, goodbye to ranking well.
Usual Suspects of Slow Pages:
Massive, un-optimized images (guilty as charged, 10MB PNGs)
Too many animations and effects (yeah, that really cool parallax effect is holding everything back
Bloaty code and unnecessary scripts (do you really need 25 tracking pixels?)
Budget hosting (you get what you pay for)
Speed Fixes:
Compress images without losing quality (use TinyPNG or WebP format)
Minify JavaScript and CSS
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up load time
Splurge on good hosting (cheap hosting will cost you more in lost traffic)
Mobile Responsiveness: Because Desktop-Only is Dead
If Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly, You’re Losing (Big Time)
Over 60% of all searches now come from mobile devices. If your website looks like a jigsaw puzzle when viewed on a phone, users (and Google) will punish you.
Signs Your Website is Failing Mobile Users:
Tiny text that requires zooming
Buttons that are impossible to click
Content that spills off the screen
Pages that take ages to load on mobile networks
Quick Fixes:
Use a responsive design that adjusts for different screen sizes
Make fonts readable without zooming
Make buttons big enough to tap easily
Optimize for touch gestures instead of simple mouse clicks
Navigation and UX: Google Loves a Clear Structure
Confusing Websites Don't Rank (or Convert)
If your website is like a maze, users won't stick around. And when users leave in a hurry, Google considers your content useless—and your rankings plummet.
Navigation Mistakes That Kill SEO:
Too complex menus with 20+ options
No call-to-action (CTA) button in sight
Broken or bewildering internal linking
Blocks of text without subheadings or structure
Speed Fixes:
Keep navigation easy to use and navigate (3-5 top menu items max)
Use descriptive headings (H1, H2, H3 structure matters to SEO!)
Functioning and helpful internal links
Break up content with bullet points, short paras, and pictures
Readability and Content Formatting: Robots and Humans Adore Clarity
Big Blocks of Text? No Thanks.
Humans (and search engines) read in a skim. If your pages are blocks of text without a visible structure, users will bounce faster than a horrible Tinder date.
Formatting Errors That Hurt SEO:
Long, unbroken paragraphs
No subheadings or bullet points
Tiny fonts that strain the eyes
Fixes in a Flash:
Use short paragraphs (2-3 sentences maximum per paragraph)
Split content into sections that can be scanned with visible H2 and H3 subheadings
Use lists and bullet points to highlight important takeaways
Visuals: The Right (and Wrong) Way to Use Images and Videos
SEO Loves Images—But Only When Optimized Correctly
Images and videos have the potential to improve your content, but they can be an SEO nightmare if done wrongly.
Visuals Blunders That Damage SEO:
Using giant, uncompressed images
Not adding alt text (Google can't "see" images, it reads descriptions)
Hosting videos directly instead of embedding from YouTube/Vimeo
Quick Fixes:
Compress images before upload (WebP format is your best friend)
Use descriptive alt text on images (both SEO and accessibility advantages)
Host videos on third-party websites to avoid slowing down your website
Security: SSL Certificates and Why They Matter
Google Doesn't Trust Unsecure Websites
An SSL certificate (that little padlock in the browser bar) lets Google and visitors know your site is secure. Without one, you too might hang up a "DO NOT ENTER" sign on your home page.
Conclusion: Design Smarter for Better SEO
SEO isn't merely about keyword-stuffing content or backlink pursuing. If your website design is slow, non-responsive, perplexing, or maddening, Google (and users) will penalize you.
The good news? Most of these SEO-ruining design mistakes are easy to fix with some elbow grease and smarts.
If you're committed to growing your startup or SaaS product's online visibility, start with your website design. Because when your site is optimized for speed, usability, and simplicity, Google blesses you—and so do your users.
Need A Website That's Optimized for SEO and Conversions?
If your current site isn't performing, let's flip the script. We build high-performing websites that rank, convert, and don't drive users nuts. Get in touch today!
Egor Mihachkin
Desinger
Egor has over 6 years of experience as a UX UI Designer & Graphic designer, he loves to create products that deliver value
