{"id":453,"date":"2015-08-05T13:26:44","date_gmt":"2015-08-05T13:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trafficjams.com\/blog\/?p=453"},"modified":"2015-08-05T13:29:22","modified_gmt":"2015-08-05T13:29:22","slug":"4-web-design-mistakes-that-are-stunting-your-organic-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trafficjams.com\/blog\/4-web-design-mistakes-that-are-stunting-your-organic-traffic\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Web Design Mistakes That Are Stunting Your Organic Traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perfecting your digital marketing strategy isn\u2019t just about social media and other off-page SEO factors. A lot of how your website ranks is how your website design<\/a> is optimized for SEO. Although web design may just seem like an aesthetic factor of your brand, it actually has a lot to do with your site\u2019s impressions and conversions. Here are some common web design mistakes that are made that lower your site\u2019s traffic:<\/p>\n

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  1. It\u2019s not mobile-friendly:<\/strong> You may think your visitors aren\u2019t going to visit your website from their mobile device. Statistics actually show that 80% of people use their smartphone to search the Internet and 47% use their tablet. Making your site mobile-friendly is no longer just about making a more positive user experience, it is now ultimately required. As of April 21st<\/sup>, 2015, Google posted an algorithm update that requires your website to be optimized for mobile users. To check if your website is mobile-friendly, click here. <\/a>\u00a0There are plenty of reasons to optimize your website for mobile devices<\/a>. Not only are mobile users far less likely to stay on your website if it\u2019s not mobile friendly, but your website\u2019s ranking takes a hit from Google for not being mobile-ready.<\/li>\n
  2. You don\u2019t have a sitemap:<\/strong> For your website to be displayed in search engine results, it must be indexed. Having a sitemap allows for search engines to index your website. A sitemap is simply an XML file that includes your websites\u2019 individual URLs. Essentially, it archives every page on your site. With a sitemap, all of your sites URLs are centralized so that major search engines can easily crawl your websites, thus allowing them to show up in search results.<\/li>\n
  3. No metadata: <\/strong>Metadata may not seem important, but it actually is a way for both major search engines and potential visitors to decide the quality of your site. It tells them what they should expect to see and whether or not it\u2019s a good fit for them, before they even read your content.\n

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