This slidedeck is from a presentation to the Etobicoke Women Entrepreneurs Network. Look at your website with fresh eyes. Is it time for a face-lift? What should every good website consider for design and search engine optimization?

1. Website AssessmentWebsite Assessment

2. What platform are you using?
I love WordPress

3. Is your site Responsive?

4. Search Engine Optimization
There is no big secret to doing SEO right.
It’s about doing what is good for site users
 Clear titles & descriptions in SERP
 Clear heading titles
 Chunking text for readability
 Clear navigation aids i.e. search box, site
map, breadcrumb trail and no broken links.
 Keeping the main message above the fold
 Interlinking – great for SEO & usability

5. SPEED
Speed is a factor in usability and in search
ranking. If your site is slow you will lose
visitors.
 Hosting – cheap hosting impacts speed
 Images – keep image file sizes small,
seamless & repeating backgrounds, don’t
scale
 Caching Plugins – store content in memory
to use fewer server resources

6. Content
 Google loves fresh content – Blogs are great
 Do you have a call to action… what do you
want site visitors to do? Guide them.
 Do you have an image of your ideal client in
your mind? Write to them.
 Do you know what terms are best used to
describe your business? Use those terms in
your headlines, copy and image alt text to be
indexed by search engines.

7. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
 Public sector organizations & private sector
organizations (50+ employees) are required to
conform with the World Wide Web Consortium
Accessibility Guidelines
 Provide a positive web experience for people with
limited mobility, learning disabilities, hearing
disabilities, who are colour blind, have low vision and
safety for those with seizure disorders.
 Accessibility is not just a nice to have, it’s the right
way to do it for users so Google will also like it.
 Includes: descriptive image Alt text for screen
readers, underline links, tab through actionable items.

8. Good Web Design
• Usability
• Guide the eye
• White space
• Clear navigation
• Alignment
• Consistency
• SEO principles

9. Thank You!
Ruth Maude
facebook.com/LearnWP
@2LearnWP@dandelionweb
facebook.com/dandelionwebdesign
dandelionwebdesign.com LearnWP.ca

10. Thank You!
Ruth Maude
facebook.com/LearnWP
@2LearnWP@dandelionweb
facebook.com/dandelionwebdesign
dandelionwebdesign.com LearnWP.ca