When you decide to build a new website for your company, the first thing that comes to mind is most likely the visual aspect. Although this is important, there are additional elements that not only provide a better user experience but also improve your Google E-A-T rating.
If you’re unfamiliar with Google E-A-T, it is a set of guidelines used by Google’s quality raters to assign a quality score to search results for specified queries. Sites that are rated highly tend to rank higher in Google search results.
Here we discuss 7 important features that should be included in your web design to help you comply with E-A-T.
Professional Branding
The first thing people notice when visiting any website is the branding. A poorly designed website can immediately make you appear less trustworthy as a company and contribute towards lost traffic. Establishing branding guidelines at the beginning of the web design process will help you to establish a cohesive design that looks professional and builds trust. Everything from your company logo and website images to the font and white space should be considered.
Content
Although you might not consider content to be an element of your design, it makes up a large part of the website. Low quality content can instantly make your business appear unprofessional as well as negatively affecting your search engine rankings.
High quality content is an important part of your web design, welcoming your visitors and explaining your products or services.
Partnering your content with enticing images, laid out in a visually appealing way will lead your visitors on a pleasurable journey through your website towards making a purchase.
About Us
Let’s face it, the about us page on many business sites is probably the most boring. Usually consisting of just a couple of paragraphs of text, vaguely listing a few details about the company, it’s rarely memorable.
A well designed about us page includes a host of elements that not only make it eye catching but trust building. Displaying company images, some fun or informative text and information about your team will all help you to stand out. Depending on your industry, you could ask your team some fun questions and include their responses. One great example that we loved was ‘What would you be if you wasn’t a … ?’, accompanied by an image of the team member in full fancy dress pretending to do that job.
Reviews
Most website platforms now include the functionality to embed reviews from other sites including Google My Business and Facebook directly onto your website. Including reviews in your website design is a great way of building trust, showing your visitors that you value feedback, both good and bad. Don’t forget that if you’re displaying the bad feedback, you need to respond and show that you’re there to help if there is an issue.
Blog
Another element often omitted from web design is the inclusion of a blog section. Blogs are a great way of providing your authority and expertise in your industry. You can use a blog to talk about your products and services and answer questions whilst adding additional content that Google can display in search results.
Following your branding through to your blog section is essential. Using the same high quality content and tone as well as complimentary images will ensure your visitors receive the same experience wherever they enter your site.
Including a bio and image of the author is also an excellent way to build trust.
Memberships & Awards
Many businesses are members of industry associations or have received an award but they fail to display them on their website. Including these logos on the website, whether in the footer or as part of the site design, helps to build trust by showing your affiliation.
SSL
Using an SSL on your website is essential to building trust with your visitors. When purchasing products through your website, visitors will be looking for that green padlock at the top of the screen to tell them it’s safe to pay. Occasionally though, you may encounter an amber padlock that indicates an issue. Usually the culprit is an image using a http url that acts as a way into the page.
Ensuring your web design company has a fully experienced developer working on your website can help to avoid issues such as these, helping to keep your customer transactions secure and retaining your reputation as a trustworthy business.
If you’re looking for a web design company that not only builds a visually appealing website but also focuses on the elements that boost your search engine presence, contact us today for an informal chat and a no-obligation quote.
