I find it curious that I make a good part of my living doing website design. Why curious? Well, even though the “D” word (design) is right in there in the title, in reality the job only entails about 1/2 what I would call design and artistic creation – the part of the job that I naturally shine. I can create new ideas and original art easily all day long.
The other half of the job, however, has constantly been a major challenge for me: writing code, trouble-shooting geeky computer stuff, and learning about SEO matters. Yikes, it makes my hair stand on end just thinking of it, yet it is absolutely critical to the success of my business and the businesses of my clients.
Someone pointed out to me a while back, “Dena, what good does it do for you to design a beautiful looking site, if no one sees it?” Good question. One that we should all pay attention to. We’ve all seen the really pretty sites with all the flashy flash splash, and no content. All dressed up and no place to go.
I’ve worked a long time studying all the different online gurus and implementing what I learned, while battling my urge to close my eyes or grimace at the blatant sales pitches housed in the ugly, garish layouts that rankle my artist sensibilitys.
Recently, I have been working with a woman who is a real SEO specialist. Finally, it’s all making sense. When there is the elegant combination of quality solid website design AND dynamic SEO understructure – AH! Now we have a true winner!
