I often work with clients who have absolutely no knowledge or experience working with websites, or even computers for that matter. Which makes sense, of course, because if they did have the knowledge of how to do what we do, then they might not need our services. And while I am not in the business of education, it would help the client to appreciate the value of our services if they understood the basics of what is involved with creating a good website that is both search engine friendly and user friendly. So from the get go, I like to establish what we feel are the priorities, to communicate an order of operations that makes sense to everyone.

Sometimes a client may have a particular website in mind that they like and want a site that has the same look. And that is the only factor in their minds; I want a site that looks good like Site X does. Maybe they like the background color, or the rainbow stock photo, or the layout, or maybe they are not even really sure what they like about the site. They just want something similar, and that is the only factor they are considering.

For a site to be effective, of course it must first be found by someone who has a need for the information it presents. In order for the site to be found, it must be configured in a way that the search engines can understand what the site is about. Search engines don’t really care what background color you use. (As long as it is not close to the color of the text, that is, which is a big no no. This is an old tactic of black hat seo’s used to hide the keyword stuffing practice designed to achieve higher rankings.) But my point is that my first objective is not to create a pretty site. That part comes much, much later in the process.

For me personally, when I am building a new site, or redesigning an existing site, these details are the very last consideration. And it’s not because I don’t enjoy good design, or choosing a nice color scheme, or selecting an appropriate typographical look. It’s primarily because search engines can’t see images and they don’t care about colors. These elements are important, but they are not the top priority. They are the icing on the cake.

What is important in building a great site that is both search engine friendly and user friendly is to first build a strong foundation. This means understanding the main function of the website, understanding the intention that the users have as they search. In order to uncover these gems of insight that will guide the entire process, it is necessary to have good, strong, regular communication with the client. Only they can reveal certain industry-specific terms to guide us in the right direction as we embark on the journey of understanding the intentions of the client’s target audience.

Let me give an example. If my client needs a site to promote their business that offers accounting services, they can help to brainstorm various terms that are used to describe their services that I may not be familiar with, since I have never worked in that field. When I am looking for the services of an accountant, I may type “tax preparation” into Google. But the client can tell me other terms I may not realize are used, like “cpa services”. Maybe the client specializes in a certain type of service that I’ve never even heard of. So it is crucial to understand the client’s organizational objectives right up front.

Once we understand the client’s business and objectives, then we can begin the keyword research to find out what words people are using when searching. That allows us to strategically select the best keywords to target as we design the information architecture of the site.

When we begin working with a new client, we stress to the client that there will be a certain amount of their time involved in the project. The most important factor in successful execution is clear communication. Even when the client is not familiar with the technical side of website management or internet marketing, at the very least we hope to convey a certain order of operations. We strive to understand the client’s expectations and honestly communicate our process. That’s why with every client we set up a project management website, to allow everyone involved to come to one place to view the milestones of the project, and communicate securely about the steps involved along the road to completion.

We build the foundation before we build the walls, and we build the roof before we even think about the interior design. Sure, we’d love to know about your design preferences. Heck, I’m a girl, I love rainbows and pretty colors too. I just want to get the technical stuff right first because ultimately if a site can’t be found, no one will appreciate that killer design.