The idea of turning a blank page into something visually appealing, functional, and user-friendly has always sparked a sense of excitement in me. From choosing color palettes to designing layouts, I love the feeling of I bringing an abstract idea to life in a digital space. During my time in college, I have taken numerous design classes, honing my skills and refining my understanding of what makes a website not just look good but also perform well.
But SEO? It wasn’t something I connected with the creative aspects of design, or at least not in the way I do now. I had heard about keywords and ranking factors, but I never fully grasped how much SEO is essential to creating effective websites that reach an audience.
SEO is more than just about ranking on Google; it’s about making sure that what is designed is actually discoverable by the people who need it. I had spent so much time thinking about design from a purely creative standpoint, but since the start of this class have began to realize that the most attractive, functional websites are meaningless if they don’t show up in search results.
One of the most eye-opening realizations for me was how much SEO can enhance user experience. Things like:
- Page load speed (According to Kissmetrics, a 1-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.)
- Mobile optimization (According to Forrester Research, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad user experience.)
- Internal links (According to Moz, content that answers specific questions or provides in-depth information sees a 70% higher engagement rate.)
The class opened my eyes to the fact that SEO and design aren’t separate entities—they go hand-in-hand. I now see SEO as an essential skill for someone like me. In the future, I hope to pursue a career that allows me to combine my passion for creative web design with the technical knowledge of SEO.
One Response
As a fellow Design major, I immediately relate to your thought process. The idea of having a website look good is imperative! A good website is like the 8th wonder of the world, no one knows about it unless they find it! (Except your website would be more widely known than something that doesn’t exist hopefully) SEO is the secret to website popularity.