Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is mainly linked to the text of a web site and ensuring that the keywords people will be typing into the search engines are included several times within your web site. However SEO doesn't stop here; the idea of SEO; how your site is optimised, should be incorporated within the design of your site as well.

Effective SEO work may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, in which case SEO tactics should be incorporated into the web site development and design. Also the term search engine friendly is used to describe the web site design, menus, content management systems, URL's and any shopping carts that appear on the site. All of these features should be easy to optimise, meaning they will be more search engine friendly.

There are several ways in which you can ensure that the design of your website makes it more not only search engine friendly but user friendly:

- The content - the information and overall substance of your site should always be relevant to what your site is about, this includes not only text but images and links. It should always target members of the public who are connected or interested in what your website focuses on. - The usability - the design of the interface on your website as well as the design of the navigation should be simple and reliable; it is highly important that your website is user-friendly as people are more likely to stay on your site and purchase your products or services if the layout and navigation are easy to master. - The appearance - it is important that your website has consistency. The design of your site should flow throughout your entire website; this includes the graphics and the text that are used on your site. The graphics should have relevance to each other and the text should be written in the same font family and point size. The style that you choose for your web site should reflect the style of your business and should be presented in a professional and appealing manner.

As well as the content and style of your website being important, the correct placement of certain elements on your web site can be significant to whether or not your site is picked up within the search engines. At the very top of the page is where your company name, logo and banner should be placed along with the contact telephone number for your business, which should be placed in the top left hand corner of the page.

If you are currently in the position where you are hoping to get a website designed, whether it is for business or personal use you should keep the concept of SEO in mind to ensure that your website not only performs in the task you created it for but also so it performs within the search engine positions.

If you require further information about how to effectively design your website for the purpose of SEO get in touch with a web design company today and they will create the perfect site to you get ranked high within the search engines. Helen is the web master of Search Solutions, specialists in all forms of Search Engine Optimisation and SEO Web Design.