When we think of web designers, it's easy to focus solely on the visual aspects of their work, when in actuality, they have a wide range of skills and responsibilities beyond designing. Here’s a closer look at what else web designers do:
Throughout today's blog, are some quotes from Mango Web Designer, Laura about her experience with the behind the scenes tasks as a designer.
SEO and Metadata
Integrating SEO strategies to ensure the website ranks well on search engines. Web designers produce engaging and keyword-rich content that drives traffic and improves search visibility. Designers also handle header information that’s key for SEO and site indexing. This includes adding title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags that help search engines understand the content and improve the website’s search ranking.
Renaming images: “Mango preaches this all the time but IMG_231.jpg is not going to get you found on Google. Use keywords that you’re trying to rank for and bulk rename your photos BEFORE uploading them onto your website.” - Laura
Image Selection and Optimization
Choosing the right images is key for a website’s aesthetic, SEO and functionality. Web designers use high-quality images that align with the brand’s message and optimize them for faster loading times. This involves adjusting file sizes and formats without compromising on quality to enhance user experience and website performance.
Resizing and optimizing images: “Most photos (especially brand photography from pro photographers) always come in HUGE file sizes. It’s really important to resize EVERYTHING that you use on your website AND run it through optimizing software so that your images are as small as possible while maintaining quality. This keeps your pages loading fast which also ups your SEO.” - Laura
Website Settings
Beyond design, web designers also tend to adjust technical settings within a website as well. They configure domain settings, manage hosting, and ensure the site is secure. This creates a smooth and reliable user experience.
Checking color contrast: “It’s SO important to make sure that all colors pass accessibility checking - people are gonna click off FAST if they have to squint to read your text.” - Laura, Mango Marketing Co Designer
Research
Before designers start any website project they always dive into user research to understand target audiences and competitor websites to determine opportunities for differentiation. This research informs design decisions and helps create a user-friendly and competitive site.
Custom coding: “I love a ‘drag and drop’ platform as much as the next person, but sometimes a little bit of CSS or Javascript can really take things to the next level!” - Laura
Domain Transfers and Connectivity
Web designers manage domain transfers, ensuring a seamless transition without downtime. They connect websites to various social media platforms and integrate social media feeds and share buttons that help drive traffic and increase user interaction.
Connecting your domain: “Your website URL gets hosted on places like GoDaddy (or sometimes your website platform may provide hosting as well) but it’s my job to make sure it’s linked up and pointing to your website!” - Laura
Now we can see, web designers wear many hats, so shout out to all the amazing web designers that not only make websites beautiful but also functional, accessible, and optimized.
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