Selecting a website design company or a website development company that understands search engine optimization is a critical first step if you plan to use the internet to promote your website. It is true, the search engines’ indexing rules and behaviors tend to change frequently, so optimization techniques that work wonders one day, may be completely ineffective down the road. Even in this ever-changing climate, there is one thing that remains constant, and that is the relationship between search engine robots and website design.

Search engine robots are nothing more than automated programs that scan the text, read the tags and navigate the links on a website and then index it according to it's current algorithm. So, plain and simple, ease of navigation and quality content are the constants in the search engine optimization process. Complicated or complex site design can confuse the search engines, an action that is not desirable if you want a website that gets results.

You may be asking, “So, does that mean I have to have a plain, simple website design?” The answer to that question is “No.” You can have a complex website with exceptional design and features such as frames, Flash, java script, mouse-over links and graphics. You simply have to have a website design company that understands how these features interact with the search engines and can design the site in an optimal manner so those poor robots don’t get sent packing when they run across complicated, messy code.

Simple source code is the easiest for the search engine robots to read. Text and hyperlinks, particularly text links, are attractive to the search engines. There are aspects of a website that can cause it to be slow loading, or can cause visitors to have difficulty navigating the site. These barriers to human access are also stumbling blocks to the search engine robots. If not used properly, extensive use of java script, Flash, frames and selection options can complicate the index processing for the search engines and can result in less than favorable ranking. An expert website development company like PSI can work around these complications making index processing a breeze, even for a site with special features.

Amateur website designers often don’t understand how to optimize dynamic pages, query strings, flash design, frames, mouse-over links and image maps. Because of this, they may use the features sparingly, or worse, use them extensively without consideration for special techniques like shortening query strings, using static pages, using “no frames” tags, etc.

So, when you are considering a website design company or website development company, don’t settle for simple, boring architecture, but make sure that your chosen design firm won’t ruin your chances of being indexed properly. Choose an expert design and development firm like PSI who has the qualifications and experience needed to provide quality content, eye catching design and optimal results that will enhance your ratings, improve your conversion rate and produce exceptional website performance and at the same time increase your advantage over your competition in the search engines.