Light, Lines and Logic
Isobel Lindsay

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is how you make your website searchable. How it's found when people are searching for something that your website offers. It's not just about using keywords, it's about making your website easy to use. Search engines (including AI systems) check your website for different aspects that make it appear higher in search results. Systems rate your website based on:How clear the content isHow fast the site loadsHow your copy answers search queriesHow accessible your site isWhether all your links work...and lots more. ​Optimising a website for search and AI will make your website easier to use for your visitors as well. What I do is give clarity and structure, plus a human touch, to your website so that not only AI will find your website, but other humans will too.

Making your website accessible to everyone is important as it ensures equal access to information and services.    There are guidelines that website designers and developers follow to ensure websites all meet the needs of everyone, Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines are designed to help people with visual, auditory, motor, speech, and cognitive disabilities process your website information more easily. The four pillars of these guidelines:PerceivableOperableUnderstandableRobustFind out more: What is WCAG?Some basic examples of what you can do to make your website accessible is: Your colours shouldn't clash too much Your images require alternative text so people with visual impairments are able to interpret your images without sight (using a screen reader)Your text is well-structured and easy to read These guidelines have been around for a long time and have been used to design website interfaces (both for users and designers), so it is likely your website system will have something built in to help you check for accessibility. However, human intervention is often necessary to check that everything is as easy to use as you need it to be.I've been making websites accessible for more than 10 years, it is embedded in how I work with websites: writing copy, designs and imagery, brand and colour palettes, structure and development. If you need someone to review your website's accessibility, or you just need a review of your website, I can help.

If you haven't tested your website yourself, start there. Access your website outside of your CMS or website editor so you can view it as your visitors would.Ask friends and family to try your website out too – sometimes we need another perspective to see the things we can't when we're close to a project.Have you asked your customers? If you receive emails enquiring about the same thing over and over, that could be something you fix with or add to your website. Sometimes it's hard to see from your customers' perspectives, that's where someone like me can help.

That depends on a number of factors.Are you losing customers? If so, you may want to look at how your website user experience works. Or perhaps how your offering is presented on your website. Has your visitor rate dropped?If so, you may need to generate new content that connects with your audience. For example, is there a new trend in your industry that you can write about? Is there a new competitor stealing your customers? What do you offer that they can't? What are they doing on their website that you're not?Do you have new products or services to offer?You do? Add all new products and services to your website. Have you made a breakthrough in your business?Do you have important news to share? Have you made a partnership? Won an award? Discovered something? Then yes, add this to your website.Not sure what new content to create? I can help. I've been generating new content and updating existing content on websites for over 10 years.

You may have a plugin on your website's platform that will review your website and tell you. But often, a human eye picks up on less technical issues that can improve how available your website is to people who may have impairments or disabilities that affect how they use a website. Making a website accessible affects all your website users. I've been meeting accessibility requirements (WCAG) for over 10 years. It's embedded in how I work with websites, whether it's technical, structural, textual or aesthetic, I know what to look for and how to improve website accessibility.

Essentially, the same way you optimise your website for search or SEO. It's important to maintain pre-AI SEO best practices. These are still important.AI adds an additional layer of being everywhere, not just on websites. So it's important to be in as many places as you can, including social media, forums, business listings, etc. A few tips on optimising for AI:Make sure your business information/brand is consistent across all of your platforms (eg social media, other websites)Is there a topical authority for your industry? Aim to be mentioned with that authorityPositive reviews and ratings – bring them onto your website, share them wherever you canUse conversational language – AI will find your content more appealing to useIf you want any other tips on mastering your AI searchability, get in touch. It all connects, there's a lot we can do to make your website, communications and connection with your audience, better.

Have you heard of search engine optimisation (SEO)? SEO is how you make your website searchable. How it's found when people are searching for something that your website offers. It's not just about using keywords, it's about making your website easy to use. Search engines (including AI systems) check your website for different aspects that make it appear higher in search results. Systems rate your website based on:How clear the content isHow fast the site loadsHow your copy answers search queriesHow accessible your site isWhether all your links work...and lots more. Google also changes how it ranks websites regularly. People like me keep up to date with how Google ranks websites. Also, it's not just Google. Improving your SEO helps with other search engines too, including Bing, Duck Duck Go, Ecosia, and AI platforms such as ChatGPT. Need help improving your search ranking?

You can find a website developer or consultant (like me) to help you build a website. Or if you know what you want, how you want your website to look and how you want people to find out about you – there are a range of website builder platforms that you can use. If you're not sure what you want and you don't want to go into a new website without understanding how to get people to your website, how to keep it up to date, how to design the site and keep it on-brand, you'll need someone like me to guide you through. Ideally, you want to find someone who works with you, who you can discuss your ideas with and who you can trust to take on your project. If you'd like to discuss your project, get in touch.