Simplicity for Web Design and SEO

Simplicity is best for both great web design and getting results in search engine optimization. Simplicity creates focus, avoids confusion and gets results. In design you want to capture the visitor’s attention with your message. In SEO, focus and simplicity gets faster
and better results.

Occam’s razor states all things being equal; the simplest solution tends to be the best one. This is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham.

In web design, simplicity is important to get the visitor’s attention and get them to understand the purpose of the website in 3 seconds or less. The design needs to draw the eye to the important elements with a minimum of noise or distraction. Too much stuff on the screen distracts and causes confusion. Simplicity doesn’t mean having a completely white page, it means using colors and graphics that are pleasing and non-distracting.

In SEO, a website with many varying topics lacks focus and confuses the search engines. Simplicity gives focus. Search engines will give much more importance to web pages that are highly focused around a single keyword phrase or topic. Just as in visual design, the information presented needs to be simple and focused. Simplicity doesn’t mean having just a few words, it means having a focused topic.

Simplicity in visual design, in navigation and in information flow communicates better. This applies not only to the human visitor, but also to the search engines.