SEO & Other Built-In Website Features

Many of the services that we offer are built right into every site we build.  These features and services are SO important to the success of your website that they simply can't be excluded, which is why we include them with every project, no matter how big or small.

Learn more about these services by reading on below:

Search Engine Optimization

When building your website, Variant Studios uses commonly accepted programming techniques to improve the way search engines read your website.  Optimized websites can increase the volume of "organic" (free) traffic that is brought to them.

While website traffic is highly dependent upon the quality and volume of your website's content, Variant Studios uses these tools to improve the way that search engines see your website.

  • Clean, Descriptive URL's
    Drupal automatically generates descriptive page addresses which are helpful to your site users and can improve your search engine ranking:

    • BAD URL: www.yoursite.com/?qnid=00000029382&level=09982kmu
    • GOOD URL: www.yoursite.com/client-portfolio/smith-johnson-project

  • XML Sitemap*
    Each time you add or change content, your website will automatically notify sites like Google, Ask, and Bing!

  • Meta-Descriptions
    Every page within your website can be given a unique description hidden in the page code that search engines will automatically use as the page description when shown in the search results.

  • Analytics
    Track visitors to your site and see what keywords are driving them there using Google Analytics.  Analytics helps you find out who your audience is and where they are coming from, and tells you what keywords or key phrases got them there.

* Only on Drupal Content Management Websites

Semantic, Validated XHTML Markup

Proper website development is done in layers:

  • The content layer
  • The funcitionality layer
  • The design layer

The first layer, the content layer, if structured properly, can improve your website's ability to be viewed universally by all browsers, thus improving the capability of search engines to interpret the content of your website.

When the design layers and the functional layers are turned off (this can literally be done with basic web-developer tools), the content of your site should remain completely usable and readable.  Sites that are structured improperly will often become difficult to read or navigate and will often be difficult for search engines to index.

It should also be noted that properly structured XHTML improves accessibility for people with physical disabilities and visual impairments.

Variant Studios takes special care to make sure that the most important layer of your site, the content layer, is always coded properly so that it will remain universally accessible by all visitors, devices and search engines.

Browser Compatibility

Because some browsers do not adhere to the same standards (some browsers ignore entire features or functionality), developers must often write special browser-specific code.

Making sure that your website will look and function the same way when viewed in each of these browsers is by far the biggest headache for developers — which is why many developers completely ignore older browsers such as Internet Explorer 6.0, a browser that is still used by more than 13% of Internet users!

Imagine a store that offered limited or no access to 13% of visitors who came through the door.  If your website does not support all browsers, you may be turning away entire groups of people without even knowing it.

All visitors to your site are valuable, and a certain segmanet of users should not be unknowingly penalized because of the program they use to view sites on the Internet.  To ensure that your site does not turn away visitors, Variant Studios builds and tests all of our sites in Internet Explorer versions 6.0 - 8.0, and all versions of Firefox, Opera, Safari and Chrome.

Email and Google Apps

Google Apps is a suite of enterprise-level productivity tools that is bundled with your website and will improve your email experience and make communication easier.  Variant Studios uses Google Apps exclusively and highly recommends it — and best of all, it's completely free!

Here are a few of the tools that Google Apps includes:

  • Email: Powerful spam filtering and email organization. Access your email online, on your desktop or on the road using your mobile device.  Best of all, it all stays in sync!
  • Chat: Instantly communicate with other Google Apps users when they are online without any additional software.
  • Docs: With Docs you can save, edit and share presentations, spreadsheets and documents online.
  • Calendar: You can access your calendar from anywhere and synchronize it with several devices.  Create multiple calendars and keep them private or share them within your company or with the world. 

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