Just as nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, very few (outside of Monty Python aficionados) would expect a cute, furry rabbit to be a harbinger of death. The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog showed the rest of us just how wrong appearances can be. Those of us who fear the Rabbit would be terrified to learn that one such rabbit is lurking on our websites.
The lurker is your web forms. Like the Rabbit of Caerbannog, forms seem to be harmless. Plenty of designers include them as a useful feature. When the form is badly designed, however, this usefulness turns into a hindrance.
Why is this an SEO issue? Poorly designed web forms can affect your search engine optimisation when they turn traffic away; usability is important to convert traffic from SEO into sales or enquiries. If you’ve got forms on your site, it’s important to ensure they work efficiently and reliably. Faults and clunkiness will undermine the efforts you’re putting in.
As part of your SEO jobs, review your forms for:
*Function – faulty forms are a sign of an untrustworthy site. Make sure that everything is working as it should
*Form – forms that are long or cumbersome put internet users off. Keep your questions, and the time investment required, to a minimum
*Friendliness – nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition when they start to fill in a newsletter subscription form. Keep it simple
Rabbits may seem all sweet and fluffy, but anyone who has had close encounters with them will know that they have black, black hearts. Don’t let your website behave like a killer bunny.
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