In a town where people know the difference between “Cole Valley” and “Upper Noe,” you can’t pretend being local. Did you get it wrong? You’re out. I engaged with a wellness coach who said her studio was in “San Francisco,” but there was no area or zip code, which was hidden in the footer like contraband. She was curious as to why no one came. We changed her Google Business profile to state “steps from Glen Park BART,” added information about nearby hiking trails, and rectified her address schema. She started turning up for “life coach near Glen Canyon Park” out of the blue. In the first week, there were six new questions. It turns out that being close is more important than poetic writing. Looking for creative solutions? Discover how website design san francisco can bring your brand to life.

One person showed me his site. It had a glitch art look, a dark background, and neon writing that pulsed. It looked like a cyberpunk nightmare. It also took 11 seconds to load on a phone. He was selling cushions for meditation. Meditation. The irony hit me like a late Muni bus. People desired peace. Got a mess. We made things easier. Layout in clean white. Soothing sounds. Less than two seconds to load. Added questions and answers like “Can I send back a cushion if my cat breaks it?” (Yes, that’s the answer.) The number of organic visitors doubled. There were a lot more conversions. Sometimes serenity is worth more than pixels.

I don’t care how amazing your typeface is. If your contact button is behind three dropdowns, you’ve messed up. Their “Order Online” link was hidden under “Philosophy → Our Journey → Digital Experience” on the Excelsior bakery’s website. Who goes that deep for a concha? Put it in front and center. Added a click-to-call option for phone orders. Put tags on pictures of products that said “Mexican bakery SF” and “sweet bread delivery Excelsior.” Pre-orders for the weekend went up 40% in a month. What’s the moral? Don’t make folks look for things. Not when they’re hungry, though.

There is voice search. And strange. People talk to their phones like they’re therapists. “Hey Siri, look for a vegan pizza place near Dolores Park that stays open after 9.” You can’t be found if your site doesn’t answer inquiries in straightforward English. One pizza place started posting things like “Yes, our vegan cheese melts” and “Delivery hours on rainy nights” on their blog. Started showing up for strange but real searches. There was a rise in voice searches. I even got a call asking, “Can I bring my dog on the patio?” Yes, the answer is yes. That is currently on the page. Because sometimes, to win at SEO, you have to expect the unexpected.

Vanity is what San Francisco eats for morning. It all goes wrong when you use flashy galleries, autoplay videos, and hard-to-understand navigation. Quickness, clarity, and location. That’s the three of them. A dive bar in the Mission changed the look of their website. One page. List of items. Times for happy hour. Where it is. Schedule for the band. No extra stuff. Now it loads faster than a shot at the bar. “Live music Potrero Hill” and “cheap beers near 16th Street” are two of the top searches. They didn’t need to be redesigned. They needed to be honest. It’s not about appearing good online. It’s about being seen. Especially when someone is inebriated, lost, and wants a cheap PBR.