If you want your business to be found online, it is important for it to not only appear in search results but also rank high on the first page of search engine results (SERP). This is crucial because 75% of individuals do not go beyond the first SERP. Conversely, by optimizing your website, you can attract targeted traffic consisting of potential buyers, allowing you to maximize leads and sales.
Optimizing your website involves more than simply incorporating the correct keywords into your content. Let’s examine important techniques for achieving the best results in website optimization.
1. Page load speed
Among the main causes of a high bounce rate for websites is slow page load speed. Studies have found that if a site takes longer than 3 seconds to load, 40% of visitors will leave. Additionally, every second of delay in loading leads to a 16% decrease in user satisfaction. Moreover, Google takes into account slow loading when determining the ranking of websites. Therefore, having fast load times will contribute to a higher ranking on SERPs.
There are multiple methods available for enhancing load time, including:
- Minimizing image size
- Delete unnecessary plugins
- Enable browser caching
- Minimize CSS and JavaScript files
- Reduce redirects
- Reduce server response time
2. Focus on search intent
Google focuses on the reason for a user’s search query, which is known as search intent, when listing search results. There are generally 4 types of search intent.
- Informational – Where the user seeks specific information, such what “top website optimization strategies.”
- Navigational – Where the user is looking for a specific app or website, such as “semgeeks” or “Amazon.”
- Commercial – Where the user is looking for a product but hasn’t made up their mind yet, such as “best smartphone.”
- Transactional – Where the user is interested in making a purchase, such as “buy Samsung Galaxy online.”
Are you aware that 46% of Google searches are made with the intention of finding local information? Therefore, when developing content for your website, it is important to focus on the specific search intent you are targeting. You can effectively target these intentions by incorporating them into your blog, explainer videos, product pages, and other relevant sections of your website.
3. Mobile-first approach
If your website has not been optimized for smaller screen sizes, here are the steps you need to take because Google has been ranking websites on its mobile-first index since 2018.
- Use a responsive design, where images and other elements will scale according to the size of the screen.
- Use shorter meta titles, which are easier to read on smaller screens.
- Avoid long-form content.
- Avoid pop-ups that prevent visitors from seeing your content.
- Don’t use the mobile version for cloaking. Make sure users and search engine see the same content.
To guarantee that your site can adapt to all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones, it is crucial to prioritize this aspect.
4. Enhance user experience
In the first place, studies indicate that after a negative user experience, 88% of individuals are unlikely to revisit your website. Significantly, by investing $1 in enhancing the user experience, you receive a $100 return, resulting in a 9,900% ROI.
To ensure the best user experience (UX), it is important to start by analyzing your website to detect any issues. This includes examining the user flow, exit pages, heatmaps, and session recordings.
- Easy to navigate and use
- Content is unique and satisfies the user’s need
- Attractive and builds an emotional connect
- Integrates design and navigation for an intuitive experience
- Appears credible and trustworthy
- Adds value for the visitor
5. Core web vitals
One of Google’s algorithms, launched in 2020, assesses the health of a website with the purpose of evaluating its user experience quality. Google plans to combine Core Web Vitals with its upcoming Page Experience algorithm, scheduled for release in May 2021, in order to rank websites.
The core web vitals of your site, which include “loading experience, interactivity, and visual stability of page content,” can be evaluated using tools like PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and Search Console.
6. Technical SEO
To optimize technical SEO for your website, follow these step-by-step instructions: 1. Technical SEO refers to tools that monitor a website’s SEO and address any problems as they arise. 2. Conducting an SEO audit of your site has never been easier with the help of these tools.
- Ascertain that your site is mobile friendly
- Check robot.txt files, which is where most sites experience bugs
- Look for status code errors and fix them
- Check and rectify duplicate meta title and description tags
- Check the indexing of your website using Google Search Console
- Use Google Analytics to check website traffic across different webpages and fix the content of underperforming pages
- Check for and fix broken links, which drastically impact UX
- Use Google Search Console to submit your XML sitemap to Google.
7. Mobile-first
In March 2018, Google initiated the rollout of the mobile-first index. Even prior to the official rollout, savvy marketers were already adopting a mobile-first approach. Below are some fundamental guidelines to make your website compatible with mobile devices.
- Make your site adaptive to any device – be it desktop, mobile, or tablet.
- Always scale your images when using a responsive design, especially for mobile users.
- Use short meta titles. They are easier to read on mobile devices.
- Avoid pop-ups that cover your content and prevent visitors from getting a glimpse of what your content is all about.
- Less can be more on mobile. In a mobile-first world, long-form content doesn’t necessarily equate to more traffic and better rankings.
- Don’t use mobile as an excuse for cloaking. Users and search engines need to see the same content.
8. Schema
Once schema markup is added to a webpage, it generates a rich snippet, which is an improved description displayed in the search results.
All major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Yandex, have support for microdata. The true benefit of schema lies in its ability to give context to a webpage and enhance the search experience.
There is no proof that the inclusion of schema has any impact on SERPs. Below are some of the most commonly utilized purposes for schema.
- Article.
- Book.
- Breadcrumb.
- Event.
- FAQ Page.
- How-to.
- Job Posting.
- Local Business.
- Logos.
- Medical Condition.
- Movie.
- Organization.
- Person.
- Product.
- Recipe.
- Review.
- Subscription and paywall content.
- Video.
- And more…
If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of adding schema to a page, there is no need to be scared. The process of implementing schema is actually quite straightforward. In case you own a WordPress site, there are numerous plugins available that can handle the task for you.
9. Content marketing
This year, a forecast suggests that a total of 97 zettabytes of data will be generated, stored, duplicated, and used globally. To provide context, this amount can be likened to having 18.7 trillion songs or watching 3,168 years of HD video each day.
To accomplish the task of breaking through the clutter, the difficulty will progressively increase as time goes by.
- Create a content hub in the form of a resource center.
- Fill your resource hub with a combination of useful, informative, and entertaining content.
- Write “spoke” pieces related to your resource hub and interlink.
- Write news articles related to your resource and interlink.
- Spread the word. Promote your news articles on social channels.
- Hijack trending topics related to your content. Promote on social media.
- Use your smartphone camera. Images and videos typically convert better than text alone.
- Update stale and low-trafficked content.
10. Link building
Links continue to be one of the most important ranking factors. Over the years, Google has become more adept at identifying and devaluing spammy links, especially so after the launch of Penguin 4.0. That being the case, quality will continue to trump quantity.
Incorporating a systematic approach, the text below has been rephrased while retaining the same meaning: The top link-building tactics for the year 2022 consist of:
- Utilization of Resource Pages.
- Broken Link Building.
- Backlink Mining.
- Link Reclamation.
- Claiming Unlinked Mentions.
11. Test and document changes
The first step for SEO testing is to manage what you measure. A recent study revealed that less than half of the pages that were considered “optimized” actually resulted in more clicks. Additionally, it found that 34% of the changes implemented led to a decrease in clicks.
- Determine what you are testing and why.
- Form a hypothesis. What do you expect will happen because of your changes?
- Document your testing. Make sure it can be reliably replicated.
- Publish your changes and then submit the URLs for inspection via Google Search Console.
- Run the test for a long enough period to confirm if your hypothesis is correct or not. Document your findings and any other observations, such as changes made by competitors that may influence the outcome.
- Take appropriate actions based on the results of your tests.
By using a spreadsheet, it is possible to easily execute and document this process.
12. Track and analyze KPIs
Roger Monti provides a list of the top 9 SEO KPIs that should be taken into consideration.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).
- Content Efficiency.
- Average Engagement Time.
- Conversion Goals by Percent-Based Metrics.
- Accurate Search Visibility.
- Brand Visibility in Search.
- New And Returning Users.
- Average Time on Site.
- Revenue Per Thousand (RPM) And Average Position.
When considering these KPIs, it is important to bear in mind that they vary based on your goals and objectives. Certain KPIs may be applicable to your specific circumstances, while others may not. Hence, consider this as a solid starting point to decide the most effective way to measure a campaign’s success.
