5 Essential Steps for a Fully-Optimized Website

Jul 13, 2018

With Google, the best user experience wins. Period.

Do you need a fully-optimized website for 2018? Following SEO best practices (relevant keywords, page titles and descriptions, etc.), of course, is tantamount. Optimization is an ongoing, ever-changing process, however.

The following adjustments can help you provide a more user-friendly experience and land that coveted #1 slot on the Search Engine Results Page:

  1. Make your site easy to navigate: List all of your website’s important pages in a navigation menu on the home page. Create custom 404 pages with appropriate links for users who cannot find the information they desired due to broken links or a mistyped URL. Also, provide crawlable, accessible content, making it easy for Googlebot to navigate your site.
  2. Optimize your site for mobile viewing. Google moved to a “mobile-first” index in early 2018, which means its bots are viewing your site through a mobile prism. If your site does not cater to users on platforms and screens of all sizes, your rank is going to suffer. So make sure your website is responsive.
  3. Load speed is critical. Make sure your site and pages load swiftly – not only on mobile devices, but desktops as well. Otherwise you risk losing both a solid ranking and customers who aren’t going to stick around and wait.
  4. Don’t get labeled “unsecure.” As of this month, Google Chrome began listing all non-HTTPS sites as “unsecure.” Google also urges all new sites to use HTTPS, and gives a slight ranking bump to sites that use this protocol. So if you’ve been waiting for the right time to switch over, there’s no time like the present.
  5. Keep your site in the top spot: If you made it to the #1 spot on Google, way to go! Your work’s just beginning, though. If your link is at #1, and no one clicks through to your site, count on Google shoving you out of place. Keep an eye on your Click Through Rates (CTRs). If they’re not up to snuff, make adjustments: use relevant keywords in headlines, energize them with emotion, and play on your prospects’ curiosity.

Optimization is an expansive and complex subject, and these suggestions are simply the tip of the SEO iceberg.
When redesigning your fully-optimized website, refer to this checklist:

  • Make sure your new site is multi-browser compatible
  • Run your site through a broken link checker
  • Set up and add sitemap.xml and robots.txt files
  • Add calls to action and align with the topics in your sites pages
  • Make sure old pages redirect to new
  • Make sure your site is optimized for mobile viewing.
  • Run a test of your loading speed
  • Make meaningful use of keywords and ensure they align with the interests of your target audience

Finally, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is my site structure intuitive for all users?
  • Can my users easily subscribe to content?
  • Can my users easily share pages, posts, and photos?
  • Have I implemented analytics tools?
  • Did I check for common errors, such as grammar, misspellings, and more?
  • Have I called IMPACT Marketing & PR?

OK, so, we may have snuck that last one in there just to see if you were paying attention. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.

Our marketing specialists excel in designing (and redesigning) fully-optimized websites. If you are in need of digital marketing services, or someone to review your SEO, fill out our contact form or give us a holler at 410-312-0081.

IMPACT Marketing & Public Relations, LLC

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