Do you want an efficient method for promoting your website? Then optimization for search engines is “one of the best methods” you can use! The simple investment in creating a website will not ensure your success or visibility, if you do not respect the following elements that we will mention below.
1. Relevant Content
By this term we refer to information that correctly expresses the page’s message and provides users with the data they need, in a timely manner and using an accessible language. For search engines, providing relevant content that informs users in a timely manner is a very important feature. Avoidance of duplicate content should also be taken into account.Google’s algorithms value the authenticity of the information and its correctness. If duplicates are found, the unoriginal page will be charged and will drop in the Google ranking.
To ensure the relevance of the content that your website offers, objectively answer the following questions:
- Is the information they provide simple, easy to understand and follow?
- Does the content of the website evoke a certain type of emotion? What kind of emotion: positive or negative?
- Does the information inspire readers?
- Does the information offer credibility, are they designed so that they don’t sound mechanical?
If you answered yes to these questions, congratulations, you have quality content! Therefore, you can proceed to the next step.
Tip: Above all, our advice is don’t create content just for search engines, but put readers and their needs first! Paradoxically, by providing adequate and qualitative material, in relation to the users’ requirements, Google will notice and reward you, making your content available to the right users.
2. Accessibility and flexibility of the interface
When it comes to the interface, we refer to the part of the website with which the user interacts. Because we know that the first impression matters, we have to adapt the visual part according to user preferences and new trends in the field. Elements such as loading time or security can divide users between those who are satisfied, who will make the conversion, and those who have had an unpleasant experience and who, certainly, will not use the services you offer very soon.
As in the previous step, you have the obligation to ask yourself if:
- The designed interface is minimal, does it emphasize the important elements of the website?
- Are there spaces between elements or is the appearance loaded, crowded?
- Is the chosen color palette consistent, consistent and in relation to the other elements on the website?
- Are important information (such as contact information) well located or difficult to find?
- Is the navigation menu adaptable for small devices? It is functional?
- What is the user feedback after browsing the website? What sensation does the chosen color palette make them feel?
If, following the answers, you find that the designed interface has certain weak points, you must take the appropriate measures in due time. You can get an indication of the reaction of users when browsing the website from Google Analytics statistics (conversion rate, average time spent on the website, bounce rate) but also through specialized session recording and A/B testing software such as Hotjar, CrazyEgg, etc. If the users of the website have a pleasant experience, then Google will “recount” you by increasing the position in the search engines.
3. Adaptability (responsive mobile)
An intensely debated topic, to which there is not much more to add: the adaptability of the website. It is more than well known that mobile browsing shows a continuous growth trend, to the detriment of desktop browsing. For this reason, there is a need for website adaptability for different portable devices. If this element is not taken into account, users may have an unsatisfactory experience, which may cause frustration and eventually leave and possibly avoid the website in the future.
Continuing on the chosen structure, find out if your website is adaptable according to the size of the devices, answering the following questions:
- When accessed from a mobile phone, is the website content easy to read or is the zoom action necessary?
- Do I have the option to scroll left-right on the interface?
Note: If the zoom action is required and the left-right scroll action is available, then you must fix these aspects of the website as soon as possible. The existence of the mentioned elements can affect the reputation of your website and can give users an unpleasant experience.
- Do the existing images on the website adapt according to the size of the device from which they are accessed?
- What is the user experience after accessing my website?
To analyze the answer to the last question, you can use the feedback forms, the direct contact of the users, surveys or, similar to the method from the previous point, the analysis of the website statistics that you can find in Google Analytics.
4. The keywords, their analysis and the strategy addressed
Within this point, one inevitably comes to the following question: are the keywords still relevant for SEO in 2018? Compared to previous periods of time, using the right keywords, in a large quantity, guarantees us to climb the first search positions of Google. However, with the appearance of the Panda algorithm, in 2011, the excessive use of appropriate terms ended.
However, keywords are still relevant for indexing websites on search engines.What changed was the fact that from a main element, they became just another feature of indexing. Therefore, by performing the competitive analysis, optimizing the content according to the relevant keywords and by following and continuously testing the results, you will successfully achieve another step in the SEO optimization of your website.
Be cautious! Big changes won’t happen overnight. The evolution is done step by step, taking into account the other important aspects of the website, as well as exogenous factors, such as changes in search engine indexing algorithms, the continuous and dynamic evolution of the e-commerce market, but also that of the business your.
Tip: to get an idea of the recent searches performed by users, what interests them or what are the global trends, we recommend using the following tools: Google Keyword Tool and Google Trends. These tools will help you discover similar terms for certain keywords and understand the evolution of certain trends.
5. Social media links
The existence and visibility of buttons that encourage actions on social networks (such as like or share) bring a variety of benefits from an SEO perspective:
- encourage readers to share the information found in your content, and this will bring relevant traffic to the business,
- as the right people read your content, more opportunities arise for creating natural links, from sharing on other blogs or websites, liking or mentioning them.
Another aspect that must be taken into account when it comes to social buttons is their positioning on the page. The localization must be done in a visible section of the website, which encourages users to perform the respective action. On the other hand, the structure of the elements must coincide with the style and appearance of the website. Another important element is the choice of pages where they can be implemented. In the current step, you must classify your content according to importance and role. The questions you have to answer are:
- What kind of content do you want to reach the online world?
- What is your goal when you start writing an article? Does it have an informative, inspiring purpose or is it simply designed to promote your services or products?
- What kind of people do you want to attract through the content? What is your target?
6. Backlinks
The concept of backlinks can be simplified as follows: when other quality or domain-specific websites refer to your website, you will gain popularity and authority in the eyes of search engines.
Comparing it to everyday terms, backlinks can be interpreted as a recommendation. When an influential person refers to a certain product, the chances that it will be bought by the people to whom the recommendation was made are quite high. Backlinks work in the same way.
If your website is mentioned on other pages with a high degree of authority, this aspect will be noticed by Google and will influence the rise of the position on the search engines.
The factors that influence backlinks are:
- their number
- the quality of the websites that refer to your business,
- acquisition speed.
If you resort to techniques not accepted by the search engines and you will experience an increase in the number of backlinks overnight, which is not organic, you will be penalized.
Conclusion
By paying more attention and optimizing these six discussed aspects, your SEO strategy will reach another level, your website will be indexed faster and more efficiently by search engines. However, don’t limit yourself to just that! Trends are constantly changing, as is the world of SEO. So, always be aware of the news in the field and never stop being curious!
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