There is no way to deny that having a robust online presence is no longer an option. It’s a necessity!
Whether you are an entrepreneur launching for the first time or an established company or organization with years of history, an SEO-friendly website can help you make your mark online.
If you are still determining where to start, here are ten actionable things you can do to improve your website optimization tactics.
Create And Submit A Sitemap
Submitting a sitemap is the core of all search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. A sitemap is a small file listing all allowed website URLs. It helps search engines discover, analyze, and index your website more efficiently by providing a direct link to your website.
Including sitemap submission as part of your SEO strategy ensures that search engines can find and index your website quickly and accurately. By doing this, you can increase website traffic and improve your results.
Optimize Website Speed And Response Time
Optimizing website speed and response time is vital in search engine optimization, as it impacts the overall user experience.
Website speed refers to the time it takes for the server to respond to a user request. When a website loads quickly, the user doesn’t have to wait, which is always good.
Fast server response times can contribute to improved search engine rankings and higher levels of organic website traffic since search engine algorithms often reward websites with shorter loading times and better response times.
This attention to detail indicates that the website is well-maintained and provides users with a positive experience overall. In addition, by optimizing website speed and response time, website owners offer visitors the best possible experience.
Ensure Your Site Is Responsive On All Devices
Ensuring your website formats correctly when viewed on all devices is essential. Responsive web design provides a seamless user experience regardless of the type or size of the device.
The site defaults to visitors’ screen size, with content or images formatted to fit the device accordingly. And when you consider that nearly 60% of search traffic originated from mobile devices in November 2022, this is a vertical you can’t afford to overlook!
Know (And Use) Relevant Keyword Phrases
Be sure to add and use relevant keywords in page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and image ALT tags to strengthen on-page SEO.
These components help search engines understand the content of a page. Keywords tell search engine crawlers the page’s context and help determine the page’s relevance to a query.
Whether creating new front-facing website content, blog posts, product pages, or other web content, business owners should strive to publish relevant, purposeful, well-structured, and engaging content.
Don’t Forget To Link To Pertinent Pages
Crafting links to relevant website pages is integral for effective Search Engine Optimization. Interlinking relevant website pages in blogs and front-facing website copy keep web crawlers and visitors moving throughout your site.
Linking to other relevant website pages helps create pathways and trust, improving the user experience by providing more information and resources. Furthermore, linking to other relevant website pages can develop additional organic traffic, as users may be more likely to click on the link if they trust the source. Therefore, crafting links to relevant website pages is an integral part of SEO and should not be overlooked.
Reach Out And Build Your Network
Citations and links from trusted sources help build credibility. These off-page search engine optimization signals can help increase a website’s authority and make it more visible in search engine results.
Additionally, citations from other websites create new pathways for visitors from these referring sites to visit your web property.
Popular sites that provide relevant links and citations for local business websites include:
- Yelp
- Google Business Profile
- Bing Places
- Yahoo Local
- Foursquare
- Superpages
- Yellow Pages
- MerchantCircle
- com
- Manta
While this is not an inclusive or comprehensive list of third-party citation sources, these are great places to start.
Implement Schema Markup
Implementing Schema markup into your website’s code improves search engine optimization. Schema is a code that helps search engines better understand the content website. As a result, it provides more information to search engines to rank your website more accurately in search results.
Get Help From Search Engine Professionals
Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the technical jargon? If so, fear not! At Interactive Palette, our website design and search engine optimization professionals can answer your questions and develop a plan to increase online conversions. So please get in touch with us to start the conversation.
