23/04/2020
5 THINGS TO CHECK WHETHER YOUR WEB SITE STRUCTURE IS LIMITING YOUR SEO PERFORMANCE
SEO is a dark art. No-one is really sure how Google creates its search algorithms, but there are a few basic rules that should always be adhered to. If any company says they can guarantee getting you to the top of the organic search engines, be suspicious. Without paying to appear there through advertising, there is no guaranteed way of doing this. But doing the basics well, will help…
With over 35% of all web sites being built in WordPress, it’s fair to assume, most small businesses will have a WordPress website. If you have access to the dashboard, checking your basic SEO is quite easy. But if you don’t, here are a few simple tricks to allow you to check whether your web site developer has cut-corners when creating your site.
Check your Page Title – Open your website, and then open a new tab beside it, making your Page Title visible. (If you are using Chrome, the tab will partially obscure your page title, but hovering over the tab, will display the Page Title in full).
The Page Title, is a critical piece of your web site structure. It should describe your business clearly, (using primary key words), in no more than 60 characters.
Check your Google listing. Google your company by name (so it appears at the top of your listing), and take a look at the [meta] description – does this describe your company and its offerings well?
This is the first point of contact people searching for your services will have with your business. This should explain why the user should visit your site over another, (and include primary key word and phrases). There is no limit on the number of words, but only the first 160 characters are visible, so choose your words carefully.
Check image descriptions. Hovering your mouse over an image should display an image description.
This might seem to be an insignificant thing, but this vitally important for visually impaired visitors to your site – search engines recognise this.
Setup a ‘Google My Business’ Page. Go to https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/business/ and search for your business. If it’s there, great – now, check the content. If it’s not there, create a location, and follow the simple steps to create and verify it.
This is free and very easy to do. Once setup, don’t forget to add your opening times etc, your company logo and images associated with your business.
Mobile Responsiveness. Does your web site adapt seamlessly to mobile and desktop devices?
Did you know, around 78% of people viewing your web site are likely to be doing so on a mobile device? That figure is increasing year-on-year. If a visitor comes to your site and has to zoom sections of your site to read the content, they aren’t going to stay long – no matter how interested they are in your services. It is believed that search engines don’t directly penalise non-responsive sites (yet), BUT your ‘bounce rate’ is likely to increase, this pushes your site down the rankings.
All these processes are routinely addressed in Creative Services’ web site builds, (even on the budget PAYG option). With so many businesses relying on their website to do business these days, having a performing web site has never been more important. If cashflow is tight, take a look at our ‘no-hassle’ PAYG web sites, prices start from as little as £15 per month, (including web site build, hosting, SSL certificate and plugin updates). https://www.creative-services.ltd.uk/website-solutions-for-business/
