September 2023 - Trident

How can I use Google Analytics to Track my Website’s SEO Performance?

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Adam Burrage

Are you struggling to get the results you want from your website’s SEO? You may be investing a great deal of time, effort, and money into developing the content, design, and functionality of your website to create a truly great experience for visitors. However, knowing if you’re hitting the mark can be challenging, especially given how quickly the digital landscape changes. That’s where Google Analytics comes in.

Using Google Analytics can assist website owners in better understanding Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) performance by providing real-time insights on crucial metrics that influence website ranking.

Google Analytics is based on data and metrics that allow you to measure your website’s SEO performance correctly. Therefore, you need to know the primary key performance indicators (KPIs) that you will track in your Google Analytics account. Some essential KPIs we at the Trident team monitor regularly for our clients include organic search traffic, bounce rate, user engagement, click-through rate (CTR), and conversion rate. Let us help you explore how you can use Google Analytics to track your website’s SEO performance, and why it’s so important.

Set Up Your Google Analytics Account and Add Your Website

First things first, you’ll need to ensure you have a Google Analytics account set up and linked to your website. If you haven’t already, create an account and follow the prompts to add your site. Make sure to fill in all the relevant information, including the URL, property name, and time zone. Once your site is verified, you’ll be given a tracking code which you’ll need to add to your website’s HTML code, or use a plugin to add it to your CMS or website builder.

Analysing User Behaviour and Engagement Metrics – How to Track Performance on Google Analytics?

Understanding how your users interact with your website is crucial for optimising your pages and ensuring a positive user experience. Google Analytics provides detailed metrics on user behaviour, such as bounce rate (the percentage of users who leave after visiting only one page), time on page, and pages per session. You can also track engagement metrics, such as social shares and goal completions (e.g., filling out a contact form or making a purchase). By analysing these insights, you can identify areas of your website that may need improvements, and adjust your SEO strategy accordingly. Understanding these KPIs will help you to set clear SEO goals to increase your website’s visibility.

Organic Traffic

One valuable metric to track through Google Analytics is organic traffic. Organic traffic refers to the number of users that reach your website via search engine results pages (SERPs). This does not include paid searches. Analysing the organic traffic metric over time provides essential insights into how your website ranks in SERPs.

An increase in organic traffic represents a higher ranking in SERPs, which is your ultimate goal as a website owner. By understanding which pages and content on your website are attracting organic traffic, you can focus on optimising them further to improve your website’s overall SEO performance.

Bounce Rate

Another crucial metric is the bounce rate. The bounce rate metric measures the percentage of users that leave your website after visiting only one page. An elevated bounce rate could indicate your website content is not relevant to the search query, among other things. By analysing the bounce rate metric, you can track improvements to your website design, content, and user experience to lower your bounce rate and improve your website ranking in SERPs.

Check User Acquisition Metrics

With Google Analytics, you can track and analyse a wealth of SEO data related to user behaviour. One of the key areas to monitor is the acquisition of your website’s visitors. Organic search traffic is a vital channel to track as it is the most significant driver of website visits. In the acquisition section, navigate to channels and identify the percentage of traffic acquired through organic search, social media, direct visits, paid search and referral traffic. It is essential to understand each traffic source’s contribution to make better-informed marketing decisions.

Analyse your Website’s Search Engine Referrals

Tracking your website’s search engine performance is crucial to refining your SEO strategy continually. Determine which search engines drive the most traffic to your site by navigating to the ‘search console’ section of Google Analytics and then to the acquisition and select ‘Search Engine Optimisation.’ From this section, you can extract a range of useful data, from the most popular search queries, total clicks and impressions, to landing pages. Analysing this data provides valuable insights for content optimisation, including updating existing content with the popular keywords used to make these searches.

Measure User Engagement

SEO performance doesn’t just revolve around driving more traffic to your website. The goal is to optimise user engagement, navigating users to the right page to consume relevant content. To measure engagement, turn to the ‘Behaviour’ section within Google Analytics.

In this section, you can measure user behaviour by setting up goals, analysing top-performing pages, overseeing pages with the highest bounce rate, time on page, page views per session and number of sessions. Measuring user engagement helps brands track their website experience, adjust any weaknesses and boost user experience.

The number of pages users view on your website, aka pages per session, is another metric to track in Google Analytics. A higher page-per-session metric typically indicates user engagement. User engagement can positively impact your website ranking in SERPs. By understanding which pages or content on your website are keeping users engaged, you can optimise them further to enhance website performance and attract even more organic traffic.

Monitor Your Website’s Page Speed

Page speed is a critical factor in your website’s SEO performance. A slow-loading website can lead to a high bounce rate, low dwell time, and poor user experience. Google Analytics allows you to monitor your website’s page speed through the Site Speed Report. The Site Speed Report provides you with data on your website’s page load time, including how long it takes to load your website’s pages on different devices and browsers.

Measure Session Duration

The next metric to consider is the average session duration. Average session duration measures the amount of time a user spends on your website. A higher session duration indicates user engagement and satisfaction, which can positively influence your website ranking in SERPs. By monitoring the average session duration, you can optimise your website content, calls to action, and user experience to keep users engaged and attain higher search engine rankings.

Track ROI-driven SEO metrics

Finally, to quantify SEO ROI (Return On Investment), you should track specific performance-based metrics within Google Analytics. Many SEO metrics that can be tracked include trending keywords, total session duration, revenue generated via organic traffic, goal completions and conversions. Tracking these metrics provides insights into the specific value that SEO efforts bring to your business operations.

Conclusion

Google Analytics provides website owners with an abundance of actionable insights into SEO performance, and its utilisation is crucial in tracking it. In our professional experience, we can confirm that improving your website ranking in SERPs requires ongoing optimisation, and implementing data-driven insights obtained from Google Analytics. Therefore, at Trident, we have a dedicated digital marketing team that regularly tracks and analyses SEO performance through Google Analytics as standard practice.

Our team identifies areas that need improvement, refine your SEO strategy, drive more traffic and see your website soar up the search engine rankings. If you’re not using Google Analytics yet, and need assistance, we can help. We at Trident can set up goals, track your ranking keywords, monitor your website’s traffic sources and page speed, and analyse your website’s user behaviour. This can help you improve your website’s search engine rankings, traffic, and revenue. Contact us today for a free consultation, and take your website’s SEO performance to the next level!

What are the Advantages of Working with a Local WordPress Web Design Agency?

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Adam Burrage

In today’s fast-paced digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for businesses to survive and thrive. Your website is the face of your business and the first point of contact with your potential customers. Hence, it should be visually appealing, functional, and user-friendly. If you’re thinking of revamping your website or creating a new one, the question of whether to work with a local WordPress web design agency or an offshore one has arisen. At Trident, we are a dedicated digital marketing and web design services agency for local businesses and often advise our clients on why working with a local WordPress web design agency is a no-brainer choice for their business.

Knowledge of the Local Area Leads To a Better Understanding of Your Business

Local web design companies have extensive knowledge of the local area, which makes it easier for them to relate to the audience that the website targets. When you work with a local WordPress web design agency, you are working with people who understand the market and environment you operate. They know how to connect with your target audience, and they have a deep understanding of how your website fits within the local market. This enables them to design a website that tailors to your specific needs, and that takes into account the unique challenges of your location.

They can help create web pages that resonate with the local community, and provide information about local businesses or services, thus enhancing the local user experience. This, in turn, helps foster customer loyalty and enhances the business’s reputation. Local agencies know the local market, the trends, and the competition. They can create a website that resonates with your audience and helps your business gain a competitive advantage

Personalised Attention

In today’s world, communication is key to success. When you work with a local WordPress web design agency, you can expect personalised attention throughout the web design process. Unlike offshore agencies that may be hard to reach due to time zone differences, language barriers, and cultural differences, a local agency can offer you one-on-one interaction with your web design team.

When you work with a local WordPress web design agency, you are more likely to receive better support. They are there when you need them, and they are more hands-on when it comes to customer support. If you have any questions or concerns, they can easily set up an in-person meeting or jump on a phone call with you. The personal relationship that you have with them means that they are more invested in your success, which translates to better support for you. A local agency is more invested in your success, and they will go above and beyond to ensure your satisfaction. Having a local team that is responsive and willing to understand your vision is an essential ingredient for the success of your website.

Faster Response Time

One of the main advantages of local WordPress web design agencies is their ability to provide a faster response time. They are in the same time zone as you, and you don’t have to worry about any language barriers or cultural differences. This means that you’ll likely have better communication with your team, leading to faster response times, timely revisions, and a quicker delivery of your website. A local company is also easier to reach, which means you can easily get help when you need it. When you hire a local web design agency, you can expect to receive top-notch customer service.

Convenient Face-to-Face Meetings

Unlike distant web design firms, local web design agencies offer the convenience of face-to-face meetings, which enable clients’ active involvement in the site development process. This means building a personal relationship with your web design team and being able to express your feedback, ideas, and vision in person. You can walk into their office, sit down with them, and discuss your project and business needs face to face, especially while designing and building websites. Frequent site visits, the ability to see the developers and designers live on video conferencing, and brainstorming sessions, which could be scheduled in the client’s office or the agency, can help create a better working relationship between the web design agency and its client. Face-to-face interaction can also lead to better collaboration, better understanding, and ultimately, a better website.

Cost-Effective

Working with a local web design company signifies fewer expenses on travel and communication. Communication challenges, such as time zones, language barriers, and currency differences, can inflate expenses and lead to reduced understanding. The simplicity of meeting face-to-face and fostering a one-on-one working relationship simplifies communication, leading to fewer expenditures of time and money.

Better Understanding of Local SEO

Every web design agency in a particular location knows how important local SEO optimisation is. When you work with a local WordPress web design agency, they’re well aware of the local market and are well-prepared to make useful suggestions for improving your business’s online presence. Local web design agencies possess a comprehensive understanding of creating and customising localised web pages for search engine optimisation (SEO).

They understand that a successful SEO campaign can’t be complete without being optimised for local searches. In addition, they understand and recognise the nuances of local search engine results and use them to improve search visibility in the area. Hiring a local web design agency provides a competitive advantage because they’re aware of how to align targeted keywords with the appropriate geographic placement.

Want To Work with a Local WordPress Web Design Agency?

Working with a local WordPress web design agency brings benefits that can directly impact your business growth and success. At Trident, we leverage our local expertise, quick response times and cost-effective solutions, to design and maintain a high-quality website that speaks to your audience and maintains their interest in your business. By working with a local WordPress web design agency like Trident, you are taking the first step in building a successful website that is tailored to your specific needs. So, contact us today and let’s get started on your website project!

What Are The Best Practices For Website Accessibility, And How Can I Ensure My Website Is Accessible To Everyone?

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Adam Burrage

Website accessibility is not only an ethical responsibility, but it also offers financial benefits. With nearly 15% of the world’s population living with some form of disability, ensuring your website is accessible to everyone is crucial. But, what exactly does website accessibility entail, and how can you ensure your website is accessible to everyone? In this blog post, we’ll go over the 15 best practices for website accessibility that will ensure your website is welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to people with disabilities.

Keyboard Accessibility

One of the significant reasons behind website inaccessibility is the lack of keyboard accessibility. Many individuals with disabilities rely on a keyboard to navigate through the website. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that users can use the keyboard throughout the website. One way to enhance keyboard navigation on your website is by ensuring that the design is intuitive and has hierarchical navigation (navigate to objects from top to bottom). Make sure the website responds to the ‘tab’ key in a logical order, as well as the ‘Enter’ and the ‘ESC’ keys. Implementing keyboard shortcuts will go a long way in improving website accessibility.

Alt Text

Images are an excellent way to enhance your website’s visual appeal, but they can also create barriers to accessibility. Not all website visitors can see images on your site. That’s why it’s important to provide alternative text or “Alt text” for each image on your website. Alt text is a short description of the image that screen readers read aloud, making it easier for visually impaired users to understand and enjoy your content. Alt Text is also used when an image fails to load.

Use Descriptive Headings and Labels

Headings are an essential feature of web content, and using descriptive headings can make a world of difference to those with visual impairments. Providing descriptive headings and labels helps screen readers navigate the website and understand its structure. This also helps users quickly locate the information they are looking for. It is important to use descriptive labels for form fields, buttons, and links. Use H1 for your main heading and H2-H6 for subheadings.

Ensure Proper Colour Contrast

Colour contrast is an important aspect of website accessibility. Low contrast colours can make it difficult for people with vision impairments to read the content of the web page. Use a colour checker to ensure that the colour contrast meets the WCAG guidelines (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). A contrast checker tool to ensure proper colour contrast between the text and background.

Video Captioning

Videos are a great way to engage with your audience, but they can also create accessibility barriers. To ensure that everyone can access your website’s video content, add captions and transcripts. Captions provide text descriptions of the spoken words and other sounds in a video. Transcripts provide a written version of the video’s spoken content.

Bright and Coherent Contrast

Colour contrast is a crucial aspect of website accessibility, as it can affect how visually impaired users perceive your content. Website visitors require the correct contrast between elements on a website for easier reading and comprehension.

High contrast between colours on a website makes it easy to read and understand information. It is better for individuals with visual impairments. To meet accessibility standards, ensure that your website’s colours have a good contrast ratio. You can use a contrast checker tool to make sure your website meets WCAG 2.0 level AA guidelines.

Consistent Navigation

Ensuring that your website navigation remains consistent is essential for providing a positive user experience. Consistent and clear navigation makes it easier for website visitors to find what they’re looking for. Consistency in navigation ensures that the user knows what to expect upon visiting your website. It helps visitors with cognitive disorders better understand your website. Ideally, the navigation should be in the same place on each page and the menu items should be in the same order.

Avoid Flashing Content

Flashing content, such as animated GIFs, is dangerous for individuals suffering from conditions like epilepsy or photosensitive migraines. Automated moving or flashing content can trigger such medical conditions. Therefore, you should avoid using flashing content altogether or limit its use and offer a warning before use. Make sure that there is no flashing content on your website or provide an option to disable such content.

User-Friendly Forms and Documents

User-friendly forms are essential for allowing visitors to websites to interact with the website comfortably. They allow people with cognitive problems to complete forms seamlessly. A user-friendly form should, among other things, have clear instructions, logical alignment, adequate spacing, and error messages where applicable.

PDFs and other downloadable documents on your website should be accessible as well. Make sure that the PDFs are accessible by tagging and having an outline structure. Also, provide a plain text version of the document or an accessible HTML version for those who use screen readers.

Use Descriptive Links

Descriptive links help users understand what they are clicking on. When you use phrases like “click here,” it can be unclear for people with screen readers or other assistive devices. Use descriptive links instead, by adding a unique description for each link. This way, the user knows where the link will take them before they even click on it. Using descriptive links helps visually impaired website visitors understand the purpose of the link.

Easy language

Using easy language is essential in making web content accessible to everyone. Use simple, direct sentences, and brief paragraphs. Avoid technical jargon or complex language that may be difficult for some users to understand. Write your content simply and concisely. This will assist people with cognitive disorders in understanding the information on your website.

Design for User Flexibility

Considering a user’s flexibility when designing a website goes a long way in ensuring accessibility. It is one of the key aspects of designing a website. Designing for user flexibility involves making sure that the website is operable for people with different abilities, such as those with visual or movement impairments. Make sure the font size is adjustable, and the text and background contrast make it easier for visually impaired individuals to read. Users should be able to change the font size, colour, and contrast to suit their individual preferences.

Provide Sufficient Time

Some individuals may require more time to interact with your website. Therefore, it’s essential to provide sufficient time for users to interact with dynamic content. Ensure that users can pause, stop, or hide any content that moves, and avoid setting a time limit to interact with the website without warning the user about it. Ensure that user-generated controls, such as forms, remain available for an adequate period. You should allow users ample time to read, comprehend, and interact with the content of your website. Adequate time for interaction is essential when creating inclusive websites.

Keep Websites Simple

Simplicity is key to ensuring website accessibility. A website’s design should remain simple and intuitive. The simpler the website, the easier it is for users with disabilities to navigate it. An uncluttered design helps people with cognitive or neurological disorders focus on the content. Also, a simple website with clear CTAs and language helps visitors focus on the essential parts of the website. Ensure that the language used is simple, clear, and concise.

Test for Accessibility

While following the guidelines should ensure that your website is accessible to all, it’s vital that you test your website for accessibility. There are multiple ways to test for website accessibility, including using an accessibility checker. These tools analyse your website and give you feedback on areas that need improvement.

Let’s make a more Inclusive Internet with Web Accessibility

Creating an inclusive website requires time, attention, and effort. The Trident team can help you with an accessibility audit of your website to check and rectify any errors. Our team will ensure that when completing custom work for your website we adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), for website accessibility.

There are currently 3 guidelines: A, AA, and AAA. As professionals, we advise that you aim for level AA, as this is what most organisations aim for, and it meets the legal requirements in many jurisdictions. Have your developer team run accessibility tests regularly to make sure there are no unforeseen issues.

Let’s work together to create a more inclusive internet with web accessibility. Reach out to the Trident team for an accessibility audit of your website and let us help you check and rectify any errors. Regular accessibility tests by your development team will ensure that your website remains accessible to all. Contact us now to get started!

How do I Create a Website that is Optimised for Search Engines?

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Adam Burrage

In today’s world, creating a website is essential for businesses to reach out to their potential clients. A website can act as a digital shopfront where people can view your products or services and connect with you. At Trident, we often have clients with existing websites that do not rank on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Small business owners find it difficult to understand that just having a website is not enough, as it needs to be optimised for search engines to appear at the top of search results. In this blog post, we will discuss how to create a website that is optimised for search engines and how to attract organic traffic to your site.

Keyword Research and On-page Optimisation

The first step in creating an optimised website is conducting thorough keyword research and integrating them into your website. Keyword research involves determining the specific words and phrases that your target audience may search for to find your business. Once you have determined the keywords, you should optimise your website’s on-page elements, including title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and image Alt tags. In addition, make sure to use the primary keyword in the first paragraph of your content, and throughout the page for better indexing.

Understanding User Intent and Quality Content Creation

Content is the backbone of a successful website. Ensuring that you produce high-quality content will add value to your visitors’ experience. Creating informative and engaging content is essential for driving traffic to your website. Writers should prioritise quality over quantity, taking into account user intent. The search engine aims to deliver optimal results and has determined that longer blog posts are more valuable and better at addressing reader inquiries. In the realm of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), user intent holds more significance than keywords.

While a specific keyword focuses on the main topic, user intent guides the type and length of the website content. For instance, individuals seeking current weather information usually find search results with less than 300 words sufficient. However, when users desire more in-depth information, SEO best practices suggest that an ideal blog post length should exceed 1,000 words.

Additionally, since concise content is more readable on smartphones and tablets, it ranks higher. Google acknowledges the importance of search engine optimised (SEO) mobile-friendly content and rewards it with better rankings. Ensure that your content comprises factually accurate information or aligns with scientific consensus while citing other reliable sources to avoid any potential plagiarism. In addition, developing a consistent content schedule will help search engines identify your website as an active platform.

Backlinks and Backlink Velocity

Backlinks continue to be a powerful ranking factor in Google’s search algorithm. Guest blogging and reaching out to high-authority websites for link building are effective strategies for improving your website’s search engine rankings. The quantity and quality of links from high-authority domains greatly influence your chances of ranking well for important keywords. The rate at which your website gains new backlinks is also a critical ranking factor. However, it’s important to avoid acquiring a large number of low-quality or spammy backlinks, as this can negatively impact your rankings.

Sitemaps and Website Architecture

The site structure of your website plays an important role in its optimisation. The website’s architecture refers to the organisation and linking of pages. A well-structured site facilitates search engine crawling and page indexing, while also enhancing user experience. A proper structure makes it considerably easier for visitors to navigate. To optimise site architecture, establish a clear hierarchy of pages with coherent categories and subcategories. Employ internal linking to connect relevant pages and simplify site navigation. Sitemaps and proper site structure make your website more easily discoverable by search engines and are some of the most important ranking factors that you could work on. Sitemaps should be included in your website to show the structure to search engines

Mobile Responsiveness

The importance of mobile-responsive websites cannot be overstated. Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites because more than half of internet users browse on their mobile devices. It is crucial to ensure that your website is mobile-responsive and has a good user experience across all devices. A website that is not mobile-friendly will be penalised, and it will be challenging to rank highly in search results. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and has fast load times to enhance user experience.

Stay Up To Date with the Algorithm’s New Updates

Keeping up with ever-changing algorithms can feel daunting, but it’s in your website’s best interest to stay informed about new updates. Regularly keeping up-to-date with Google algorithm requirements ensures your website is optimised for these industry shifts and will continue to rank well in the future. Some of the most significant updates in recent years are

Penguin Algorithm

This is an algorithm that punishes websites that use black-hat SEO tactics to manipulate their ranking. These tactics include using keyword stuffing, buying links, and other techniques aimed at ‘playing’ the system. Keeping up-to-date with Google algorithm requirements will ensure your website does not fall prey to this penalty.

Understanding EEAT

This update aims to prioritise the relevance and quality of content while keeping in mind the author’s Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This means that the content should be created with expertise, a relevant degree, or based on real-life use of the product or service. According to Google, this requires “first-hand, life experience” on any topic presented on a website, particularly those related to health or finances niche.

RankBrain

This was developed to get a better understanding of user intent behind search queries. RankBrain enhances search results for ambiguous or poorly worded long-tail queries, as well as new queries that Google has never encountered before. The update analyses search patterns, location, history, and user interactions with search query results to identify individual search intents. Its objective is to organise search results based on their relevance to users.

To ensure the right optimisation, it is advised to try generating fresh content or updating existing content to make it relevant. Shift your attention towards creating a collection of natural keywords. Typically, long-form keywords are more conversational and have a higher chance of being recognised by search algorithms like Hummingbird and RankBrain. Additionally, aim for content that is both clever and written in a human-like tone.

Link Spam Update

The primary objective of this update is to neutralise spammy or unnatural links, resulting in the loss of any ‘link juice’ they pass. Google is combating spam links using an AI-powered solution called “SpamBrain”. To avoid the negative impact of this update on commercial links between sites, it is crucial to mark them properly using “rel=” sponsored” or “rel=”nofollow” tags or other valid values specified by Google. Alternatively, you can request that links are ‘ disavowed’ by Google. This practice helps prevent external links from being flagged as spam and negatively impacting your search rankings.

Start Optimising your Website

Creating a website can be a game-changer for small businesses, but only if it’s done properly. You don’t want to build a site that is invisible to the search engines of your target audience. Other factors that may impact user experience include page loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and the presence of intrusive ads or pop-ups. There are plenty of resources online, such as the Google SEO starter guide and webmaster’s support page, which will help you navigate the world of search engine optimisation.

Remember, creating a website is not just a one-time job, but an ongoing process. At Trident, with the right strategies and techniques, you can create a website that is attractive and easily discoverable by search engines. Ensure that you keep up with the latest trends and strategies to stay ahead in the competitive world of digital marketing.