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.
