Some more simple to follow hints on how to get the basics of your website SEO correct…

This is a follow on from our previous post on common SEO don’ts.  Learn and enjoy!

#1 Too much graphics, not enough text

Search engines are stupid, really really stupid. They can only ‘read’ the mark-up of the website, they cannot ‘read’ text if its in images or backdrops, etc. The mark-up is the magic text code that defines the content of each page, the graphics are purely there for us humans to consume. Yes, they are important, but its the textual content that gets indexed, not the content _in_ the images.

You often find this a problem when a design agency uses a very flash looking website theme and totally overlooks the SEO aspects of the content on the site. The two can be made to work together but it requires a certain ‘finesse’ to get right so both the SEO and the look of the site work.

#2 Too many heavy graphics, so slowww…

Again, something agencies seem to be totally unaware of is how quickly your site loads has a direct effect not only on it’s usability BUT ALSO ON ITS SEARCH RANKING. Yes, all those fancy graphics on your site actually work against you as Google measures how quickly your website responds. If your homepage is literally bogged down with lots of graphics and overlays – you will get nowhere in the search results and be easy pickings for a more nimble competitor to take your search traffic.

#3 Same title for all pages, same title for all pages…

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this. If you have the same title on every single page – Google will think all the pages refer to the same subject – net result is your ranking on search terms will get ‘smeared’ across all your pages. This dillutes revelance and makes it hard for you to rank in search results.

Sometimes the simplest things have the biggest impact.

#4 What, no social media? Me no like you…

Now, you don’t have to go mad with this, but at the very least you need to have links to your Facebook or LinkedIN company pages in your header, this shows you are current and give people the ability to share or like your business.

#5 Thou will have a call to action, NOW!

Ever been on a website and had trouble trying to work out exactly what to do to get in touch with the business and just left?  Yep, this craziness is more common than you would think. Every page should have some Call to Action in the top half of the page, if not the header section, that way a visitor can easily take action and take their first step to becoming your customer.

Conclusion

Now if you can follow the above and make the changes to your website yourself, all well and good. But if that is too much for you, or you would much prefer an expert (well two experts, one techie, the other marketing) to do it for – get in touch .