3 Most Important Things to Keep in Mind for a Well-Ranked Website
Hey there! Welcome to my little corner of the internet. As someone who's been building websites for years, I've picked up a few tips and tricks along the way.
When it comes to getting your site to rank well in search engines like Google, there are three big things you need to focus on:
Site speed
Relevant, high-quality content
Mobile-friendliness
I'll break down each one and share some stories and examples from my own experience to help explain why these factors matter so much.
A Good Website Speed
Depending on who you speak to, website speed will either be super important or a factor that needs to be appreciated, but not the big decideer. I learned, especially with a Squarespace website, that this is hard to manage, so I had to do my best with the fundamentals to get your site to run as fast as possible with what you have. One true thing is that Google doesn't like slow sites because users don't like waiting around, which is fair!
There are a few key things you can do to speed up load times:
Compress images and files
Get rid of unnecessary code
Use a content delivery network (CDN)
Optimize caching
I cut my site's load time in half by tweaking some of these elements. It made a huge difference in how Google ranked my pages.
Quality Optimized Content
Next up is having content that's useful and relevant to users. Back when I first started, I was keyword-stuffing like crazy! But that doesn't cut it anymore. Now, Google wants to see you provide real value to visitors.
For example, if someone searches "healthy breakfast ideas," your page should include just that - useful recipes and tips, not just a list of random keywords. I learned that lesson when a blog I wrote ranked terribly because the content needed to match the title better. Rookie mistake!
Smart Device Friendly
Finally, remember mobile optimization. An embarrassing number of my early sites looked terrible on phones. But now that most people search on mobile, making sure your site looks good on a small screen is critical.
You can use responsive design to adapt your layout for mobile or have a dedicated mobile site. If your site isn't mobile-friendly, Google will ding you, so be sure to test it out!
The Conclusion
There will always be challenges when ranking your website and multiple factors you must tackle when growing your business's online presence. But if you start basic, then it is best to focus on these three areas:
Site Speed: Ensure your site loads fast - slow sites get penalized!
Quality Content: Provide helpful content related to what users are searching for
Mobile Friendly: Optimize for mobile devices - most searches happen on phones now!
If you build these 3 SEO factors, you'll be well on your way to better search rankings! Let me know if you have any other questions. Web design can initially seem complicated, but take it step by step. You've got this!
Here are some other articles I'd recommend checking out:
The Significance Of Fresh Content In SEO: Boosting Your Online Presence