Website ranking factors matter for all website owners. No matter how great your website is, there are always things we can do to tweak the site and make it better. Scheduling a website audit periodically is a great way to keep the site relevant and updated with current SEO ranking factors. This will serve you well when search engines scan the site looking for ranking factors. The Google algorithm is constantly being updated. Those website owners who are not aware of this will pay a price with lower ranking. Keeping the look and feel of the site is also important. The service most popular in our office is “re-designing” current websites.
Updating the look of a website is just as important as updating your own home. We all know it is hard to sell any residence which is not updated. The same hold true for websites. It is sometimes unbelievable how many sites online have the same old look after many years.
Orlando Website Design is offering a $1,295 re-design package which is very affordable for most budgets. Contact us to learn more about this great design package. Search engine scan the site to see how well it functions. Any site with old plugins, design techniques from years ago and lacking today’s functionality is not going to be considered for a high listing. Keep this in mind and keep your site looking fresh and modern.
The value of the URL (Domain Name Purchase)
A ranking factor that is often overlooked is the “age” of your domain. A domain name that is less than six months old and another one which is one year old has very little value to search engines. The URL (domain name) must be older to be relevant for SEO ranking purposes. This will tell the search engines you are around to stay. The older your domain and website become, the more value the domain name will have for search engine optimization.
In the past buying many domains were all the rage. Website owners felt they could game the system by buying many of these domains using different keywords for search. This tactic is no longer considered by search engines. It doesn’t give the boost which may have been done in the past.
Domain names that use a target keyword as a first word will be more valuable than a domain having the keyword in the middle of the domain. It is also important for domain names to be purchased (sometimes) years in advance to get an edge over other sites that are up and gone within a year or so.
Many domain names which are purchased are gone within a year. Using keywords in sub-domains can also improve page rank.
Some of our suggestions: Ranking factors to improve your site:
- Make sure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly
- Blog consistently (1,000 words or more) three or four per month is suggested
- Your website should be “fast to load” (should load within two seconds)
- Get a secure website (add an SSL Certificate) URL should read “https”
- Remove any duplicate content from your site pages
- Add new content on all pages as often as possible
- Optimize all content on the site
- Stay clear of pop ups (they are annoying to users)
- Prepare a site audit at least once a year
- Re-Design the site to stay current with modern technology
How blog posts help you get a higher rank:
Most of us are by now familiar with the importance of blogging consistently. Blog posts elevate our rank because they have information that folks are searching for. By creating blog posts and categories regularly, you target audience while doing a search for a topic, can easily find you. Finding the post means they are on your site.
That’s what we all want, to be found online. But don’t be surprised when your blog article becomes outdated. There are always other competitors adding new blog posts which are more current than your own. This is why you may be in the first place one day and found in a lower place on days ahead.
Consistent blogging is the only thing that will pay off for higher rank. This is one reason why many online companies are hiring outside help. More and more content is being suggested by Google. When we first started blogging, ten years ago, a small 250 word blog post was great. Nowadays, they are suggesting we increase blog content to 1,000 words or more. The more the better is the word of the day. Quality does count too so the quantity and the quality of the blog content is where the value is placed.
A quicker loading site is ranked higher than a slower site:
None of us have time to sit and wait for “slow loading websites.” There are also those that have older computers which appreciate it when we have fast loading sites. It is very frustrating to click on a link to a site which loads slowly. When this happens, most visitors leave your site and look for a faster loading site. Even Facebook and other social media sites are reluctant to accept a link to a website which loads slowly. The general speed of your website does affect its value. Those business owners who have slow network connections are the sites that are less successful. This past year, those businesses with slow loading websites found that their received less traffic online. If your site takes more than four seconds to load, contact your web developer and ask them what they can do to improve the speed of the site. Pages that load in two seconds is suggested.
Securing your site for improving your website rank:
No one wants to experience a security breach. This is the “kiss of death” for most small business owners. Doing business online is not just a luxury, it is necessary in today’s challenging online environment. If our site gets compromised or hacked, and is down for any length of time, then our business is also “down.” Any website that is unprotected could experience a hacking situation. There are two types of persons who could be responsible for hacking into websites. They are called either a black hat or a white hat individual.
Definition of a black hat individual versus a white hat individual:
A black hat person makes attempts to locate computer security vulnerabilities and use this for malicious reasons and hacks into the site to do damage. They differ from white hat people who are specialists in the field of security who look for flaws that allow these hackers to get into websites. Black hat persons (hackers) can not only ruin your site by hacking in and adding malware, they can also damage the infrastructure.
Protect your domain name using auto-renewal:
First, when you choose your domain name, set it up to auto-renew annually. This will keep you from losing your domain name should you forget to renew it. When you order your domain name we always suggest to our clients that they do this themselves. You should be the owner of your own domain name. Make sure you are listed as your business administrative contact for the domain name.
Additionally add an SSL Certificate:
You should also add an SSL Certificate (Secure Socket Layer) to your site. By doing this, those visiting the site will know you care enough to have your site secure. This will give them the confidence to shop on your site with no worries. A secure site is a safe site to use when purchasing goods and services. Please hurry back next time for more news from the design wizards at Inside Design Orlando.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you and enjoy the spring ahead.
Staff Writer
