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SEO Tactics & Priorities for 2019: Part Two: Websites

posted by Michael Epps Utley Michael Epps Utley
Goepps august blog

In part one of our series, we shared content marketing priorities for 2019. Without strong site architecture, even the best content gets lost in the shuffle. Be sure your website structure and webpage elements improve your SEO, starting with these best practices.

BEST ON-SITE SEO OPPORTUNITIES

Include Keywords in Webpage Elements

Keywords are for more than the body of a blog post. You can include keywords in many webpage elements to fare better on search engine results:

  • Meta descriptions: Your meta description is a keyword-rich excerpt that often differs from the content on the page itself. You can add meta descriptions in any blog platform or content management system (CMS). Most publishing platforms will also include plugins that automatically grade your meta descriptions for SEO.
  • Alt text: This is text put into the code of your webpage that describes images for both search engine bots and screen reading software. Including alt text for images improves ranking and makes your content more accessible to internet users with visual disabilities.
  • HTML tags: Title tags, meta description tags, and header tags are among the most important HTML tags for search engine optimization. They helps search engine bots better read and understand your site by helping them identify relevant keywords. The right tags increase the chances that a customer searching for a product or service you provide will find what they’re looking for on your website.
  • Image names and URLs: Image filenames should include keywords to further improve your rankings. For example a picture of a computer on a page about website design could be titled website-design-for-mobile-and-desktop.
  • Page URLs: When publishing content, make sure you double check the URL of every blog or page you post. Instead of having every word of a long title, pare it down to the keywords your customers are likely using to search.

Any developer or content marketing team you work with should have extensive knowledge of how to optimize your site architecture to make your content shine.

Build Websites Intuitively

How many times have you landed on a website, looked at the layout, said “nope”, and gone right back to Google? Probably more often than you realize. And if your web pages don’t have an intuitive design, that’s exactly what potential customers are doing. Make sure your website is built intuitively:

  • Include a top navigation menu with buttons that take you to pages the customer is most likely to be looking for. For example, a brewery website might include Top Nav buttons like Menu, Brewery Tours, Reservations, and Reviews.
  • Break up pages into short sections that are easy to scan for the information customers are looking for.
  • If you have a deep dive into a topic, product, or service elsewhere on your site, link those words in the body or subheadings of your homepage, so they stand out more readily.
  • Place call-to-action (CTA) buttons above the fold, where someone will see them first (i.e. Request an Estimate, Book an Appointment, Reserve Your Spot, etc.).

Your marketing team and your website developer can help you analyze and test your current pages for performance, so you know where your user experience could improve.

Make Mobile a Priority

Mobile-friendly pages have been a priority in recent years, and mobile searches are on the rise year after year. If your site is not mobile-friendly, you are missing out.

Each web page should look the same for a mobile user as it does on a desktop, and it should be readable on a smartphone screen. Pages, images, and video content should load lightning-fast for mobile users, or they will be off your site (and checking out your competitors’) before you know it.

If you’re not sure which pages perform best for mobile, page speed tests, website audits, and competitor reports can provide invaluable information that improves your rankings, and the quality of your leads.

Need help implementing best practices? GoEpps can audit your website so you know how it stacks up against your competitors. We can design for any device and ensure your ideal customers and loyal clients can find what they need on your website fast. Talk to our team about your marketing goals to start getting more long-term business.

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