What Changes May Be Needed For Our Website(s)?

Now that you have entirely created your website, you will undoubtedly want it to be visible in search engines, such as Google or Bing, preferably in the first position! You may have already tried typing your website name to see if it appears in the results. (Don't have a website yet? Create one in a few simple steps!)

If it doesn't show up, though, don't be discouraged. The listing of a website within the search engine results is not (unfortunately) immediate. The simple fact that your website is not listed in the search results does not mean that it is not online, but search engines do not index it. Enter your URL (example: www.mysite.com or www.personalname.SimpleSite.com) directly into the address bar of your browser instead of Google or Bing, and your website will be displayed on the screen.

To get a ranking high (i.e., for the site to be present among the first search), a lot of work and patience is often required. Even a concept has been developed, called search engine optimization (also known as SEO, or search engine optimization), consisting solely of guidelines and tactics for making a website appear in search results. Website optimization that allows adherence to these guidelines can have very positive effects on the frequency and the ranking of your site in search engine results.

The more correctly these guidelines, known as ranking factors, the higher your website will rank in search engine searches. In general, Internet marketers and other SEO professionals believe that Google uses 200 factors of ranking. If you would desire to understand more about the 200 aspects of google ranking, read the following complete list.

Instead of delving into each of the factors individually, Simple Site offers you some essential SEO tips, which you can immediately apply to your website. These tips do not guarantee ranking first in search engine results, but they will make your site Web is more easily detected by Google and Bing and therefore appears with a ranking higher.

USE KEYWORDS ON YOUR WEBSITE

When you search for something on the Internet through a search engine, you start by typing the name of the search object: these search terms are called "keywords" or "key phrases." Keywords are what you need to keep in mind when optimizing your website. What keywords do you think people can search to find a topic, product, or service like the one you offer on your website? Use the menu titles, page headings, and text of your web pages to make it easier for search engines to find your site's topic. But be careful not to overdo it! Excessive repetition of keywords on the website, also known as keyword stuffing, can entice search engines to increase ranking, and it may work for a short time. Still, if Google and Bing detect this practice, your website will be penalized and ranked much lower (on page 10 or further back). At worst, the site could be banned from search engines altogether.

Instead, it is preferable to use the keywords naturally, for example, in the page's title, and then repeat them once or twice in the text. Also, try to use synonyms, as search engines welcome them and can relate them.

CHOOSE YOUR DOMAIN NAME CAREFULLY

When planning to register a domain for your website, choose short and easy to remember. Search engines tend to favor short, unique, and relevant names. The age of a domain is also a factor of ranking SEO. This means that when you register a domain, it is new and does not have the same authority as an older name that has been on the Internet for some time.

If you already have a domain, we recommend that you transfer the name to your website with us, rather than registering a new one. The same goes for the age of the website - new sites won't rank as high as sites that have been around for some time.

You can consider putting a keyword in the domain name - it's another way to flag your website's relevance to search engines.

CREATE HYPERLINKS TO YOUR WEBSITE AND OPEN PROFILES IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Search engines are very careful about hyperlinks ("links") to a website - you can think of every link to your website as an endorsement. Each link indicates to search engines that the website is exciting and relevant and perhaps should be reclassified and positioned with a ranking better than the topic it deals with. This doesn't mean that the more links, the better. For example, if you go to blog posts and forums and post hundreds of links to your website, the effect won't be as significant as that of a single link from a website dealing with a similar topic to yours. For links to websites, quality, not quantity, counts.

However, if your website is entirely new, it can profit from having many links, as it will be noticed more quickly by search engines. Look for people who deal with topics, services, or products similar to yours and check if they are willing to post a link to your website on their site. Ask friends and family to write about your website and link to your site from their or their Facebook, Twitter, etc. profiles. Getting noticed and being discussed on social media can also affect ranking Google: for this purpose, you can use our social media sharing options on the right side of the website and share the web pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

IT DOESN'T TAKE SCIENCE, BUT CONSTANT WORK IS NEEDED

Your website could arise in the ranking of search engines for the keywords you choose to focus on by following these tips. However, this is only the tip of the SEO iceberg.

Search engine results also depend on the number of other websites similar to yours and what you offer, your website's age, the frequency with which you update it, etc. Search engines scan websites and continuously correct their results - one day, you might see your website on page 1, and the next day you might find it on page 2 or 3.

SEO requires constant work on the site to ensure it remains relevant and of high quality for people researching terms related to the topic, service, or product you offer. SEO is also a slow process - it can take weeks, or even months, to start seeing improvements. However, if you start following the tips given here and keep your website up to date, you will actively improve your major search engine results.

The image of a web page is essential to make a good impression on our customers. It needs to be functional, has an intuitive design, and contains all the relevant information. You may, without knowing it, be losing business opportunities because of your website.

Many factors influence when improving your website and achieving good positioning thanks to web design. By applying some web design changes, you can optimize your website so that your customers like it more.

Fast charging time

If your website does take a long time to load its content, the user may despair and leave your website. You must control your home page's loading time and of all its internal pages since the loading time is directly related to the time of permanence of the users.

Contact Form

The form for users to contact you is essential as it allows direct contact instead of copying and pasting the email address. It also allows you to obtain relevant data about the people who consult your website and easily create a contact list.

Simple navigation

Users who visit your website must find everything they are looking for without difficulty. The information has to be clear, without extreme elements in the menus, and direct access to the home page. If a user is lost on your website, you will also lose it.

Good home page

The home page defines the layout and characteristics of the other pages. All aspects must be taken care of: design, colors, structure, content, SEO, font size; it will be the page that receives the most visits and must link to the rest of the internal pages.

Call to action

One of the fundamental elements of web design is call-to-action buttons. Once you have users interested in what you do on your website, you must tell them what you want them to do with a clear message that captures their attention.

Responsive web design

Most of the current traffic on the Internet comes from mobile phones or tablets, so it is necessary to guarantee a good user experience through a responsive design that adapts to all types of devices and screens.

Constantly updated

It is essential to periodically update the website's content so that it meets the needs of the users who visit it, reinforces its credibility, and motivates users to contact your company. Also, you must offer relevant and quality content.

Allows sharing on social networks

We live in web 2.0, and it is inevitable to be present on social networks. Having buttons that connect with your social networks will allow you to increase your followers and fans in them. You can also build loyalty to the public that visits your website.

SEO

You have to think about positioning when designing the web. The content and source code have to be optimized. Google's algorithms change periodically, so you have to work on SEO continually.

In addition to everything discussed above, other recommendations should be taken into account to increase the conversions of your website and make users return to visit it:

• That the domain name is easy to remember and is related to the brand.
• Put in bold those words that interest in the content.
• Link the internal pages in an orderly manner.
• That the server is reliable.
• Generate traffic through SEM.
• Do not use small fonts.
• Define and use keywords.

Highlight everything you want to make it stand out, both on the home page and on each internal page.

Checklist To Improve The User Experience Of Your Site

Navigation and usability

• Is the navigation menu intuitive?
• Are there too many dropdown menus?
• Is the site simple to use and understand?
• Is the primary action users should take when they are on your site clear?
• Is it possible to navigate and perform specific actions without encountering barriers, such as the obligation to register?
• Is there a search area where the user can type in the topic or product/service they are looking for?
• Are there any pop-ups or elements that can discourage people?
• What is the page load time?
• Have you checked that there are not too many broken-links and 404 errors?
• Is the site mobile responsive?

I form

• Does the form have a clear language?
• In case of an error, are you notified immediately without having to click send?
• Is the language of the way informal and not too commercial?
• Will, the user, receives a confirmation message after submitting the form?
• Is this message in line with the style of the site?
Layout and design
• Is the layout of the site clear and attractive?
• Are the elements (text, colors, shapes) easy to recognize and uniform from page to page? Are they pleasing to the eye?
• Is the user able to understand which are the most critical parts of the site?
• Is essential information easy to find?
• Is it possible to quickly understand what the company does as soon as you land on the site?
• Are there animations that are too obvious or that can be annoying or boring?
• How many clicks do people have to make to get to the various levels of the site?
• Can the user understand their current position on the site?
• Is it easy to get back to the homepage?

Contents and readability

• Is the language of the pages understandable and straightforward?
• Are there any elements that interfere with readability?
• Is the critical content in relief?

Interaction

• Is there information explaining to the user what they can do?
• Are the steps to be taken to carry out a specific action to be presented to the user?
• Is the user informed of the timing to complete an effort?
• Do you offer visitors the opportunity to leave their feedback?
• Is there a FAQ page?

Access

• If your site provides the user's possibility to register, is the operation clear and straightforward?
• Is there the option to log in via the Facebook account without having to leave your data?
E-commerce
• Is it easy to reach the desired product, without too many clicks?
• Are the products described in all their characteristics (size, weight, color, etc.)?
• Do the product pages include reviews that allow users to consider the experience of other customers?
• Are there any reliability indicators and product shipping and return policies?
• Is the number of products in the cart always visible?
• Does the shopping cart show the total shipping cost?

These are some best practices to improve the user experience of your website. Try to identify the priorities of your case, considering the timing and resources needed to do so. It is also essential to carry out periodic tests to experiment and understand what works best.