People living in the 21st century have developed a special relationship with the World Wide Web. Everything they want and need – from physical items to abstract information – can be acquired through a simple method of scrolling and clicking. It is precisely because of this quick and easy process, a lot of individuals have deemed the Internet as an everyday need. Normally, when an ordinary person clicks a hyperlink, they are presented a page that is riddled with their desired information. For SEO companies, such as yourself however, know that these clicks translate to influence ratings – which are important factors that help your site increase its ranking.
The Impact of SEO in Search Pages
Creating content for websites is the lifeblood of search pages. If there is nothing written, then there is no information gained – simple! However, building a page that targets a specific audience is not that easy. In order for a website to stay up in the pages of Google it has to take into account search ranking factors that can give it a positive boost. Failing to do so will evidently lower their site ranking, possibly because their content was seen as irrelevant, or was not able to pass the Google standard. When businesses are facing these types of problems in their websites, they hire SEO companies to help bring them back up the ranks.
SEO content writing cannot be compared to other forms of written texts. Unlike writing an essay, a poem, or even a grocery list, content written by these companies need to follow a certain “rulebook” written by the likes of Google, because there are numerous factors content writers need to consider.
In order for individuals to click on a site and stay there for a certain period of time, they need to feel like they are browsing through an interactive yet informative page that is relevant to their interests. However, since the realm of SEO itself is still quite unfamiliar and new, and that Google updates their algorithms every so often, SEO companies, both beginner and veteran, tend to make a lot of mistakes, especially when it comes to redesigning their web pages.
Common Web Redesign Mistakes
Updating your website is a good way to freshen up your image. However, you must remember that when it comes to redesigning your site, you cannot rely on its visual factor alone. Yes, it is aesthetically pleasing to see a beautifully made front page, but if you are still playing by Google’s rules, which sadly, a lot of companies forget or ignore thus, creating numerous mistakes. These missteps, be it tiny or grave, have serious repercussions, so as much as possible please avoid doing and producing any of the following:
Sparse Content
Now, although reading a huge wall of text is not as easy as reading two sentences, Google’s algorithms rely on the amount of text that is written in the page, in order to give the site its definitive ranking. Shorter content is usually a product of an amalgamation of extremely generalized ideas that have very little to no explanation. You must avoid creating this because less content yields to shorter viewing time.
The more relevant information that is shared, the longer the person will stay in your site – which is an important element your website needs in order to raise its ranks.
Images over Words
It is a fact that the human mind ingests information faster through vision, but when it comes to site ranking however, photos can be more of a liability than an asset. When Google checks your website’s content, they utilize their Google Bots or Spiders to do all the work. However, this system is blind, meaning it cannot analyze the worth of an image. So, if a site heavily covers their content in images, the spiders will not count them as influence points, thus, losing your chances of ranking up.
Slow Loading Time
Everyone has encountered internet pages that just won’t load. Causes for such situations can stem from unreliable internet providers to a crashed system however one of the most overlooked sources of slow loading time is overloaded servers.
The loading speed of your website is now a part of Google’s algorithm. It makes sense because the loading time of your pages is what keeps your site accessible to audiences all over the world. The slower it is, the more frustrated the people will be, giving them more reason to close the tab.
Duplications
Even in the vast spaces of the internet, your content should still have a touch of originality. If the spiders sense that the content they are analyzing has been plagiarized, Google will penalize the site accordingly. Duplicating your own pages into your old or new sites is also not encouraged. Although these contents are from your website, the system will still mark them as a type of spam, and act upon it as they see fit.
Frequent Changes
It is good to update the overall appearance and content of your website however, changing important elements like URLs, domain names, pages, and layouts from time-to-time, can possibly lower or reset all your rankings, because both the system and your audience become so unaccustomed with these changes.
Your audience might face problems with these changes and force them to rebuild their navigational process into your site, or look for another page that is less confusing. Google, on the other hand, will see your site as a new domain, and begin ranking you from the ground up.
Website Redesign Tips
Redesigning your websites does not have to be complicated. Avoid unnecessary and unwanted situations by simply following these simple tips.
Never put your site down
Even if you plan to recreate your website, never put your site offline. When you replace your current site with an “under construction” image or page, it will remove your rankings – losing everything you worked so hard for. Use a staging site instead, so that you are able to test all your layouts safely, before putting them up online.
Communicate with your team
Do not be afraid to ask for help, especially when it comes to creating content pages. This type of output needs to be handled by people of different talents. With a team of reliable professionals, you will be able to finish tasks quicker, and solve problems with minimal complications.
Be aware with Google updates
From the panda to the penguin, you must always be on your toes whenever Google throws in another update, because this will be the form or structure of all your works. It might take a few days or months to adjust in the new system, but this minor inconvenience is still better than being penalized.
Create something good, new, and relevant
Pages that are new, well-written, and present relevant information, are always rewarded. This type of content is what a lot of people want to see, because it gives them a sense that what they are reading is legitimate – giving them all the more reason to browse through your contents.
Find a way to put words
Like what was said earlier, text has a higher value over images, and it is what the spiders can only analyze. Find a way to insert textual content into your pages, even if your site relies heavily on images, in order for your websites to get a chance to rank up.
Always play by the rules
Rules and regulations are created for a reason and it must always be followed. Sure, there are numerous ways to cheat the process, but the system will always sniff you out. If ever your audience or your business partners found out that you used wicked tricks to bring you to the top, you will lose a lot of followers, which will eventually harm your company as a whole.
Web redesigning should never be feared. Albeit, it is a bit complicated to get used to, especially with all the technical aspects you have to consider, but given time and a professional attitude towards it, you will be able to create numerous web redesigns that are dynamic and effortless, in no time. What common SEO mistakes do you usually encounter when optimizing your site? Please share your stories with us in the comments section below.