A clean, visually stunning website is the most important tool in your digital arsenal, but what's the point of a beautifully designed site if nobody can find it?
Ensuring your website is not only optimized for users, but also search engines, will determine whether it simply exists or works for you, 24/7, educating visitors, gathering contacts, and nurturing leads.
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So how do you make sure your website is SEO friendly? We've got some questions you should ask yourself:
Do you provide a good user experience?
Search engines always want to make sure you're providing their users with the best experience possible, so they're going to work hard to deliver the most qualified results for the search query. This means whatever page is ranking for a query should match the intent, answer the question as quickly as possible, and be easily navigable.
Do your pages load quickly enough? (two seconds or less)
People's attention spans are shorter than ever, and if your site pages take too long to load, those potential visitors will be hitting the back button, quickly. A good goal is under two seconds, but keep in mind that Google's personal goal is .5 seconds, so the faster the better.
Is your content focused?
Haphazard, poorly composed content will always hinder SEO results. Search engines want to know they're delivering content that builds on a focused storyline, sending users down a consistent path that's helpful to them and your brand's goals.
Do you have meta descriptions for each page?
Your meta description is like your ad within the SERPs, so making sure it's compelling and descriptive will help users click through to your page. Don't forget to include a keyword here, as Google will bold search query words to help users identify the option most closely matching what they're looking for.
Do your images have alt tags?
Using alt tags is the best way to guarantee search engines understand your site's images. Providing a clear, keyword-friendly alt tag also helps UX for browsers that don't load your images.
Do you have title tags for each page?
Title tags tell both search engines and users what your page is about. The headline appearing in SERPs, it's important to ensure you include a descriptive keyword here, as Google bolds words matching the search query. This helps users choose the most useful link.
Are your URLs too long?
As always, less is typically more when it comes to URLs. Shorter URLs are easier to read, straight to the point, and don't get cut off when added as links to social media.
Are your pages mobile friendly?
With mobile-first indexing, making sure your site is built for mobile devices is a no-brainer.
Are javascript and CSS external?
External JavaScript and CSS facilitate faster load times.
Do you have a sitemap?
Ensuring your site gets fully indexed will help your rankings, enabling search engines to crawl your site and know exactly what it's about.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of other questions you should ask yourself when assessing whether your website is SEO friendly, including how your H1s are set up, and if you're using AMP.
Download our free checklist to review the full list:
