Your Business’s Online Real Estate
The way your website is set up, the text and images it contains, and even the way it looks can all affect SEO.
Your Domain
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
The end of your URL (AKA the “extension”)
The only exception to this is if your business only targets a particular country. In this case, you can choose either the .com, or the local country code (e.g. .co.uk for the UK, .es for Spain, .de for Germany, etc). If there is a possibility that your business might go international in the future, go for the .com. Other alternatives such as .net, .biz, and .info are weaker on the SEO scale as they are used typically when the primary options are already taken.
Matching your business name
Your URL should match your business name as closely as possible. If your company is “Sparkle and Shine,” then get www.sparkleandshine.com as a domain (if available). It might be tempting to get a URL name that represents a keyword or service like www.greathousecleaners.com but we recommend avoiding that route.
If you found a website that didn’t match the business name, what would go through your mind? Maybe thoughts of a spammy company? You want your URL to be a part of the subtle signs that you are trustworthy. Not only that, but Google considers it spammy as well.
Word choice
Punctuation
Security
Website Look & Feel
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
In short, it should look nice and be easy to read.
Pay attention to things like font size and color, add imagery so there’s not just a wall of text, etc. The design of your website directly affects how long people stay to read, how many pages they visit, and how easy it is to get their answers. All of these pieces affect SEO.
User-Friendly Website Navigation
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
Original Copy
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
“Copy” is the term for the written words on your website pages.
“Duplicate copy” is when the same exact text is found on more than one page on the internet.
Google penalises duplicate copy on your website, whether it’s duplicated from another website or from a different page on your own website. The words and text on each page of your website should be written afresh and not copied from anywhere published on the web.
If writing copy is not your forte, there is no shame in hiring a professional copywriter to do it for you – you’d be surprised how many people do.
Content That Speaks to Your Audience
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
aka the person you want to take action (buy, sign up, subscribe).
Tailoring your wording and imagery to resonate with your customers will go a long way. At every step through your website, you want them to have confidence that they belong with you. You never want them to think, “Wait, is this for me?”
Use terminology that your customers use, imagery they would relate to, and most of all: answer their real questions.
Internal Links
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
Put links to other spots on your website as often as would be practical.
Remember the User Friendly goal above? What could be more friendly for visitors than popping a link to your Contact Us page at the end of an article if people want to know more? Or perhaps you are referencing one of your services on your Home page – pop a link to it!
Make the navigation as easy as possible, and visitors might stay longer on your website, which in turn tells Google you are a worthy site.
Icon for the Browser Tab
aka the Favicon
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
So many websites forget about this little graphic! Check out the icon at the top of your Chrome/Firefox/Edge browser and watch how it changes with different websites you visit. This page, for example, should have a globe matching our WebHolism logo.
If this favicon isn’t branded in line with your company website, your trustworthiness and professionalism can take a bit of a hit. It may be small, but it makes a big impact on your image.
Website Compatibility with all Browsers
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
Are you a Chrome lover? A Firefox or Safari enthusiast? Or perhaps a Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer fan? Either way, you can imagine being interested in a website page, but upon arrival the layout is rather bizarre – with content covered up by images, or text running off the page. You instantly click away to find a different website, and that’s it. Bye-bye potential customer.
Quality on Every Page
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
While your Home page is generally the most important page of your website, every page is still a reflection of your business.
As we’ve mentioned, Google obsesses over quality. Give care and attention to each page of your website. All your web pages get “indexed” or read by Google eventually, so if a page is no longer relevant, update it or take it down.
(See “Redirects” section under Geeky Bits for how to take down pages safely.)
Website Optimised for Mobile & Tablet Viewing
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
If your website does not have a mobile layout it will be in trouble with Google. Not only will you be penalised, but you can imagine the frustrating experience of visiting a website on your phone and not being able to accomplish anything.
Accessibility
Indirect
On-Page
Off-Page
UX
The UK alone has more than 2 million people dealing with sight loss, and vision issues are not the only disabilities that affect the use of a website. Making your website accessible will not only be a kindness, but a solid business decision.
These could be potential customers, and you want their experience to be smooth – whether they’re using a browser reading software, clicking buttons, or trying to understand your offerings. Website accessibility is often overlooked (by your competitors too!). This community is rarely catered to and your business can be a refreshing help to them.
Additionally, Google can directly read the accessibility of your website and can factor it into your rankings.
Font size and color for ease of reading
Adding “alt text” to all image settings so when browser readers read the code out loud, they hear “woman with yellow sweater working on laptop drinking coffee” rather than “img83728494”
More reading into website accessibility from USA-based WebAIM
Tips for getting started with web accessibility from the global Web Accessibility Initiative
Continue on to learn more strategies.