You can easily launch a website, but is it generating the required traffic? Are users staying or viewing what you want them to?
Well, here are 5 checks you can do to make sure you pass google’s checks for ranking your website higher.
1. You must have SSL (HTTPS)
First and most importantly, you HAVE to have an SSL protocol.
The SSL protocol is what makes your website secure. What tells your visitors that their data and transactions while on your website are safe. As a result, Google ranks your website higher. If you don’t have one, google on chrome will not just display that your website has not SSL but it will also inform users that the page is not safe, which can scare people away.
There are two ways you can get an SSL
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- You either buy one of many different options and prices.
- or get hosting on a server with free SSL support.
2. Responsive (Proper display mobile/tablet)
The second thing you have to check on your website is responsiveness.
Responsive means that your website’s theme resizes and fits every screen size. Whether it is a mobile or a tablet.
Search engines and especially Google take this under consideration. When users search on the web through their phones, search engines display results of websites that have better responsiveness.
3. Speed Optimization
Speed Optimization always was the focal point regarding page load times. When we are looking for something we want the answer as quickly as possible. By optimizing your website you make sure that users will stay and view your content.
For that reason, Search Engines give higher rankings on websites on well optimized and fast loading sites.
By checking the following guidelines you ensure a well-optimized website.
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- Compress images with the maximum file size around 250kb.
- Minimize external links of libraries (like jquery, bootstrap etc).
- Minify css and js in order to make these files smaller.
- Move all the css and js in one file for each type. That will decrease the request from the browser to the server making the website load faster.
- Don’t self-host videos. Use youtube or Vimeo instead.
- Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network) to cache your website. That way it will help it load quicker.
- Use expiration dates on your server.
4. Content
The right content with the correct headings and styling is the last but not least valuable information you’ll need in order to make your website rank higher.
By creating headings that describe what the user will read, and by repeating and explaining further you help search engines understand what you are writing about.
