Stefan Schumacher
There is a big difference between an average, ordinary web page and one that has been optimized for the search engines.
Before we go any further, think about this quote from basketball great John Wooden:
“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”
This one quote holds true in many parts of life, including website optimization. If you are going to create a web page, you might as well do things right the first time around. Not only will this save you time in the future, but it will also improve your chance of ranking high in the search engines. And that is what you want, right?
From the content to the design to the placement of various elements, every decision you make will impact how your site ranks. The higher you rank on the pages of Google, as well as other search engines, the more organic traffic you will receive, and the more people will have a chance to consider your products and/or services.
Here is the problem: many people overcomplicate the process of optimizing a web page.
Fortunately, web page optimization is relatively simple and straightforward, as long as you take the right steps and follow a few basic tips along the way.
At the end of this article, you will find an infographic examining the ins and outs of web page optimization. Before you get there, however, we want to share some of the basics.
An optimized page will increase the likelihood of the following:
- Higher search engine rankings (which results in more traffic)
- More links and social media “shares”
- Building a strong brand for your small business
Now that you have a solid understanding of the benefits, it is time to focus on the finer details of the optimization process. Here are the elements to consider:
- URL
- Meta description tag
- Title tag
- Header tag
- Article content
- Visual assets
- Embed code
- Social share widgets
- Open graph meta tags
- Twitter cards
Will every page of your website include these elements? Of course not. There are some, such as embed code, that don’t always come into play. That being said, there will be times when you want to embed an infographic or video. Doing so in the appropriate manner will work in your favor.
The only constant in website optimization is change. Ranking factors evolve over time and you need to do the same.
For now, focusing on these key elements will improve the likelihood of higher rankings, more traffic, and increased links and social shares.
If you want to learn more about the anatomy of an optimized web page, review every aspect of the infographic below. Once you fully understand each and every point, you can audit your website and make the necessary changes.
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