Is Your SEO Adding Up?

When it comes to an SEO-optimized website, you can’t afford not to do everything right.

Any run-of-the-mill webmaster can learn enough about SEO from internet resources to keep an SEO-optimized website running. Most webmasters we’ve come into contact with start a website with analytical tools in place, optimized copy, relevant page content, and a clean website…

… And then it all goes downhill from there.

If you’ve been neglecting SEO optimization of your site, your competitors are getting the edge on you. Today’s tips will involve ways to keep the SEO power of your site up to date.

Here are some things to consider when reviewing your site’s SEO rank:

1. How long does it take to load your site? If you’re using the same flash scripts on the home page or a landing page that you ‘ve been using for a few years, don’t. Google is more heavy-handed than ever when penalizing webmasters for having flash.This doesn’t mean that all flash is bad – it can be a great, graphic or interactive addition to your page. It becomes a problem when the flash gets a little on the heavy side, and slows down your users’ browsers when they view your page. It’s also a problem when you are using the flash as a replacement for content, which is what Google is really looking for to index you.Clear your cache, refresh your browser, and take a look at the load time of your page. Are you sure that the flash is worth losing SEO power?Also, if you’re finding your blog to be heavy on images and a ton of plugins, this could be causing your page to load much more slowly. Remember to “only use what you need,” and make sure what you are using is worth the cost of a greater load time.
2. Do you make it easy to backlink you, or share your information? There’s a big difference between correctly utilizing social networking and bookmarking tools, and covering your pages in a ton of those cute little social media icons. Trust us, no one wants to see those. They’re on the site for your content.At the same time, if you’re not making it easy for people to take note of your website, you’re going to miss some valuable backlinks.Take the time to come up with a social media integration plan for your website – you won’t be disappointed.
3. Analytics. We went over this last week, so we can simply touch on this for now. If you aren’t using Analytics properly for your website, you’re not going to be able to see what users are doing on your site. If a keyword drops off the map, are you using a program that would give you that information? Do you know where you’re at in the rankings?This is definitely something to take note of, and improve on your site.

Next week we’ll have more tips and tricks for doing your seasonal SEO analysis – follow our tips, and you’ll stay on top!