Is Your Website Fit For Purpose in 2023?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the foundation of a successful website. It optimises your website so that it can appear higher in web search results for relevant keywords. SEO is a long-term strategy that can take time to see results. Still, it is essential to drive traffic to your website and attract potential customers.

Keywords are the terms that people use to search for content online. Identifying the keywords that your customers use to find your products or services and creating high-quality, relevant content around those keywords is essential. In 2023, keyword research will be more critical than ever as search engines become more sophisticated and better at understanding user intent.

For more information on SEO, you may find these posts useful:

• SEO Strategies For Small Businesses
• How Long Does it Take for SEO to Work in 2023
• Local SEO Tips

Converting Customers: How to Turn Visitors into Customers

Converting visitors into customers is the ultimate goal of any website. A high conversion rate means more visitors are taking the desired action, whether purchasing, filling out a form, or subscribing to a newsletter. Several elements can help to improve the conversion rate of your website, see below:

Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

CTAs are the buttons or links on your website that prompt visitors to take a specific action. They should be easy to find, clearly labelled, and visually appealing.

User-friendly Navigation

Visitors should be able to quickly find the content that they are looking for on your website. A straightforward, intuitive navigation menu can guide visitors to the correct pages.

Trust Signals Like Reviews Provide Social Proof

Trust signals are elements of your website that help to build trust with visitors. These can include customer reviews, security badges, or social proof. It is well worth using these trust symbols prominently on your website's landing pages because they will help to convert visitors to customers if there is enough provenance.

Low Bounce Rate: Keeping Visitors on Your Website

A high bounce rate means visitors leave your website after only visiting one page. This can indicate that your website does not meet the needs of your visitors or that it the site is difficult to navigate. On the other hand, a low bounce rate means visitors are exploring your website and finding the information they need. 

You should analyse individual pages at least monthly to improve the bounce rate of you key landing pages. Try to identify why the bounce rate is high or low so that you can learn what is working for your customers and what is not.

Mobile-Friendly Design

In 2023, a mobile-friendly design is more critical than ever as more and more people use their smartphones to browse the internet. A mobile-friendly design makes your website easy to navigate on a small screen without horizontal scrolling or zooming

As a website developer, Make Space Marketing find that this is an area where the majority of websites can improve their websites. This is particularly important because Google places such a high emphasis on mobile pages as a ranking factor.

Relevant Content

Your website should have high-quality content that meets visitors' needs and expectations. The content can include blog posts, service descriptions, videos and FAQ pages.

Page Dwell Time: How to Keep Visitors Engaged

Page dwell time is how long visitors spend on a page before moving to another page or leaving your website. A high page dwell time can indicate that visitors are engaged with your content and find it helpful. You can explore this valuable metric on Google Analytics to investigate individual pages. The data should be used in conjunction with information such as the bounce rate and click through rate for a more holistic analysis of your content.

To increase page dwell time here are some tips from us below: 

Use Eye-catching Images

High-quality images can keep visitors engaged with your content. Use images that add value to your content and are visually appealing.

Produce Video Content

Video content will be becoming increasingly popular in 2023. It is a great way to engage visitors and provide them with valuable information in an easily digestible format.

Internal Linking

Internally linking from one page on your website to another helps keep visitors engaged and exploring your website while helping search engines understand your website's structure. See how we have include internal links in this blog so that you can find associated content that may be more relevant or interesting as a user.

Page Speed as a Ranking Factor: Why Speed Matters

In 2023, page speed will be more critical than ever as a ranking factor. Search engines are increasingly placing importance on the speed of websites as they want to provide users with the best possible experience. A slow-loading website can cause visitors to leave and never return. In contrast, a fast-loading website can help to keep visitors engaged and increase conversions. To improve your website's page speed here are some things you can do:

Use Google Search Console's Page Speed Insights Tool

Google search console is an effective and free tool that should be used to anlayse the performance of your website and individual pages. The Page Speed Insight tool gives you pages a score out of 100 and even tells you wht you can do to speed up your pages.

Optimise Images

Optimise your images by compressing them and reducing their file size. Use appropriate image formats for different types of images.

Minify Code

Minify your website's code to reduce its size and improve page load time. If the code is superfluous, then remove it to improve page speed.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A CDN is a server network that delivers content based on the users' geographic location. It can also improve page load time by reducing the distance content needs to travel.

Back linking and Citations: Boosting Your Website's Authority

Back linking is getting other websites to link back to your website. When other websites link to your website, it indicates that your website is a valuable resource in your niche or industry. This is essential in determining your website's authority, which can improve your search engine rankings. On the other hand, Citations mention your business's name and contact information on other websites. Citations can also help to improve your website's authority and search engine rankings.

To improve your website's authority through linking and citations, here are some of the things you can do:

Create Valuable Content

To get other websites to backlink to your website, you should create valuable content relevant to your niche or industry. High-quality content can attract backlinks from other websites and improve your website's authority.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is another effective way to get backlinks to your website. You can reach out to other websites in your niche or industry and offer to write a guest post for their website. You can include a backlink to your website in exchange for the guest post.

Directory Listings

Listing your business in online directories can improve your website's authority and increase your chances of getting citations. List your company on directories relevant to your industry or niche.

Social Media

Sharing your content on social media can also improve your website's authority and increase the likelihood of getting backlinks and citations.

Collaborate with Others

Collaborating with other businesses or individuals in your industry can also help to improve your website's authority. Collaborating with others can create valuable content that attracts backlinks and citations.

In conclusion, backlinking and citations are essential to improving your website's authority and search engine rankings. By creating valuable content, guest blogging, listing your business in online directories, sharing your content on social media, and collaborating with others, you can boost your website's authority and drive more traffic.

Summary

A successful website in 2023 is one that is fit for purpose and designed with the user in mind. It should be easy to navigate, visually appealing, and filled with high-quality, relevant content. It should also be optimised for search engines and designed to convert visitors into customers by focusing on SEO, converting customers, low bounce rate, and page dwell time, page speed back linking and citations, businesses can ensure that their website will contribute to business sales results in 2023 and beyond.

For more information on how we Make Space Marketing can help you with your website or how we can build you a new website for 2023, please get in touch.