How TO Check If My Website Is SEO Friendly: A Basic Guide

Understanding the importance of SEO friendly websites

1. Increases online visibility in a sustainable way

SEO friendly websites are much more likely to rank higher on search engine result pages (SERPs), meaning online users don’t have to scroll down as far to find your website.

This increased ranking allows for improved online visibility for your business, taking the hassle out of discovering your website for potential customers. As a result, your website receives more organic traffic, increased engagement, and ultimately more conversions of website visitors into loyal customers.

Focusing on growing your organic reach rather than paid advertising is a much more sustainable way to set your business up for long-term success. Ads might see a spike in your website hits, but SEO steadily improves your search engine rankings over time to help properly establish your business online.

2. Improves User Experience

If you want to avoid losing visitors within the first few seconds, user experience is absolutely everything.

Search engines prioritize websites that offer a positive user experience. SEO friendly websites provide a better end-user experience by having:

• Faster loading speeds
• Mobile responsiveness
• Seamless navigation
• Intuitive content

Optimizing your website for SEO not only makes it more accessible for search engines, but for visitors and potential customers, too.

3. Increases customer trust and brand recognition

A huge part of establishing your small business online is earning the trust of your target audience. This is especially true today, when it’s getting increasingly difficult to know which sources you can trust online.

Websites that appear on the first page of Google search results are perceived as legitimate and reliable by consumers. And with 91% of customers feeling happy to buy from a brand once they realize they can trust them, your search rankings have a direct impact on your ability to do business.

Building brand recognition is an essential part of your small business’s ability to compete with the heavy-hitters in your industry. Establishing and maintaining an SEO friendly website keeps you visible on search engine results pages, generating that sense of trust online and ensuring you’re part of the conversation within your niche.

4. Saves Money On Digital Marketing

To make sure your website is truly SEO friendly, you first need to invest a bit of time and resources into getting it right. After that, it requires ongoing attention, analysis, and maintenance to keep it that way.

So, you might be wondering if it’s a worthwhile investment.

The answer is 100% yes! The benefits of investing in SEO far outweigh the costs.

Unlike paid advertising, SEO is a long-term solution, designed for sustainable results that continuously benefit your business over time. With regular tweaks and updates, your SEO efforts can continue to boost your business for years to come.

You can target your website’s SEO to really zero-in on your niche by focusing on local keywords your target market is using when searching for your products and services online.

Instead of forking out a fortune on an online advertising campaign, investing in search engine optimization as part of your marketing strategy is a much more cost-effective way to help you reach your long-term business goals.

5. Keeps your website up-to-date and high-functioning

The rules of the online space are rapidly changing and evolving – and search engine algorithms are no different.

They regularly update their systems and make changes to the way they operate, so if you want to keep your website performing at the highest possible level, it’s super wise to stay on the ball when it comes to SEO.

Keeping your website up-to-date and optimized for SEO ensures your website is always speaking a language that search engines understand so you can maintain a strong online presence that leads to success. How can you do this? Follow the blog at Search Engine Journal for info on the latest algorithm updates.

1. Perform An Audit of Technical SEO

Assess the technical aspects of your website like your site speed, mobile-friendliness, and site structure to ensure they’re not affecting your website’s performance. Tools like Google Search Console are super useful for identifying potential issues and pinpointing ways to improve your site.

Action Items:

• Conduct a Site Speed Analysis: Utilize tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights to evaluate the loading speed of your website and identify specific areas for improvement to enhance user experience and SEO.
  
• Check Mobile Responsiveness: Test the mobile-friendliness of your website using Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool to ensure it is optimized for users on smartphones and tablets, adjusting the design and layout as necessary.
• Review Site Structure: Examine the overall structure of your website, including URL hierarchy and navigation ease, to ensure that it is logically organized and facilitates both user and crawler accessibility.
  
• Utilize Google Search Console: Regularly use Google Search Console to monitor and resolve crawl errors, review search traffic, assess your website’s indexing status, and optimize visibility.
  
• Implement Structured Data: Apply structured data where appropriate to help search engines understand the content of your site better, potentially boosting SEO by enabling richer search results.

2. Analyze Your On-Page SEO

Elements like headings and title tags play a significant role in how your website ranks. Make sure you've got enough relevant keywords in your meta tags and throughout all of your website text to register with search engine crawlers.

Action items:

• Review and Optimize Headings: Ensure all headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) on your website are clear, appropriately placed, and include relevant keywords to improve SEO. Include your primary keyword in your H1 tag for each page on your site.
• Update Title Tags: Check and update the title tags for each page to ensure they are unique, concise, and incorporate target keywords that accurately reflect the page content.
• Enhance Meta Tags: Revise the meta descriptions for each web page to include important keywords and compelling descriptions that drive click-through rates from search engine results pages.
• Keyword Integration: Conduct a comprehensive review of the website content to identify opportunities for integrating relevant keywords more naturally and effectively throughout the text.

3. Focus On Content Quality

Remember, when it comes to your website’s content, quality should always be your priority. Invest in professionally-written content that’s optimized for search engines and speaks directly to your target audience. And that goes beyond text-based content! Remember to use high-quality images and videos throughout your site, too.

Action Items:

• Hire Professional Content Creators: Invest in professional writers and content creators to produce high-quality, engaging, and SEO-optimized text content that resonates with your target audience.
• Incorporate Multimedia Elements: Enhance your website with high-quality images and videos that are relevant to the content, optimizing them for fast loading times and SEO (including appropriate tags and descriptions).
• Regularly Review and Update Content: Establish a schedule for regularly reviewing and updating your website's content to maintain its relevance and quality, ensuring it continues to meet the needs and interests of your audience.

4. Review Your Site's Navigation

Take a look at your website structure to make sure you’ve got an SEO friendly website design that works across desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. It’s important that all internal links are up-to-date and in good working order; otherwise search engines will penalize your site.

Action Items:

• Audit Website Navigation: Conduct a thorough review of your website's navigation on various devices including desktops, laptops, and mobiles to ensure it is intuitive, user-friendly, and SEO-optimized.
• Check Internal Links: Systematically verify all internal links across your website to ensure they are functional and up-to-date, fixing any broken links to prevent penalties from search engines.
• Optimize for Cross-Device Compatibility: Ensure your website design is responsive and performs well across all devices, adjusting layouts and elements as necessary to provide a seamless user experience.
  

5. Track Social Engagement

Social media, internal linking, and external backlinks can be useful tools in generating more traffic to your website. While these elements don’t directly impact your search rankings, the increased engagement and activity will!

Action Items:

• Monitor Social Media Performance: Set up tools and processes to regularly track the engagement (likes, shares, comments) on your social media platforms to understand what content resonates with your audience and drives traffic to your site.
• Enhance Internal Linking Strategy: Audit and optimize the internal linking structure on your website to encourage deeper navigation and longer visitor sessions, which can indirectly boost your SEO performance.
• Develop a Backlink Strategy: Implement a strategy to increase high-quality external backlinks to your website, such as guest blogging, partnerships, and public relations efforts, to enhance site authority and increase traffic.

6. Use SEO Tools

There are plenty of search engine optimization tools and resources available to help you keep on top of your website’s SEO and maximize your performance. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are a great place to start.

Or you can call in the help of SEO experts who have access to industry-standard tools and insights to make sure you get the most out of your company website.

Action Items:

• Implement Google SEO Tools: Set up and regularly use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor your website’s traffic, search performance, and identify areas for SEO improvement.
• Explore Additional SEO Tools: Research and invest in additional SEO tools that offer advanced features like keyword research, competitor analysis, and site audits to enhance your SEO strategy further.
• Consult with SEO Professionals: Consider hiring SEO experts who can provide professional insights, utilize industry-standard tools, and implement best practices to optimize your website's performance effectively.
  

Do you have an SEO friendly website? Find out now with our search engine optimization services for small businesses

Testing your website's SEO friendliness on your own is an incredibly difficult task if you don’t have the skills, knowledge, or expertise to do it effectively.

At 406 Marketing, we specialize in marketing solutions for small businesses. We can help you establish an effective online presence through SEO friendly web design and development.

We'll also take care of local SEO, website support, Google ads, and so much more. 

Ready to establish your brand online and finally connect with your dream customers? Reach out, and we'll get the conversation started!