Before you are able to see good search engine results, there are a few important things that you need to take in consideration. The main item is that Google holds the key that can take you to the top. By following their rules and keeping on top of the changes in Google’s algorithm, your home care agency’s website can rise above your competitors. Some of the factors that can help you get to the top are your website’s responsiveness, security, speed and even design. Can you answer “yes” to each of the following 4 questions? If not, then you are losing out on visibility that can bring in more potential clients…
Is your website responsive?
If your answer to this question is no, then you are behind your competitors. As you walk down the street, through grocery stores or at restaurants, you probably have noticed many people looking at their phones. Many people use their smartphones to search for local businesses, read reviews and make purchasing decisions without even logging into their computer. For businesses to stay on top, they need to have a site that looks good not only on a computer, but on a small mobile screen.
To achieve this, your website will need:
- A responsive website design to provide an enhanced user experience, as the website adjusts to the user’s screen automatically.
- Accelerated mobile pages to bring your website pages to mobile users at a fast speed.
It’s time to bring your website up to date by added a responsive design to your home care SEO checklist.
Is your website secure?
Data security is a must for websites. SSL compliant websites may see a slight boost in search results, meaning that not only it will it secure your website, but will also be good for your ranking. If your home care website still doesn’t have SSL encryption, definitely add it to your home care SEO checklist as Google soon plans to mark unencrypted sites as unsafe by displaying a red “x” in the Chrome browser. This may cause potential traffic to disregard and pass over your site.
Is your home care website fast?
Do you know that a 1 second delay in web page response can reduce conversions by 7%? People, in general, are looking for fast information and tend to abandon a website that takes more than a few seconds to load. If your home care website is slow too, then you are losing valuable audience and potential clients.
The following can give you a start on increasing response time:
- Fast web hosting
- Implemented caching
- Clean code with lightweight plugins
- CDN (Content Delivery Network)
- Compressed images
- Minify JavaScript and CSS files
Is it designed with user experience in mind?
Each page on your website should be designed with user experience in mind. If someone can’t find what they’re looking for, they will leave quickly, which show in your traffic and increase bounce rate. To avoid this, it’s essential to optimize your site to meet users’ expectations. Relevancy and ease of use are the main focus to keeping users engaged and encourage them to browse further.
Users expectation and Google’s requirements have changed and your website will have to change to keep up. The process is simple to get caught up – research, plan, strategize and implement!