Maintaining a website is a lot like maintenance on your vehicle – getting your oil changed regularly, keeping your fluids full, having your tires rotated, installing new brakes/rotors, etc. It’s important to not get complacent and think, “well, that’s done, now I don’t have to worry about it anymore.” Google and other top search engines run algorithms that check for things such as the following:
- Quality content (engaging and relevant copy)
- Non-redundant page and image titles, as well as fitting keywords
- Responsive design and layout
In order to keep your site updated, fresh, and ranking high in search results, here are our top pointers.
Update your website platform
To ensure your site runs smoothly, it’s imperative to keep any widgets, plugins, and applications up-to-date. If you have a content management system (CMS) that your site is built on, keeping that updated with the latest version will prevent malicious activity, server errors, and broken pages. Also, a new version of your existing CMS is more likely to conform to the latest web standards, and will result in faster page loading and overall site performance.
New images and page copy
One of the methods search engines use to rank your site involves checking for fresh content. Give your text a good ol’ refresh, and swap out some of those images from 5+ years ago.
Mobile optimization
Is your site mobile-friendly? This is one of the biggest things search engines check for. More and more people are viewing the web on their phones rather than desktop computers, so it’s key to have a site that people can browse seamlessly on their phones and tablets.
Updated search engine optimization
This includes things like keywords, page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt tags. Revamp those regularly and you’ll find your site’s rankings greatly improved.
Check Google for a Speed Test
Many businesses are unaware of how well their site performs. Using Google’s PageSpeed Insights will give your website a score from 0-100 (for both mobile and desktop versions), and will provide a breakdown of ways to improve that score. For more information on this subject, check out our past post!
Site facelift
One of the things we see a lot is sites that were built 10+ years ago and haven’t been updated since. Having a website that’s modern and user-friendly is critical to keeping your target audience engaged and coming back for repeat visits.
Did any of these tips resonate with you? If so, we’d love to hear from you. At Rhyme, we are here to help. We offer monthly retainers, where we provide you with services such as website maintenance, regular search engine optimization updates, and monthly analytics reports. Contact us today for more information!
