Improve Website Performance in 10 Steps
Posted on 17. May, 2010 by Gerrie Coertzen in News
Here are 10 easy steps you should follow to improve your website performance. This is by no means a definitive list, but it sure is a good start (even if you have limited technical know-how). Why not print out the list and use it as your own action plan?
1.) Decide on the best keywords.
- Research and find those keywords that your target audience is searching for.
- Use A/B testing (multi-variant testing) and choose those words that bring the best results. (Tip: Set up a Google AdWords campaign, run it for a month or two and use different keywords to find those that work best for you.)
- Establish whether you can compete on those keywords. How established are the websites that appear on the first Google page for those keywords? Is the content relevant to the keywords? Would you be able to compete with these websites? Will you be able to build enough authority to be included on the first page of Google for these keywords? If not, you might consider other keywords or phrases or re-arrange them differently.
2.) Once you have chosen those keywords that will drive the most traffic to your site, (they are relevant, your target audience is searching for them, and they are not too competitive) insert your keywords in:
- The page title
- Headings on the page
- Page URL
- Text on the page
- Meta-tags
- Alt-text on images
3.) Write the best possible description for each page of your website. When your page appears on the Google search results, your target audience should understand what you are offering. They should want to read more. Convince them to click on your site.
4.) Build links within your site to other key text or keywords on your site – anchor text to other pages. Remember to make the hypertext the description or title of the page it directs to – the landing page.
5.) Submit your site to the main directory: Dmoz.org
6.) Communicate through social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google buzz) and your blog. Add content that people want to remark on and share with others. (Tip: Provide free tools to use in your industry, give tips, write a top 10 list, etc.) Join groups and comment on the content of others.
7.) Your blog should be your homepage (www.yourdomain.com) or (www.yourdomain.com/blog) or a sub domain like blog.yourdomain.com. Why? Because you want to drive more traffic to your site and build inbound links. You do not want your efforts to build authority and improve the rankings of someone else’s site – Word Press, Blogger, etc.
8.) Your blog/website should incorporate your social media applications, i.e. include Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube widgets on your site or blog.
9.) I would recommend including RSS functionality and an email subscription form.
10.) Register with and start using social bookmarking sites: Digg, Reddit, and StumbleUpon.
