2017 is here, which means new and exciting things for your website. Each year, there is always something different and unique that you can bring to the table to optimize your website and make it stand out. Here are some things you can do in 2017 to create the best website.
- Switch to SSL – The most important thing you should be doing in 2017 is SSL. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This feature will ensure maximum privacy between web servers and browsers. Also, SSL is going to be a Google ranking factor this new year. To learn more, check out our recent blog about SSL.
- Frequent Blogging – Blogging is a great way to get your website’s name out there, as well as giving out creative content and information to your audience. It is also good for SEO. Google frequently updates its algorithm to heavily focus on a website’s content and frequency of posts/updates. If a blog is well-managed, meaning regularly updated based on relevant topics to your business, it will help increase your website’s rankings in the search engines. Also, a blog will allow you to increase the number of relevant inbound links that will direct readers to the other parts of your website. This will allow you to increase traffic to your website and the length of time that visitors spend on your site. You eventually should gain new customers as a result.
- Add Videos – Video engages viewers on an emotional level, making it more memorable and harder to ignore. It can help drive decision-making. It also allows you to share your message in a specific order. For those reasons, adding video to landing pages can boost conversions in a big way. If you really want buyers to understand how your customers feel about your company, record short videos of your happy customers. Spoken words have more weight and video can do a better job at capturing genuine testimonials for you to share on your site and even social media.
- Using Social Media – Social Media has grown over the past few years and surely will not stop in 2017. Making sure your social media platforms are connected to your website and easily accessible for your audience will keep them up to date on all things going on with your brand. The new year will bring new social media apps and various ways to connect with your users and clients, so be sure to keep up with the trends!
- Mobile Friendliness – 2017 means new technology. Most internet users are now accessing the web through their mobile devices such as cell phones or tablets. Having your website be mobile friendly will help the audience sift through information more easily, additionally saving them time in the long run.
- Use Analytics – The best way to connect with your viewers, is to know exactly who your viewers are! Connect your site to Google Analytics and review your web stats on a regular basis. Being able to identify who is visiting your website, their age, gender, when they are visiting, from where they are coming to your site, bounce rate, click-through-rate, and average price per click for your keywords will help you pinpoint exactly who you are creating content for, giving you a better outreach.
- Focus on Remarketing/ Targeting – If you are running online ads and have decent traffic to your website, you should definitely use remarketing built into your Google ad campaign. This means that when users visit your site, their IP address is recorded and when they reappear on the Google network, your ads will appear in front on them again, increasing the chances of a return visit and sale. Also, if you are using Facebook for advertising, you should definitely generate target audiences, where you target certain audiences and then build a campaign around their interests/demographics.
- Voice Search Optimization – Siri, Cortana, Ok Google and other voices that speak to us through our devices are becoming more intelligent and interactive. Voice recognition algorithms are becoming essential to SEO, as we do a lot of our searches on the go or in situations where hands-free is necessary. Therefore writing content that responds to the way users ask questions with voice search is very important in 2017. In short, adapt your website content to contain key phrases that respond to potential user questions.
Contact Robb Digital Marketing to learn how we can help you create the best website in 2017 for your business. Take a look at our previous website portfolio and testimonials for more details. Stay tuned for our next blog post on “Things You Should be Doing in 2017 for Your Social Media Presence”.