Optimise your website through SEO
If you think about your website and about the internet, you've probably already come across the acronym SEO. What exactly does SEO mean? SEO stands for search engine optimisation, which means making your website as easily findable as possible via Google or Bing, for example. Below, we describe some tips you can already consider when building your website.
Read our tips
No, that's exactly what you should not do. You are not helping yourself (and the findability of your website) by putting a lot of keywords in your website. There is huge competition on single popular keywords. This is also known as 'short tail' in online marketing. They are words that are searched for a lot, such as 'buy bike', 'order laptop', etc. It is usually difficult to stand out on these, and so more and more attention was paid to the 'long tail' searches. In doing so, you can add words to make the results more specific.
Choose useful words
They shouldn't be useless words, like 'buy laptop online', for example, because that already speaks for itself and you'll probably get the same results with it as 'buy laptop'. But think of useful additions like 'laptop for word processing' or 'Gazelle mommy bike' or 'pink bike for girls'
Write for the customer
Choose words or short phrases that are relevant in your industry and for your product or service to potential buyers of what you offer. And remember that you are not writing for keywords! You write information that is useful to a potential customer. A solution, a tip, something that convinces your visitor that you are the knowledgeable person.
A snippet, what is it and how does it work?
Before we talk about snippets themselves, let's briefly consider search intent. Search intent is the intention, or intent, that an internet user has when looking for something. Search intent is not always clear from the search query. For example, consider 'eating pancakes'. Someone might want to eat pancakes in a restaurant. Or that someone wants to bake pancakes at home. So the search intent is often hidden a little deeper.
Matching the question
Google aims to show visitors the results that best match the query from the search. So you have to try to think of what is the question someone would ask and formulate the answer to that. Your content will rank higher in Google if it is relevant information that can answer a search query. So try to put yourself in your potential customer's shoes. What would that customer have as a question in their mind or type into Google and how can you be the answer (the solution, your product or service) to it?
The snippets, in other words
One of the ways Google presents these kinds of relevant answers are snippets. They are small summaries of more extensive information from a website that Google finds relevant. For example, just do a search on 'What does a cow eat'. Google then displays a summary of text on a website with the most relevant answer to that question. So write your pages in a way that informs the reader, that provides them with relevant information. Display this information in a clear manner, using headings, paragraphs and frequently asked questions.
Rise of voice search
As more and more devices become smart and feature voice controls, the way people look up information is slowly changing too. Whereas before you could just type in a search query, now you can simply ask your smartphone or smart speaker a question. Think of Siri on Apple phones and Google Assistant on smart speakers like the Google Home.
Questions and answers
Do you suddenly have to overhaul your entire website and content? No, you don't. But you do need to keep in mind how people will search for answers to their questions now and in the near future. Instead of 'Tesco opening hours', people will now ask: 'Until what time is Tesco open?' and Google will then look up (often also using location tracking) the opening hours of the nearest branch.
Staying relevant
Try to keep this in mind when writing content. For example, create headings where you ask a question and display the answer underneath. As mentioned earlier, we sometimes call such lists frequently asked questions or FAQ. Always remember that you are trying to help your potential customer with relevant information and write from the customer need.
Fast rendering and optimisation
Besides having the content of your web pages in order, it is important to ensure that the information appears quickly on the user's screen. You have to consider searches via both laptop or PC (large screen) and a small device (compact screen). This involves a number of factors.
Responsive design
Make your website responsive. This means that web pages automatically adjust to the dimensions of the screen of the device on which the visitor visits your website. So on a smartphone, that will be a more compact menu and the information will be one below the other, with the visitor scrolling down to read the page. Is your website not responsive yet? Then contact us with no obligation for an updated design.
Optimising
By using plug-ins, or an optimised theme (template), you can ensure code is as compact as possible. The more compact the code, the faster your website loads. You can also customise images. Don't use images that are too large; compress them so they load faster. People used to put a lot of 'bells and whistles' on websites, such as sliders (slideshows) at the top, but nowadays 'less is more' applies. Do not add too much unnecessary ballast, but focus on the content and information that is relevant to your potential customer/visitor of your website.
