What Does it Mean to Optimize a Website?

Website optimizationWhat is website optimization?

Also called SEO optimization, website optimization is a set of activities used to make a website rank well in organic search. Website optimization includes on-page and off-page optimization and other activities.

Why is website optimization important?

It is easy to put off the important task of optimizing an existing website, thinking that it will just take too much work. While optimization requires effort, the return you will get for making your website fully compliant with Google best practices cannot be underestimated. Remember that 51 percent of your site’s traffic comes from organic search, so making sure you maximize your visibility on the SERPs can have a big impact on your revenue and growth.

Website optimization on the computerHow do I optimize my website?

  1. Start with a site SEO audit. This will help you find any technical errors or oversights that could be hindering your rankings.
  2. Organize your folders and your site map. Make sure that navigation is intuitive and that your sitemap has been uploaded to Google Webmaster Tools.
  3. Outline your buyer personas and align them with their buyer’s journeys.
  4. Do data-led keyword research to learn about the topics and keywords that matter most to these customers at various points in their buyer's journey.
  5. Map out your content to see how well you are aligned with your buyer personas and their journeys.
  6. Modify and optimize content to match the topics and keywords needed to communicate with your customers. Make sure each piece of content adds value for people searching for that topic.
  7. Create more content to fill in any gaps that might be left.

How long does it take for SEO to work?

Once you have optimized your site, the next logical step will be determining if your efforts were successful. The only way to know this is through metrics. Examine measurements such as:

  1. Your traffic rates
  2. User behavior on site
  3. Bounce rates
  4. Leads
  5. Conversion rates

Compare these metrics to the data that you pulled from your site before you completed the optimization process. Look at areas where you have improved and see where you might still need to do some work.

Site optimization is an ongoing process that concerns itself with making your site as user-friendly and valuable as possible. It is not about conforming to an algorithm, it is about creating a user experience that people will regard as useful and leave them wanting to return to your site time and again, and thus building a relationship that leads to conversion.

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