Most of those who don’t achieve the desired business effects, with a website being a key element, wonder what’s causing it. I myself have non-reformable clients that I’ve been telling for years that to get better results, such as Google’s website positioning, certain changes need to be implemented on the site. And when I finally try to do something complicated like blogging – I practically hit a brick wall.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing for free. You give your readers little, and you get little in return. What you’re doing or rather not doing is seen by the search engine, and it evaluates your website. We can grumble about Google, users who are turning away from us, we can disagree with the fact that certain things need to be done on the site, but this won’t change the fact that to achieve results, one simply needs to adapt to reality and accept the rules according to which Google plays. Otherwise, you shouldn’t count on traffic from this search engine. And let’s say it straight out – high-targeted traffic from Google is worth 100 times more than confused, vague traffic from social media.
The difference between traffic from Google and Facebook is huge. People using Google are actively looking for services or products right now, whereas people sitting on Facebook aren’t in a buying mode, but rather killing time that they should spend working or taking an interest in what their children do. Unfortunately, these are sad facts. Social media communities aren’t ideal targets because they require much more effort – after all, they’re not in a buying mode. To get them into this mode, you need to put in a lot of work to switch them over. Google gives you concrete results, but it also demands concreteness.
Don’t make these mistakes if you want a flood of traffic from Google
Minimalism
There’s no wonder that the phrase “less is more” has become so popular. Steve Jobs was one of its champions – he didn’t include the DELETE button in his laptop keyboards, considering it completely unnecessary. He also omitted the mouse and trackpoint from laptops, thinking: why do we need them? He created a fantastic touchpad that beats all other solutions to date. Users appreciated this, and Apple is probably the most profitable company in the world regarding its product margin.
Apply this principle to your website – keep it clean, don’t overload it with unnecessary graphics. I know there’s a growing image-based generation that can’t read with understanding, but come on, let’s not add too many images! What matters are high-quality content texts that solve real problems. If you have a service or product that solves such problems, show this in the simplest way possible. Create a blog with advice related to your products and show how they resolve problems, added value, etc. Don’t overdo it with decorations – a good service or product will speak for itself by providing users with proof of its effectiveness.
Remember that it’s seconds that decide whether a user will delve into the content on your website or not. Implement well-thought-out navigation that doesn’t create chaos.
Avoid ads
Nothing irritates people more than pop-up windows, be they notifications or advertisements. People hate this, and doing so automatically reduces conversion chances by 99%. Don’t do it.
Website loading speed
As I mentioned earlier, seconds decide whether a user will stay on your website or not. Unfortunately, silly cost-cutting (which seems pointless) can eat into any advertising budget or SEO campaign because we were so “smart” and saved 300 PLN/year on hosting. Believe me, it’s not worth it. The truth is that if a website loads longer than 5-6 seconds, chances of an internaut waiting for it to load drop to 99%.
How much will you spend on SEO next year or Google Ads or Facebook ads? Let’s assume it’ll be a modest 12,000 PLN. If you save 300 PLN/year on hosting by cutting corners, you’ll lose 99% of that budget which you intended for advertising/SEO.
Firstly, Google won’t give you the traffic you deserve because your website is too slow and not user-friendly. Remember that to get Google’s approval, a site needs to load quickly – there are over 260 factors that Google takes into account when evaluating a website. Don’t give them any reason to penalize you for such a silly mistake and hinder your growth in the rankings.
Blogging updates
Let’s assume you blogged for half a year, got some decent traffic, have some newsletter subscribers, but then suddenly ran out of steam and stopped blogging cyclically as before. Unfortunately, this is one of the most detrimental things – both Google and users appreciate frequent content updates. By providing valuable content, you earn loyalty and traffic from search engines.
Responsiveness
When building a website, don’t forget to make it responsive, i.e., adaptable to mobile devices. Although responsiveness has become popular lately, I still encounter websites that can’t be comfortably viewed on small screens – the text needs to be scrolled up/down and left/right. Remember that responsiveness is an important ranking factor for Google – if you don’t meet this criterion, forget about traffic, especially mobile traffic which already accounts for over 60% of total internet traffic.
Quick contact form
When browsing other websites, I often come across complicated multi-level contact forms that are incredibly off-putting. If I have something to get in touch with a company about, all I want is either to call them or write on online chat or send an inquiry through the contact form. Place your contact details in a visible location on your website – full company data, that’s crucial.
SSL (the lock icon)
SSL is much more than just the lock icon in your browser’s address bar. You’re probably familiar with the notification saying your site is insecure because it doesn’t use secure data transmission protocol? It’s about encrypting data between client and server – today, this is a must-have. An SSL certificate ensures that data sent through your website forms or orders is encrypted. If you don’t have one, users will be scared away by the notification, and Google will practically block any growth in your website’s rankings.
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There are many more factors like these. If you want to discuss them, maybe you’re just starting to choose a company that will build your website – feel free to contact us using the form below – the consultation is on the house.
