How to Maintain a Website That’s Fully Optimized for SEO | Pixelcarve

How to Maintain a Website That’s Fully Optimized for SEO

It’s well known that search engine optimization (SEO) is critical in web design and maintenance. While most content management systems (CMS) provide optimization features, it’s best to use these features with expertise to ensure optimal results.

“Many people mistakenly assume that SEO is all about how you write your content. While that is part of it, design plays more of a role in SEO than you may think.” – Curtis Priest, CEO of Pixelcarve. 

To help you gain that expertise, this article will explore our top tips for maintaining a website with SEO in mind. We will explore non-content-related SEO optimization tactics and provide some guidance on how to create the kind of content that search engines prefer.

Why Search Engine Rankings Matter

Search engine rankings matter because they directly impact the visibility of your website. Higher rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) increase the likelihood that users will find and visit your site. 

75% of users do not scroll beyond the first page of search results, and the top 3 organic search results receive 68.7% of all clicks. This increased traffic can lead to more conversions, whether it be sales, sign-ups, or any other actions. 

Better rankings also help establish credibility and trust, as users often perceive top-ranking sites as more authoritative.

Google Rewrites 63% of Meta Descriptions If you want to stay in control of your metadata, you need to write a description that Google likes. We Can Help

Essential Tips on How to Optimize Your Website for SEO

1. Research Keywords

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find relevant search terms. This helps tailor your content to match user intent and increases your chances of appearing in search results. Plus, targeting the right keywords connects your site with the right audience.

2. Design for Responsiveness

Make your website mobile-friendly and adaptable across all devices to improve user experience. Search engines prioritize responsive sites because they perform better for users. Responsive design also reduces bounce rates, which increases the likelihood of conversions. 

3. Improve Site Speed

Speed up your website by compressing images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and cleaning up unnecessary code. Faster websites keep visitors happy and are more likely to rank higher in search engines. Your website performance will always affect how much time a user spends on your site. 40% of users will leave a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

4. Secure Your Website with HTTPS

HTTPS is a security protocol that encrypts the data exchanged between your website and its visitors. Search engines rank secure web pages that use this protocol higher to protect users. Additionally, having HTTPS builds user trust and makes visitors more likely to click your links.

Comparing a Page With vs. Without HTTPS
Users can see the difference.

Secure	Not Secure
If you see HTTPS, your connection is encrypted and secure. Example: https://securedomain.com	If you see HTTP, your connection is not encrypted and data is at risk. Example: http://insecuredomain.com

5. Optimize Images

Compress images to speed up load times and use relevant keywords in file names and alt tags. Reduced image load times will improve your overall page load time. As mentioned, faster site performance is better for both users and search engines. 

Adding keywords to image file names and alt-text helps search engines understand what your images are about. Search engines can’t “see” images as humans do, so they rely on this text to know what the image represents. When you use relevant keywords, it improves the chances of your images showing up in search results.

6. Enhance User Experience (UX)

Design your website for easy navigation, appealing visuals, and accessibility. A good user experience encourages visitors to stay longer, which search engines will reward with better rankings.

7. Create a Sitemap & Robots.txt File

Submit a sitemap to search engines to ensure all pages are indexed, and use a robots.txt file to guide crawlers on what to index and ignore.  This makes it easier for search engines to understand your site. When crawlers understand what your site is about, you’re more likely to appear in the SERP for relevant search terms. 

How to Update and Maintain Websites with SEO in Mind

1. Refresh Content Regularly

Ensure you have a steady stream of fresh content by adding new information, updating keywords, and aligning with current trends. Regular content updates increase user engagement and increase rankings. Search engines favor websites that have regular updates because it indicates that the website is active.

2. Monitor Keyword Performance 

Trending keywords can change over time, so it’s important to recognize that keyword research is not a “one-and-done” task. Use tools like Google Analytics to track how well your keywords are performing. Adjust your keyword strategy based on this data to focus on terms that drive traffic and conversions. 

3. Update Metadata

If your keyword strategy changes, you will also need to revise your metadata accordingly. Metadata plays a crucial role in how search engines understand and rank your pages. Therefore, keeping it aligned with your keyword strategy is vital. 

4. Optimize for New SEO Trends

Stay informed about emerging SEO trends like voice search or schema markup and implement them on your site. Adapting to new trends helps your site stay competitive and relevant in search rankings.

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5. Analyze Competitor Strategies

Keep an eye on your competitors’ SEO tactics to understand what works in your industry. Learn from their successes and identify areas where you can improve or differentiate. Expanding upon successful strategies can help you pull ahead in rankings.

6. Check & Fix Broken Links

Regularly audit your website for broken links and fix any issues you find. Broken links can harm user experience and reduce your site’s authority in the eyes of search engines. Fixing them helps maintain your site’s integrity and improves overall SEO.

7. Prune Low-Performing Content

Identify content that isn’t driving traffic or engagement and either improve it or remove it altogether. Consolidating similar pages and eliminating duplicates can boost your site’s overall quality and performance.

8. Enhance Local SEO

Update your Google My Business profile, local citations, and location-specific content to improve your visibility in local searches. Optimizing for local SEO helps attract nearby customers and improves your site’s relevance in specific geographic areas. 

9. Expand Link Building Efforts

Expanding your link-building efforts enhances your site’s authority and improves its ranking in search engines. So, you should be continuously seeking opportunities to build high-quality backlinks by creating valuable, shareable content. 

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Let the Professionals at Pixelcarve to Keep Your Website Optimized

Regular website maintenance can be time-consuming. There’s a reason why many companies have employees who are specifically dedicated to website maintenance tasks. While this may be an option for you, outsourcing website maintenance services provides more assurance that you will have someone who can perform website maintenance with quality in mind.

Pixelcarve specializes in designing and maintaining high-performance websites. We keep up with the latest SEO and design trends and will do the work of ensuring that your website stays on top of them. This way, you’ll rank higher and provide a better visitor experience.

Start driving traffic today by booking a consultation with us.