Creating a new website and setting it loose on the world can be a daunting task. There are some excellent web-building sites that can guide you effectively through the basics, but the true power of the online world is only revealed and accessed by a much deeper understanding of the steps required.
If this sounds like something beyond your comprehension or willingness to learn, do yourself a favour and click here for the best SEO agency in Sydney. They will take the pressure off you and have your site running and optimised in the time it will take you to understand what meta tags are. For those of you determined to have a go yourselves, here are some handy steps and tips to consider.
Choose a great domain name
Give this some real thought and bounce ideas off anyone who will listen. The first battle is already won if you have a catchy, easily memorable name.
Research relevant keywords
There is no point in adding dozens of irrelevant keywords to your site and hoping to snag people that way. Look at your products/services thoroughly and seek assistance creating impactful keywords if necessary.
Craft intelligent, engaging content
This is the cornerstone of your site and will set the tone and roadmap for how you intend to proceed. Try to include a wide variety of content:
- Blogs
- Papers and reports
- Tips, guides, and FAQs
- Brochures and dedicated sales pages
- Images, videos, and infographics
Write primarily for your visitors first, and then search engines. Pay extra attention to:
- Catchy titles. Look at existing examples
- Keywords. Researched as instructed
- Topics. Unique and interesting
- Quality. Shoddy, amateurish writing will ruin everything
- Freshness. New content must be added regularly
- Length. More than 500 words per page if possible
Focus on the technical details
This short blog is not the place to look in depth at the technical requirements of a new website, but myriad sites do so, find them and do your homework. Some key elements to focus on include:
- Optimising your code
- Using analytic tools
- Installing an SEO plugin
Links
Integral to your ranking, the key to using links is not to pepper them everywhere through your content but to place them strategically where they will be most useful. And the links themselves must take visitors to relevant, quality material or the effort is wasted.
Before you go live
- Gauge the site’s usability yourself. Is it easy to navigate? Is the information useful and easy to find?
- Test the site speed. An increasingly important ranking factor. If it is low, seek help from a web developer.
- Do not neglect the mobile website. More than half of all interactions will come via handheld devices. Ignore them at your peril.
Conclusion
These are all great tips to set your website off in the right direction with a healthy base to build on. Creating and maintaining a successful site is no mean feat, and there will be traps to fall into and obstacles to stumble over en route. Try not to be deterred or dejected when they come, keep at it and don’t be afraid to seek help when you hit a wall. There’s always somebody out there who can help boost you over it.
