Here are some details about the top 5 technical SEO KPIs that small and medium-sized businesses should focus on:
Website Speed
Website speed is a critical factor for search engine rankings and user experience. Slow loading times can negatively impact search engine rankings and lead to a high bounce rate. Small and medium-sized businesses should optimize their website’s code and images, as well as choose a reliable hosting provider to ensure fast loading times.
Here are some tips for improving website speed:
- Optimize your images: Images can be a major contributor to website slowness, so it’s important to optimize them for size and quality. You can use a tool like TinyPNG or Kraken to compress your images without losing quality.
- Minify your CSS and JavaScript: Minifying your CSS and JavaScript code can help to reduce the file size and improve loading time. You can use a tool like Google’s Closure Compiler to minify your code.
- Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN can help to improve website speed by delivering content from servers that are closer to the user’s location. This can significantly reduce the time it takes for users to download your content.
- Use a caching plugin: A caching plugin can help to store static content in memory, which can improve loading time. This means that the content will not have to be retrieved from the server each time a user visits your site.
- Upgrade your hosting: If your hosting is not up to par, it can be a major contributor to website slowness. Upgrading to a faster hosting plan can make a big difference.
Mobile Responsiveness
With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s essential for businesses to have a mobile-responsive website. A mobile-responsive website ensures that the website is optimized for viewing on different mobile devices, which can improve user experience and search engine rankings.
Here are some tips for making your website mobile-responsive:
- Use a responsive web design framework, such as Bootstrap or Foundation.
- Use a responsive theme for your WordPress website.
- Make sure that all of your content is formatted correctly for mobile devices.
- Test your website on different mobile devices to make sure that it looks and works properly.
Website Security
Website security is important for protecting user data and maintaining search engine rankings. Businesses should ensure that their website has an SSL certificate, which encrypts user data and provides a secure connection. They should also regularly update their website’s software and plugins to ensure that any security vulnerabilities are patched.
Here are some tips for improving website security:
- Get an SSL certificate.
- Keep your software up to date.
- Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
- Be careful about what plugins and extensions you install.
- Monitor your website for security threats.
Website Architecture
Website architecture refers to the structure of a website’s pages and how they are linked together. A clear website architecture can help search engines to better understand the content and hierarchy of a website. Small and medium-sized businesses should ensure that their website’s architecture is well-organized and easy to navigate.
Tips for improving website architecture:
- Use a clear and consistent navigation menu.
- Use internal links to connect related pages.
- Organize your content into logical categories.
- Use sitemaps to help search engines crawl and index your website.
Structured Data
Structured data provides search engines with additional information about a website’s content, which can improve search engine rankings and visibility. Small and medium-sized businesses should implement structured data markup, such as Schema.org, to provide search engines with additional context about their website’s content.
Tips for structured data:
- Use Schema.org markup to mark up your website’s content.
- Use a structured data testing tool to validate your markup.
- Promote your structured data to search engines.
By focusing on these five aspects of technical SEO, small and medium-sized businesses can improve their search engine rankings, user experience, and overall performance of their website.