When launching a new website, it’s easy for Singapore-SEO business owners to get caught up in web design. They want to make sure that their new site is as visually pleasing as possible. However, the design is only a fraction of what attracts visitors and turns them into customers.
Most Singapore-SEO consultants will agree that optimisation should be your first priority. This is what brings in organic traffic. Let’s discuss a few things that Singapore business owners should consider when launching a new website.
1. Speed
According to a recent study conducted by Google, over 70% of websites take as much as 7 to 10 seconds to load. And most landing pages take an average of 22 seconds to load. The problem is, the majority of mobile users will leave if the page takes longer than 3 seconds to load. And this has a huge impact on bounce rates. In some of these cases, bounce rates are as high as 113%.
So what does this mean for new websites? It means that it’s important to make sure that your website is as fast as possible. Not only does is it help you to retain visitors, but it puts you one step ahead of the competition because many companies struggle with slow websites.
How to Test Speed:
There are several things that can affect your speed including the amount of text, images, and titles. You can check the speed of your website with the test my site tool by Google.
Simply enter your URL and select ‘Analyse.’ You can choose between mobile and desktop. And if your site needs work, the tool will make a few suggestions.
2. Mobile
According to Statista, over 3 million Singaporeans use their smartphones to access the internet. In fact, people tend to use their phones for browsing even more than their tablets or desktops. And this is leading Google to change the way it indexes websites.
Instead of indexing content by the way it appears on the desktop versions, the search engine giant is starting to do it according to mobile experience. So it’s crucial that you work to make your website mobile friendly. This will help you to improve your rankings, generate more conversions, and keep bounce rates low.
How to Make Your Website Mobile Friendly:
Not only does your design need to be responsive, but it also needs to be easy to navigate. Your menu, filterers, links and search options should be easy to get to. Your customers should have “Swipe to Buy” options instead of being forced to enter an entire card number.
3. Content
One of the first things that Singapore SEO agencies recommend to their clients is content marketing. Why is this? Well, it gives you the ability to target keywords. Also, people are drawn to websites that are active. The more blog posts a website creates, the more organic traffic it tends to get and the more trust you earn.
Studies show that websites that have over 16 blog posts per month generate almost 4 times as much traffic as websites that post 4 blog posts or less per month. Studies also show that you can achieve a higher ranking with content that is long form. The best performing pieces average a total of 1,900 words or more.
How to Content Market Like A Pro:
Content marketing should start way before you launch your website. Before the site goes live, stockpile content. Create dozens of articles that include the top keywords. You should also try to average at least 1,900 words per post.
4. Google Analytics and Console
If you want to ensure growth, you should definitely make use of analytics. In fact, what often separates one Singapore SEO expert from the other is their ability to analyse data. A key tool that most agencies use and recommend is Google Analytics.
What’s great about Google Analytics and its Console is that it allows you to find out which elements of your page need to be fixed. It also gives you insight into which of your strategies are working best so that you can duplicate them. Another benefit is that it lets you know where your traffic and links are coming from.
How to Use Google Analytics:
Before officially launching your website, use your Google account to sign up at Google.com/Analytics. Once everything has been configured, paste your Analytics code on to your site. You should then add your website to the Search Console. This will give you a bird’s eye view of your most-linked content, keyword information, total impressions and much more.
5. On-page SEO
One of the most important parts of an SEO strategy is on-page SEO. You don’t have to wait for your first audit in order to ensure that this is done well. There are several things you can do to make sure that you get the most out of your website.
How to Perform On-Page SEO:
Start by choosing one keyword for each of your website pages. Carefully craft short title tags that are unique to every page and include long-tail keywords. Create short URLs that include keywords. Write brief meta descriptions. Optimise your images for search and include keywords in the file name. Include keywords within the first 100 words and heading tags. Link to sites with more authority. Use social sharing buttons. You should also use an SEO audit tool.
6. Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are phrases that are very specific to your product or service. These are the terms that people use when they know exactly what they want. So whenever your business uses them, you’ll attract this targeted traffic and in turn generate more sales.
How to Use Long-tail Keywords:
First, visit Moz Keyword Explorer and enter your phrase or term. Pay attention to the phrase’s volume, how many organic clicks it receives as well as the level of difficulty associated with it. Try to target those that are low in difficulty and high in volume. This tool will also offer a few suggestions for other keywords.
7. Landing Page Optimisation
The best way to attract leads and boost sales is with a great landing page. And the more of these pages you have, the more opportunities there are to generate traffic. Surprisingly, research shows that most websites use their homepage as their landing page even though this is not the best way to connect with searchers.
The goal of the landing page is to pull visitors in and find those most interested in what you have to offer. In this way, you can increase conversions. Luckily, there are several things you can do in order to make your landing pages work for you.
How to Format Landing Pages:
Make sure that your headlines are captivating and that they include your keyword. Make sure that you offer content that is informative, engaging, helpful and that also includes several of your keywords. Include a testimonial for social proof. Inject an actionable CTA and button. Use outbound and inbound links. Use high-quality images. You should also avoid using navigation so that users have to remain on the page.
8. XML Sitemap
If you would like to ensure that your new website receives the highest ranking possible, then it’s a good idea to create an XML sitemap. The XML sitemap, also referred to as an “Extensible Markup Language,” acts as a table of contents for all of the URLs that are located on your website. It gives the search engines the structure of your website and makes it easier for them to crawl it.
How to Build an XML Sitemap:
Building an XML sitemap is relatively simple with the XML-Sitemaps website. The tool gives you the ability to index as many as 500 pages for free. When the map is complete, you can add your website to Google’s and Bing’s Webmaster Tools.
Conclusion
Sure, your web design can have a big impact on the way users view your company. However, it shouldn’t be your sole focus. You should also take into account the speed, mobile friendliness, quality and length of content, analytics, on-page SEO, long-tail keyword research, landing page optimisation, and XML sitemap. All of these things serve to create a much better experience for your user and lead to more conversions for you.
