The real issue is, how do you make sure they find your website? 

When it comes to attaining maximum online visibility, web Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the single most powerful tool your business can utilize. 

But here’s the tricky thing about website optimization:

Search engine algorithms are regularly updated – and SEO is evolving accordingly. And that means that website search optimization isn’t one of those things you’ll do once and be done with it. If you hope to unleash the power of SEO for your business website, you have to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. 

And that’s where our SEO optimization guide comes in. 

Let’s see what optimizing your business website can do for your SERP ranking, traffic – and above all, conversions and growth. 

Mobile Friendliness Is Now A Must  

First-gen websites were designed to work on much larger screens of desktop computers – but that no longer seems to be the primary concern in SEO. 

Mobile-friendliness has been a ranking factor and an integral part of SEO practices since 2015; it should go without saying, but this makes mobile-first optimization a priority. 

Most Internet users – a staggering 4.28 billion people as of 2021 – use their smartphones to research, shop online, and visit websites. 

Optimizing the mobile experience means you’re not missing out on a huge chunk of your potential audience and is the number one recipe for online marketplace success. 

Make sure that every aspect of your website – from the home page and search bar to the shopping cart and checkout form – is also optimized for mobile, in addition to laptops and desktop computers. 

Otherwise, you’ll get skipped – and you’ll lose business. 

Content Is King – But Make It Long-Form 

Content is king; that’s SEO ranking 101. So, let’s skip the introductory part, where we talk about the considerable role that content plays in ranking and conversions. 

What’s far more interesting to note in terms of on page SEO website optimization trends – supported by Google’s Rater Guidelines – is showing your expertise through content. A 500-word post done in a hurry, and supported by little to no research, isn’t going to cut it. 

Instead, aim for content that adds real value to the readers, shows your expertise on the subject, and positions you as an authority in your industry. 

Long-form content dominates page one of the SERPs and gets up to three to four times more traffic. If that’s not enough to show that top-notch content – paired with link building and on site optimization – is vital for ranking on search engines, we don’t know what will. 

Writing SEO articles can be pretty intimidating – it takes time, effort, SEO strategies, and extensive keyword research – but it’s beyond worth it. 

High-quality, SEO optimized blog posts can last forever. 

And while you should still aim for quality over quantity, it’s evident that long-form content with carefully selected keywords for blog titles almost always trumps short-form posts. 

Go Local With Your SEO 

Going local with your SEO is essential, even more so for brick-and-mortar businesses. It is the single most crucial branch of SEO when it comes to Google ranking your site in SERP based on location-specific searches. 

Or, to put it simply, it’s what allows people to discover your website in local or “near me” searches. 

One way to achieve better optimization for local rankings – besides using location-based keywords – would be to include essential information about your business on every page. 

You want customers to be able to answer the following questions after visiting your site: 

• Who are you? 
• What products and services do you offer? 
• Where are you located? 
• When are you open for business? 
• How can you be contacted? 

With that said, make sure that you’re not accidentally forcing the user to click through the entire website just to find out what your business is about; crucial information belongs in the footer of every page. 

Don’t Overlook Core Web Vitals 

With the 2020 search engine algorithm update, Google also introduced three additional metrics. These metrics go under the name of Core Web Vitals and are designed to help you measure and understand the user’s experience on a web page. 

The focus is on loading – or, more specifically, largest contentful paint – visual stability as it loads and interactivity. 

In short, Google is now punishing slow-loading websites. 

Put yourself in a potential customer’s shoes: 

Have you ever visited a site that took forever to load in your browser? And how long did it take for you to lose patience and close the tab? 

Not too long, huh? 

The same can be expected from your website visitors. Patience is in short supply these days – and slow loading speed equals higher bounce rates. 

Being up-to-speed is no longer a nice-to-have aspect of website optimization; it’s a must. 

And while you’re at it, read up on optimizing your business website for ADA compliance here. 

Conclusion 

A well-designed website coupled with SEO optimization will do more than improve your search engine ranking. The importance of SEO for website ranking is much greater than that. 

It will put you ahead of the competition and in front of potential customers, improve user experience – and leave a good first impression, too. 

With more than 90% of people making their purchase decisions and evaluating products and services through online research, the stakes are pretty high. What you do with your website could affect the future of your entire business in more ways than you might have realized initially. 

There’s no reason for your business to get left behind. Get in touch with Pastilla today, and we’ll help your business improve its digital footprint!