Website SEO/SERP

What is SEO?

SEO is the process of optimizing websites to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). It involves strategies like keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, technical SEO, content creation, local SEO, and improving user experience. The goal is to increase organic traffic and visibility online.

What is SERP?

SERP stands for "Search Engine Results Page." It's the page displayed by a search engine in response to a user's query. This page typically includes a list of links to websites relevant to the query, along with other elements such as ads, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and more.

How to improve website SEO and SERP ranking?

To boost website SEO and SERP rank, focus on keywords, quality content, and user experience. Optimize titles, headings, and meta tags with keywords, and ensure mobile-friendliness and fast loading. Build quality backlinks, optimize for local search, and update content regularly. Implement a comprehensive SEO checklist. Now, onto a brief SEO/SERP checklist for effective optimization.

Website SEO/SERP short checklist

1. Technical SEO checklist
   • Mobile-Friendly Design
   • Page Speed
   • SSL Certificate
   • XML Sitemap
   • Robots.txt
   • Canonical Tags
   • Structured Data Markup
   • Error Handling Pages
   • Optimize URLs
   • 301 Redirects
2. On-Page SEO checklist
   • Keyword Research
   • Title Tags
   • Meta Descriptions
   • Header Tags
   • Content Quality
   • Internal Linking
   • External Linking
   • User Experience (UX)
   • Mobile Optimization
3. Off-Page SEO checklist
   • Back-link Audit
   • Social Media Integration
   • Local SEO
   • Online Reviews
   • Brand Mentions
4. Analytics and Monitoring checklist
   • Google Analytics
   • Google Search Console
   • Keyword Ranking
   • Traffic Sources
   • Conversion Tracking

1. Technical SEO checklist

Mobile-Friendly Design

We ensure your website is responsive and works well on mobile devices.

How to check if your website is mobile friendly?

To check if your website design is mobile-friendly, simply open it on your mobile device to ensure you can read and use all website features. Another method is to test it in your Google Chrome browser by pressing the F12 key and then selecting Ctrl + Shift + M to enter the device toolbar mode. In this mode, you can choose from various devices, such as iPhone SE to iPhone 14 Pro Max, to see if your website performs optimally on different screens.

Page Speed

Why your website page speed is so important?

It is crucial for website SEO because page speed is one of the most important factors for both your website visitors and search engines. We use modern web development techniques to optimize your website loading times for all pages, especially on mobile.

How to check and optimize website pages speed?

One of the best tools to check your website speed in 2024 is the Page Speed Insights. To check your website speed open the tool by the link above, enter your website URL, and wait for a minute or so for the diagnostic performance results and issues.

Review the results to see if your website has any problems to address and try to solve those that have the most effect on the website performance.

Contact Us if you need assistance to interpret the diagnosis report and help to improve your website performance.

To enhance the loading speed of your website page on your own, you can implement various strategies. These include eliminating render-blocking resources, minimizing unused CSS, and optimizing image compression to facilitate faster loading times.

SSL Certificate

SSL certificate is required to secure your site with HTTPS to build trust and improve search rankings.

How to check if your website has valid SSL certificate?

The easiest way is to simply open your website in Google Chrome or another modern browser and click on the small icon in the browser's URL address field, as shown in the following illustration.

Another way is to use online SSL checker tools such as SSL Checker. This method helps you not only to see if your website has an SSL certificate but also to get more detailed information about the SSL issuer or to debug if you have any problems with SSL.

XML Sitemap

Create and submit an XML sitemap to search engines to help them crawl and index your site.

How to check your website XML sitemap?

It is important to make sure your website sitemap is up to date and valid without any issues. To check and monitor your website sitemap, add your website to Google Search Console and submit your sitemap URL in the Indexing / Sitemaps section. You will be notified if your sitemap has any problems that need to be addressed.

Robots.txt

The robots.txt file is used to instruct search engine crawlers on which pages or directories of a website should or should not be crawled and indexed.

Why is robots.txt file is important for website SEO? It helps control which content search engines can access and index, influencing how the site appears in search results and preventing potential SEO issues.

To check if your website robots.txt file is valid and doesn't have any issues you can also use the Google Search Console. Navigate to the Settings section where you will find information about your website robots.txt.

Canonical Tags

Use canonical tags to indicate preferred URLs for duplicate content. Learn more on how to check that your website canonical tags are set up properly here.

Structured Data Markup

Implement structured data markup (Schema.org) to help search engines understand your content better.

How to check if my website has Structured Data Markup setup correctly?

Use Rich Results Test tools from Google Search to check if your website has implemented structured data makrup and if it is complete and doesn't have any issues.

Which types of Structured data can I implement on my website?

It depends on your website type, your business industry, etc. Here are the list of the common Structured Data features that can help your website traffic to grow.

• Article
• Job posting
• Local business
• Organization
• Product
• Video

Error Handling Pages

Customize and optimize your 401, 402, 404, 419, 429, 500 and 503 error pages to keep users engaged and guide them back to your site.

Optimize URLs

Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich.

✅ Good example:

https://grinev.software/blog/website-seo-checklist

❌ Bad example:

https://grinev.software/blog/post.php?post_id=123456

301 Redirects

Redirecting old, outdated URLs to new relevant pages using 301 redirects is essential for preserving the authority and rankings associated with the original URLs, ensuring that users and search engines are seamlessly directed to the most relevant content on your website.

2. On-Page SEO checklist

Keyword Research

Identify relevant keywords for each page and incorporate them naturally into titles, headings, and content.

Title Tags

Write unique, compelling title tags for each page, including primary keywords.

Meta Descriptions

Craft persuasive meta descriptions that entice users to click through.

Header Tags

Use H1, H2, and H3 tags to structure content and include keywords where appropriate.

You can use this HTML Heading Checker to check if your page content is well structured.

Here are top 3 tools that can be used for SEO/SERP keyword research, title, header and descriptions?

1. Google Keyword Planner: Offers keyword ideas and traffic estimates based on historical data from Google's search queries.
2. AnswerThePublic: Provides insights into questions and phrases people are searching for, helping to identify long-tail keyword opportunities.
3. Ubersuggest: Offers keyword suggestions, search volume, competition, and other useful metrics, along with content ideas and backlink data.

Content Quality

Create high-quality, engaging content that provides value to users and answers their queries.

Internal Linking

Link to relevant pages within your site to improve navigation and distribute link equity.

External Linking

Link to authoritative external sources where relevant to add credibility to your content.

User Experience (UX)

Ensure a seamless and intuitive user experience, including clear navigation and intuitive design.

Mobile Optimization

Optimize content and design for mobile users, including touch-friendly buttons and legible fonts.

3. Off-Page SEO checklist

Back-link Audit

Monitor and analyze your back-link profile, disavow toxic links, and build high-quality back-links from reputable sources.

Social Media Integration

Promote your content on social media platforms to increase visibility and attract traffic.

Local SEO

If applicable, optimize your site for local search by claiming your Google My Business listing and ensuring consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information. Here is where you can find some ideas on how to improve local SEO with Google Business listing on Google Map business Listing.

Online Reviews

Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on relevant platforms to improve local SEO and credibility.

What are top 3 platforms for customers to leave reviews?

Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on relevant platforms can indeed boost local SEO and credibility. Here are some popular platforms where customers can leave reviews:

1. Google My Business: This is one of the most important platforms for local SEO. Positive reviews on Google My Business can significantly impact your local search rankings.
2. Yelp: Yelp is widely used for restaurant and service-based businesses. Positive reviews on Yelp can help attract more customers.
3. Facebook: Many businesses have a Facebook page where customers can leave reviews. Positive reviews on Facebook can also enhance credibility.

Other plaforms you may use are: TripAdvisor, Amazon, Angie's List, Yellow Pages, Better Business Bureau (BBB), Zomato (formerly UrbanSpoon), Trustpilot

Depending on your industry, there might be specialized review platforms. For example, Houzz for home improvement businesses or Healthgrades for healthcare providers.

When encouraging customers to leave reviews, it's essential to make it easy for them by providing direct links or QR codes to the review pages. Additionally, ensure that you're following each platform's guidelines for soliciting reviews to avoid any penalties.

Brand Mentions

Monitor and capitalize on brand mentions across the web to enhance your online presence.

Why brand mentions is important for SEO/SERP?

4. Analytics and Monitoring checklist

Google Analytics

Install and configure Google Analytics to track website traffic, user behavior, and conversions.

Google Search Console

Monitor website performance, indexation status, and resolve any issues reported by Google. Link to the Google Search Console.

Keyword Ranking

Track keyword rankings to evaluate the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and identify areas for improvement.

Traffic Sources

Analyze the sources of website traffic to understand which channels are driving the most visitors.

Conversion Tracking

Set up conversion tracking to measure the impact of SEO on goal completions, such as form submissions or product purchases.

Regularly review and update your SEO strategy based on changes in search engine algorithms, industry trends, and performance metrics.

Contact us if you need SEO/SERP assistance

At Grinev Software, we strive to follow these principles for each of our client projects and are happy to assist you with them. Feel free to contact us and schedule an appointment for further discussion on how we can improve your website's search engine optimization to achieve higher rankings in search engine results pages.