Up your content game

If your website has thin content, then Google is much less likely to view your site as an authority in its niche and so you will struggle to achieve high rankings. Expand your website's existing content by creating new pages, adding more text to existing pages, and incorporating rich media such as videos, graphics and useful online tools.

A blog regularly updated with well researched, informative and genuinely useful content is a must-have feature of any modern website - if you don't have one, and aren't regularly publishing articles on your website, you really need to!

Web links are still important

Links from other websites to your own site - also known as 'backlinks' - are still used by Google as a key ranking factor. Whereas in the past the quantity of links helped boost a website in the search results, in 2018 the quality of the links is much more important. Websites linking to your own must be high quality and trustworthy; building links on poor quality websites can actively harm your search rankings. Hiring a search engine optimisation specialist to analyse your backlinks and weed out any bad ones, as well as build great new links, will help boost your site in the SERPs.

Tighten website security

From July, Google will begin showing an alarming 'Not Secure' notice to any visitor who visits a non-encrypted HTTP website using the Chrome browser. If you haven't yet switched your website to secure HTTPS, you should do so immediately.

An unencrypted site with a warning will not only drive visitors away from your website, it will also lead to a drop in rankings; Google themselves have confirmed that secure sites will gain a ranking advantage over unsecured sites.

Boost your website speed

Moving forward, slow-loading websites will be ranked lower in the search results. That's because Google wants to return results directing searchers to websites offering an optimal browsing experience; a website that takes a long time to load is definitely not user friendly. A web developer will be able to optimise your website's speed by compressing images and files, meaning that visitors are more likely to stay on your site and give it the edge over slow-loading sites in the SERPs.

Make it mobile friendly

In 2018 a website must be mobile friendly. That's because more eCommerce is now conducted on a mobile device than on a desktop PC. If your website is not responsive (which means that it does not adjust to fit the size of the mobile device you're viewing it on), you will lose traffic and rankings.

If you need advice on boosting your website, contact the experts at WTS Technologies today!