In today’s digital age, having a website is essential for businesses & individuals who want to establish an online presence. However, simply having a website for desktops is not enough. It must be designed to be responsive, meaning the layout should be compatible with any screen size, whether it’s a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Many developers would design different layout on different URL that serves a specific device or resolution, but that was adding lots of additional work at everyone’s end. The client will have to pay more & manage a greater number of pages/layouts, Developer will have to develop lots of different layouts, and SEO will have to optimize each page separately.

This is where having a single URL that serves all devices & resolutions comes into play. In this section, we will discuss the importance of having a responsive website with a single URL serving all devices, and how you can check if your website is mobile-friendly.

Why should a website be responsive with a single URL serving all devices?

Having a responsive website with a single URL serving all devices has numerous benefits, including:

1. Improved User Experience: A responsive website ensures that users have a consistent experience across all devices. The content is easy to read and navigate, and the website’s functionality is not compromised, regardless of the device being used.
2. Better Search Engine Ranking: Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites when ranking in search results. Therefore, having a responsive website with a single URL serving all devices can significantly improve your website’s search engine ranking.

How to Check if Your Website is Mobile-Friendly?

It is simple, thanks to Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Go to https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
2. Enter your website URL in the provided field and click on the “Test URL” button.
3. Wait for the test results, which will show if your website is mobile-friendly or not.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, a website’s loading speed is a critical factor in the success of any online marketing campaign. With the rise of mobile devices and the increased importance of search engine optimization, a website’s speed score has become a vital factor in determining its success.

Google’s Speed Test Tool is an essential resource that can help you evaluate and understand what is causing issues with website speed (if any).

Why is Website Speed Score Important?

Website speed score is a critical factor that impacts several key aspects of a website’s success, including:

1. User Experience: A fast-loading website ensures that users have a positive experience and remain engaged with the site. Slow loading times can lead to frustration and high bounce rates, which negatively impact the overall user experience.
2. Search Engine Ranking: Google considers website speed as one of the ranking factors in its search algorithms. Google has also coined a new concept of Core Web Vital which considers web page’s speed metrics that are now part of Google’s Page Experience signals. The website with the fastest loading speed is more likely to rank higher in search engine results than a slow website.
3. Conversion Rates: Website speed plays a crucial role in influencing the conversion rates of a website. A faster website leads to higher conversions and, as a result, increases revenue.

How to Check Website Speed Score?

Google Speed Test Tool is a free tool that measures website speed for both desktop and mobile devices. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Go to https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/.
2. Enter your website URL and click on “Analyze.”
3. Wait for the tool to analyze your website and generate the speed score.

How to Improve Website Speed Score?

Web pages loading speed can be quickly improved by implementing the following strategies:

1. Image Optimization: Optimizing images can significantly improve website speed. Using image compression tools to reduce the size of images without sacrificing quality is a great way to improve website speed. Alternatively, design your image in WebP or SVG format.
2. Minimize HTTP Requests: Minimizing the number of HTTP requests can significantly improve website speed. Combining CSS and JavaScript files, reducing the number of images, and using browser caching are all effective ways to minimize HTTP requests.
3. Compressing CSS & JS: Minifying CSS and JS could help you load them faster, and that helps you speed up website loading.
4. Page Caching: Caching speeds up content delivery by retrieving content more quickly, resulting in a reduction in latency during the roundtrip time. The time it takes to retrieve the content from the cache is typically shorter than the time it takes to retrieve it from the origin server, making the website speed more efficient.
5. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN is a network of servers that help deliver content to users faster by storing a copy of your website on multiple servers across the globe. This reduces the distance content has to travel, resulting in faster loading times.

CSS & JS files should be called inline only. No CSS or JavaScript should be mentioned in physical html page source code (unless it’s mandatory).

To ensure that your website performs at its best, it’s crucial to optimize its performance, and one effective method to achieve this is by calling CSS and JS files inline. This approach can offer various advantages that can significantly enhance your website’s speed, performance, and maintainability.

In today’s digital age, having a website with an SSL certificate configured is a necessity. An SSL certificate ensures that the data exchanged between the user’s web browser and the website’s server is encrypted, which makes it nearly impossible for hackers to intercept and access sensitive information. This level of security not only helps to protect the website and its visitors from potential cyber-attacks, but it also fosters trust and credibility among users.

Additionally, search engines also favor websites that have an SSL certificate, which can result in improved search engine rankings and increased visibility for the website. Therefore, it’s crucial for any website owner to ensure that their website is secured with an SSL certificate.

Including the page name in the URL is an important best practice from an SEO and usability point of view. And by using a dash as a separator in the URL, makes it easier for users & search engines to read and understand the URL structure.

For example, a URL like www.domain.com/file-name.php is more informative and user & search engine friendly than a URL like www.domain.com/6789.php, which doesn’t provide any meaningful information.

Additionally, search engines can use the page name as a signal to understand the content of the page and rank it accordingly. Overall, having a clear and descriptive URL structure can enhance the user experience and improve the website’s visibility and search engine rankings, but don’t make it lengthy.

URL rewriting is an important aspect of website design and development. It refers to the practice of modifying the URL of a webpage to make it more user-friendly and descriptive. The goal is to create a consistent URL structure that is easy to read, understand, and remember. This can be achieved by removing unnecessary characters, adding relevant keywords, and using a hierarchical structure that reflects the content of the page.

If you are redesigning a website that it is important to make sure that the URL structure doesn’t change in a new website, and in case if it is mandatory to change then do not forget to give 301 redirects of the old URL to the new one.

To maintain consistency in the URL structure, it is important to avoid using capital or special character. They can cause confusion, and make it harder for users to remember or type in the URL correctly. It is best to stick to lowercase letters for all URLs on the website.

Another important aspect of URL consistency is the use of extensions. Many developers use extensions such as “.html”, “.aspx”, “.php”, but it is recommended to have no extension at all (just a trailing slash). This is important for several reasons. First, it helps to maintain a consistent look and feel across the website. Second, it will not change when you upgrade the website using another technology. Finally, it can help prevent broken links and errors that can occur when URLs change.

Google and other search engine crawlers are very smart nowadays but there still very few things that they cannot crawl, so do check with SEO team if there are any doubts about the crawlability of specific sections where you used complex JS, Flash, etc.

It is very important to add Noindex, Nofollow Meta Tag (as shown in screenshot below) on all pages of the website when it is under development or on development server.

This tag advises search engine bots to not index pages and follow the links present on the page, which can prevent premature indexing of unfinished or error-prone pages.

However, it’s essential to remove this tag once the website goes live, so search engines can crawl and index the website properly.

Using black hat SEO techniques, such as hidden text, hidden links, cloaking, and meta refresh tags, can result in a website being penalized or banned from search engine results pages. These techniques violate search engine guidelines and can get you penalized or ban (removed from Search Engine database).

Many developers might use this by mistake but this can have major impact on your website’s online success. So, to achieve long-term success, it is best to focus on ethical and legitimate SEO strategies.

When redirecting a page, it’s generally best to use a 301 redirect unless the redirect is only temporary.

Permanent redirects should always be a 301 redirect. This type of redirect informs search engines that the original URL has permanently moved to a new location. This ensures that link equity and ranking signals are transferred to the new URL, which helps to maintain search engine visibility and preserve user experience. Temporary redirects should use a 302 redirect instead.

When redesigning a website, it is crucial to maintain the URL structure of the existing site in the new version. However, if changes to the URLs are necessary, it is essential to provide a 301 redirect from the old URLs to their corresponding new ones.

“Lesser the coding, betters the crawling” is a search engine optimization principle that emphasizes the importance of keeping website code clean, neat, and compact. This makes it easier for search engine crawlers to index and understand the website’s content.

Additionally, clean and compact code can improve web page size.

Robots.txt is a file that is used to communicate with search engine crawlers and web robots to specify which pages or directories of a website should or shouldn’t be indexed.

The default setting for the Robots.txt file should allow all web robots to crawl and index the website.

The default configuration for the Robots.txt file should be as follows:

User-agent: *
Allow: /

The “*” symbol in the User-agent field means that the settings apply to all web robots. The “Allow: /” directive specifies that all pages and directories on the website can be crawled and indexed by search engine bots.

This default setting ensures that the website can be easily discovered by search engines and its pages can be indexed, which is essential for the website’s visibility and search engine optimization. However, for specific use cases, webmasters may need to modify the Robots.txt file to restrict access to certain pages or directories.

If you want to provide your website visitors with a better user experience, having a custom 404 page is essential. When a page is not found, a custom 404 page serves as a backup plan and informs users that the page they are trying to access does not exist and they can navigate to other alternate pages. This helps to prevent visitors from leaving your website due to frustration or confusion.

• Title Tag: Make sure each page has a unique name in the title tag. For example, your title tag should look like this: < title > Page Name < /title >.

• Meta Description: Include a brief snippet of your page’s content in the meta description tag. For example: < meta name=”description” content=”Page Description” />.

• Header Tags: Add only one H1 tag, two H2 tags, and a few H3 tags which are unique for each page For example: < h1 > Page Name < /h1 >. Avoid using header tags in common sections like header, sidebar, and footer.

• HTML Sitemap: Make sure the website has an HTML sitemap, which can be generated dynamically or created as a static page.

• XML Sitemap: Adding an XML sitemap will help search engine locate and crawl all the web pages on your website.

• Canonical Issues: Ensure that the non-www version of your website redirects to the www version OR vice-versa using a 301 redirect. For example, http://domain.com/ should redirect to http://www.domain.com/. Also, make sure that the root page (index.php, index.html, or index.aspx) redirects to the root slash. i.e. http://domain.com/index.php should redirect to http://www.domain.com/.

• Broken Links: Finally, avoid having any broken links on your website. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to double-check that all your links are working properly.

In conclusion, if the developer will follow the best practices given in this post then they will be able to launch SEO and a User-Friendly website, and there will be very less back and forth between the Client and the SEO Team.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Strive for perfection in your initial website creation to avoid costly rework in the future.

(It’s always better to do it right the first time, even if it takes a little longer, because reworking and fixing mistakes will cost you more time and effort in the end.)

• You will be able to launch a technically SEO-friendly website that can give you some initial boost.

• You will be able to set yourself apart from the classic developers who concentrate only on coding output, and not on SEO & User-Friendliness of the website.

By following these key practices and staying up-to-date with industry developments, you can help your clients launch a website that is aligned with their goals. So, take the opportunity to unleash the power of SEO in your web development strategy and build a reputation as a skilled and reliable developer. Good luck!

E-A-T in SEO is a commonly known acronym that stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. However, if you are not familiar with it, it may be worth exploring your passion for SEO Professional before delving into it further :)

Still, I will brush up on the concept, so you don’t have to go look elsewhere and risk losing interest.

Your Content Goes HereGoogle developed the concept of E-A-T, which stands for “Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness,” to assess the quality of search results. This includes evaluating the website’s author, the information provided and the website’s reputation. Google uses E-A-T to determine a website’s ranking in search results, with those demonstrating high levels of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness more likely to be ranked well.

Trust is crucial in E-A-T because it helps to establish credibility and authority for the content and the website. Trust from users leads to increased engagement, sharing, and return visits. For search engines, trust is a significant factor in determining the relevance and quality of a website’s content, which can impact its ranking. Additionally, trust also helps to protect against misinformation and spam.

The higher your trust level is with Google, the higher you can rank.

So here is my personal formula: Expertise + Authority = Trust
Therefore, High Trust = High Ranking

Over time, Google has made numerous improvements to its search algorithm to enhance the quality of search results, and one of these is E-A-T. Recently, Google has added an additional “E” to the concept, which stands for “Experience”. The addition of this “E” aims to make the concept more comprehensive and to reflect the importance of user experience in the overall evaluation of a website and its content.

So now my formula has changed to: Experience + Expertise + Authority = Trust
Therefore, High Trust = High Ranking

Google’s belief is that content that is written by someone who has direct experience with the topic is more credible and trustworthy. For example, business advice from an entrepreneur who has successfully started and scaled their own startup is likely to be more authentic and accurate than the same advice from a blogger who has not had first-hand experience. In order to evaluate the authenticity and trustworthiness of content, Google now assesses the author of the content and determine if they have actual experience with the topic they are writing about.

Let’s explore more in depth about what E-E-A-T is and why it’s important for SEO.

Google wants to see that a website has been around for a while and that its content is of high quality. This can be determined by looking at the age of the domain, experience of the author, frequency of updates, and the quality of the content. A website that has been around for a long time and consistently provides high-quality content will have a better chance of ranking well in Google’s search results.

Expertise refers to the knowledge and skills of the person or organization behind the website. Google wants to see that the content is written by someone who is an expert in their field. This can be demonstrated through credentials, certifications, and awards, as well as through the quality of the content itself. The more expert the author is, the more likely it is that the content will be high-quality and trustworthy.

Authoritativeness refers to the level of influence and respect a website has in its field. Google wants to see that a website is widely recognized as an authority on the topic it covers. This can be demonstrated through backlinks from other reputable websites, media coverage, and industry awards. A website that is considered an authority in its field will have a better chance of ranking well in Google’s search results.

Trustworthiness refers to the overall credibility and reliability of a website. Google wants to see that a website is trustworthy and that its content is accurate and up-to-date. This can be demonstrated through the quality of the content, the presence of a privacy policy and terms of service, and the transparency of the author and the organization behind the website. A website that is considered trustworthy will have a better chance of ranking well in Google’s search results.

Google recognizes that individuals may rely on the information they find online to make important decisions in their lives, and that providing poorly sourced or incorrect information in their search results can have a negative impact on users. Therefore, it takes the responsibility of providing accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information very seriously to help users make informed decisions.

Thus, it is vital for Google to present high-quality information in search results, and that is where E-E-A-T comes in to play the game.

If you understand and effectively implement the E-A-T concept, you will improve your chances of achieving higher rankings on relevant search queries. Additionally, by meeting Google’s E-A-T standards, you will also increase the chances of ranking well for specific, niche-related search queries.

According to Google, trust is the most crucial element of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and is considered the foundation of the concept.

• Develop expertise in a specific niche by gaining experience in that area. Instead of being a jack of all trades, strive to be a master of one!
• Regularly create insightful content on a specific niche that has the potential to become popular.
• Write on different authoritative websites within your niche to demonstrate your experience and trustworthiness in that specific same niche.
• Include your social profiles in the author bio and make sure to keep them updated with your latest experiences and expertise.
• Write or develop awesome that high authority websites of your niche find it worth mentioning.
• Continuously update your previously written content to keep it fresh and comprehensive. For example, if you have written a blog post on list of SEO factors then you will have to update it as and when new factor is discovered or any existing factor is depreciated to keep it fresh & comprehensive.
• Get high ratings & reviews for websites, especially on Google My Business.
• Showcase your qualifications, certifications, and other credentials in your author bio, social profiles, and website.

Google prioritizes websites that exhibit E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness) which is established by evaluating the website, its content, and the creator. This principle holds particular significance for websites that produce content related to YMYL (your money, your life) topics.

Understanding and implementing the E-E-A-T concept can be a powerful tool for improving the visibility and search engine rankings of a website, and also provide a better experience to its visitors.

E-E-A-T Well, SEO Well :)