5 minute read
Your website is a factor for how well you do on your Google ranking. The best websites include the following characteristics:
Fast-Loading
Have you ever Googled something, clicked on one of the listings and then hit “Back” because you stared at a blank screen for three seconds? That slow page load resulted in lost business for the company. The quick “bounce” hurt its Google ranking as well. Google will not be as quick to send people there in the future.
You want to make sure your site loads quickly. You can keep a nice trim site by using smaller images, fewer plugins, and minimal javascript. If you don’t know what those mean, your web developer will and they can help.
If you’re not sure if your site is fast there are several free site speed tests that can be found with a simple search. Google offers one, including recommendations to improve your speed.
Site Security
Web encryption has been around for years but it wasn’t until 2018 that it became obvious which sites were secured and which ones weren’t. While an explanation exceeds the scope of this book, the difference between an unsecured site (HTTP://www...) and an unsecured site (HTTPS://www…) make a difference in your score.
Google announced in 2015 that it would favor sites that use HTTPS over those that don't. While site security is most critical for e-commerce and has little benefit for a chiropractic site, no member of the public wants to be warned that a chiropractor’s site is “Not Secure” when they are browsing.
Mobile-friendly
Every year people spend more and more time on their mobile devices and tablets. The problem is that many websites still aren't designed to account for different screen sizes and load times. A mobile-friendly site changes its layout from desktop to tablet and phone. The design moves to a vertical configuration, bringing on a different display of content and pictures.