Search engine optimization depends on many factors, but did you know that one of them related to the regular maintenance of your site. It’s not enough to optimize your website once and then let it be. You need to continually tune it up and clean it out so that it functions at its highest level and performs optimally in search engine results. With spring fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to revisit your website and give it a good old fashioned spring cleaning. Here are three ways to get started:
1) Delete Unused Photos – SEO depends on website speed. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing reward sites that load quickly, and punish those that are frustratingly slow. Nothing slows a site down like big, bulky photos, so its best to make sure you aren’t carrying any around that you aren’t even using. Go through the back end of your website and delete all the uploaded files that are not being displayed on the front end.
2) Fix Dead Links – Dead links, or links that lead to nowhere, are bad for SEO. Search engines are always promoting the websites that give the best user experience (according to their algorithm) and links that go nowhere are seen as detriments to the user experience. Dead links are often present when a page has been deleted or unpublished, a URL has been changed, or a page has been moved to a different subset of your website. Take the time to click on every link in your website this spring, and fix the links that aren’t going anywhere. This should put you back in the good graces of search algorithms.
3) Clear Out Comments and Drafts – Similar to the reasons for deleting photos, you should be checking that your spam comments have all been deleted and that your drafts of pages and posts are cleared out. The place for works in progress is not your website. Instead, compose your web text and post text on a different platform and transfer it over when you’re ready to post. You never want to drag around this added weight.
Contact us for more information on SEO and keeping your website running smoothly.