When it comes to building a truly outstanding blog, the name of the game is expectations.
For example, modern bloggers are expected to…
- Constantly update their sites on a regular basis to please readers and search engines
- Boast a sleek, attractive design that holds visitors’ attention and keeps traffic on the page
- Craft compelling content that keeps our audience reading and coming back for more
Blogging guru Neil Patel notes that, in addition to content, SEO is a crucial component of building a successful blog. As more and more bloggers emerge to make their presence known online, SEO becomes paramount for sites looking to stand out against their competition in the blogosphere.
On the same note, search engines have certain expectations of our sites that are perhaps less explicit than that of our readership. If you’re looking to boost your search presence while also keeping your readers happy, consider three common on-site pitfalls and how to avoid them for the sake of your blog’s traffic.
Poor Click-Through and Conversion Rates
Whether you’re using your site to sell a product or simply entice readers, a poor conversion rate is a sign that something’s wrong with your blog. Simply taking a look at Google Analytics and determining what visitors are clicking on can provide insight to what’s working and what’s not in terms of your site’s content.
If your click-through rates and conversions are particularly poor, ask yourself the following:
- Are you specifically targeting appropriate keywords and ensuring that such keywords are relevant to your content?
- Are you crafting killer calls-to-action to entice users to click rather than bounce off the page?
- Are you coming off too strongly or eager, practically begging users to click rather than allowing to do so naturally?
Click-throughs and conversions signal that your site is relevant to what your visitors are looking for; therefore, some small tweaks to your content strategy can go a long way to boost them.
Site Slow-Down
Believe it not, site slow down can have a negative impact on your conversions. Likewise, nearly 50% of modern web-users expect sites to load within two seconds. Considering that high bounce rate is a negative signal to Google, you can’t afford your site to be sluggish.
Assess your situation by running a speed test on your site. Then, look at your widgets, pop-ups and images to ensure that you aren’t bogging your visitors down once they land. Simple fixes such as keeping large files below the fold and removing unnecessary backend bulk from your site may be all you need to do to ensure a speedier site.
Spammy Traffic
Not all traffic is created equal. Likewise, you may notice anomalies in your Google Analytics where you see spikes in traffic from strange or unfamiliar sources. This traffic represents search spam which instantly bounces: in other words, it’s garbage traffic. So, what can you do about it?
If you’re using WordPress, you can easily eliminate spam traffic and comments through plug-ins such as Akismet. While you may be think that all traffic is good traffic, think again. Spam traffic can hurt your site’s search potential if you don’t take care of it.
Expectations are high when it comes to building our blogs, both to readers and search engines. By meeting such expectations, however, you can poise your site to rank well in Google and maintain a loyal readership that’s hungry for what you have to offer.