One of the great things about our community here at Lifework is the broad wealth of knowledge under our roof. Among our members, we have experts in all sorts of specialities. Our community is a melting pot of ideas, innovations, and inspirations, and we are fortunate to have members who are willing to share their expertise with others.
This collaborative spirit was on full display at our recent June community day, where growth strategist and sustainability expert Kate Freeman, alongside website and digital expert Eleanor Hayes, owner of Webzang, led a brilliant lunchtime session on search engine optimization (SEO). They shared invaluable tips and advice on how to edge your website up the search rankings and boost your organic traffic.
Here are six key tips that stood out to us during their session:
Optimise for mobile One of the first points Kate and Eleanor emphasized was the importance of optimizing your website for mobile devices. Over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, making it crucial for your website to be mobile-friendly. This means ensuring that your design works well on smaller screens and that your content is easily readable on a mobile device. Mobile optimization is not just about making sure your website looks good on a smartphone or tablet; it’s also about functionality. Visitors should be able to navigate your site with ease, find the information they need quickly, and have a seamless user experience. Eleanor recommended using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) to check for mobile performance issues and to get actionable suggestions on how to improve your site’s mobile performance.
Google business reviews Reviews are all-round good news! Google Business Reviews are not just a way for customers to share their experiences with your business; they are also a powerful tool for boosting your search rankings. Positive reviews can help your business appear more trustworthy to potential customers and can also improve your local SEO. Kate highlighted the importance of encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews, as this can significantly impact your online visibility. Moreover, Google Business Reviews provide valuable insights into what your customers appreciate about your business and where there might be room for improvement. Engaging with these reviews—thanking customers for positive feedback and addressing any concerns raised in negative reviews—can help build a strong, trust-based relationship with your audience.
Ask your grandparents Eleanor brought up an often-overlooked aspect of website design: usability. It's easy to get so familiar with your website that you overlook potential issues that new visitors might encounter. To counter this, they suggested a simple yet effective strategy: ask your parents or grandparents to use your site. Their fresh perspective can help you identify areas where your site might be confusing or difficult to navigate. This exercise can reveal a lot about how intuitive your website is. Older adults may not be as tech-savvy as younger users, so if they can easily find their way around your site, it's likely that others will too. Additionally, this feedback can help you ensure that your site is accessible to all age groups, which is crucial for reaching a wider audience.
Go long on the blogs You've probably heard that blogging is good for SEO, but not everyone realizes just how valuable long-form content can be. Eleanor explained that blog posts of 2000-3000 words tend to perform best in search rankings. Longer posts provide more value to readers by covering topics in depth, and they also give search engines more content to index. However, it's important to note that quality is just as important as quantity. Long blog posts should be well-researched, engaging, and informative. They should provide real value to your readers, answer their questions, and address their pain points. By consistently producing high-quality, long-form content, you can position yourself as an authority in your industry and improve your search rankings over time.
Meta titles + descriptions Meta titles and descriptions play a crucial role in SEO. These elements help search engines understand what your page is about and can also influence whether users click on your link in search results. Eleanor stressed the importance of crafting meta titles and descriptions that are relevant to the content on your page and that include important keywords for your business. Your meta title should be concise yet descriptive, giving users a clear idea of what they can expect from your page. Your meta description, on the other hand, should provide a brief overview of your content, enticing users to click through to your site. Eleanor recommended using tools like SEOptimer (www.seoptimer.com) to check your SEO score and get suggestions on how to improve your meta titles and descriptions.
Alt tags Alt tags, or alternative text descriptions for images, serve two important purposes. First, they help visually impaired users understand what an image is about, making your website more accessible. Second, they help search engines index your images correctly, which can improve your website ranking. Eleanor emphasized the importance of using descriptive alt tags that accurately reflect the content of your images. Alt tags should be concise yet descriptive, providing enough information for both users and search engines to understand the image. This not only enhances your SEO but also ensures that your website is inclusive and accessible to all users. Huge thanks to Kate and Eleanor for an incredibly useful session. Their willingness to share their expertise is a testament to the strength of our community here at Lifework. Our members' diverse knowledge and experience are what make our community so valuable, and we look forward to more of our members sharing their areas of expertise at future community days. One of the key benefits of being part of the Lifework community is the opportunity to learn from others. Whether it's through formal sessions like the one led by Kate and Eleanor or through casual conversations over coffee, there are always opportunities to gain new insights and ideas. This culture of continuous learning and mutual support is what sets Lifework apart from other co-working spaces. We’re already looking forward to our next community day, which will take place on Wednesday, July 31st, so make sure it's in your diary. And if you'd like to share some knowledge with the community, get in touch with our community managers, we'd love to hear from you!
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