646-979-0291Web Optimization is the improvement of a website or web application so it performs better across various devices and use cases. Below I will provide details on the various aspects of a website that can be optimized and why they are important.
There is more than one way to build a website or app. And within these methods is great room for creativity and variation. Some of these methods are better than others at helping a site perform at optimal output.
Instead of worrying about the entirety of a website’s codebase, there are a few key areas that we can focus on that will cover most of the issues that may hinder a site.
These areas include accessibility, performance (speed), search, security, conversion, compatibility, adaptability, responsiveness, and much more.
Web Accessibility Optimization
People with disabilities will need to use your site effectively. These disabilities can range from motor functions to visual impairments. Your site must be designed and coded to cater to these types of users.
In the US there is the Americans with Disabilities Act which stipulates that a website or app must be developed to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Some areas ripe for web accessibility optimization include form fields, link structure, image attributes, and headings. But this is just scratching the surface.
More importantly, a website that is accessible will help your company avoid legal consequences that can become costly and even cripple your business.
Performance Optimization
No one likes to use a slow-loading website. In fact, it takes just a few seconds before a user gives up and leaves your site. It’s imperative that your site perform at optimal speed in order to keep users engaged.
The performance of a website is affected by a few factors. These factors combined contribute to loading lag and can add several seconds to the loading process. Every second matters and anything more than 3 seconds is entering the danger zone.
The first factor is the number of objects that must be downloaded to a user’s computer in order to display a site properly. Objects include image files, video files, style files, javascript files, etc. The browser must download these locally in order to properly display a website as intended.
The objects must be limited. The more objects there are, the longer it will take a site to fully load. Some remedies include combining files of similar format, selectively loading files only when needed, and simply not using/including some files where possible.
Files can be further optimized. For example, images can be reduced in physical dimensions and overall weight (done by reducing the byte size of the images).
For style files and JavaScript files, a more complex set of updates is required. This involves rewriting and organizing code to reduce the overall byte size – thus reducing the file weights.
There are quite a few more updates that can be done. This is why it’s important to hire a trained professional web developer to help you with the updates needed.
Search Engine Optimization
The best source of user traffic for your website or app is from search engines. This type of traffic is often ready-to-buy users – having specifically searched for something they need now. Your site needs to be properly formatted, and content-rich to achieve rankings on relevant search terms.
The most important thing you can do is create new content. The more content your site has, the more opportunity there is to achieve rankings on a large set of words.
Other treatments include making sure your site is properly developed with semantic HTML, full-performance optimization, keyword targeted, topic-relevant, and has attracted a diverse set of backlinks.
In addition, your site needs an XML sitemap and a Google Search Console account. The sitemap must be submitted to GSC so that Google can effectively crawl and index your site.
There are several other SEO-related updates you can make on your site. Every little bit helps, and your site will be guaranteed rankings if proper care is taken.
Security Upgrades
Every day there are countless attacks on internet systems. Your website is constantly at threat of malware injection, phishing attacks, cross-site scripting attacks, and a host of other types of exploitations.
The most important thing to protect is your user’s personal information. Your site and the system that runs it must be highly secure.
This can be achieved with a set of treatments that start with an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate is what allows your site to load over an encrypted connection and is practically a requirement for all sites at this point.
Other security measures include using a firewall, writing secure code, requiring strong passwords, and much more.
DigitalSpawn performs a set of comprehensive updates on your site that helps keep it much more secure.
Conversion Optimization
Have you ever seen a commercial that compelled you to buy something? That is a well-optimized advertisement. In a similar way, a website must convince a user to interact with it and ultimately compel them to do business with your company.
Your site needs to be optimized for the highest possible conversion on leads and sales.
Conversion optimization includes choosing the right color scheme, proper use of call-to-action triggers, a great overall user experience, easy-to-navigate and find needed information, trust elements, security, and much more.
Compatibility, Adaptability, and Responsiveness
There are a number of web browsers including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. In addition, there are several types of devices that are slightly different including smartphones, laptops, desktops, and other exotic devices. And don’t forget their various operating systems.
As a result, a website must be compatible with these devices, adapt to various displays, and respond effectively to changes from the user.
This can be achieved by following web standards, using CSS conventions like Flexbox and Grid, writing CSS for various screen types including print styles, and using JavaScript for browser-specific modifications.
Generally, the site or app must display well in all use cases, handle user interactions intuitively, and degrade or fall back gracefully.