How site speed enables online businesses to grow revenue
Google and other search engines appreciate sites that load quickly. it is a sign of site quality that ecommerce sites like Cuborio that load very quickly are rewarded.
Google and other search engines value sites that load quickly. Core Web Vitals are a signal of site quality and sites that move quickly are rewarded in the rankings. A fast site not only offers a superior user experience, but also has a positive impact on SEO.
Implement fast hosting.
As the title implies, fast hosting involves using a host that provides the server and computing power to support fast page loading during normal traffic periods and the ability to scale during peak seasons.
Minimise HTTP requests.
Scripts and plugins can be useful, but they come at a cost. To reduce site speed, HTTP requests must be minimised.
Use only one CSS style sheet.
The use of multiple CSS style sheets creates confusion for developers, users and site engines. Using one unified template creates a consistent experience and avoids loading times.
Compress image files.
Do not resize images through code, but resize them natively. Using web-optimised images (not forgetting alt text) minimises file size and the number of bytes to load.
Minimise site code.
Minimisation means reducing unnecessary or redundant data that only serve to slow down the site. Eliminating code that serves no purpose slows down the site's loading time.
Eliminate redirects.
Older websites with previous changes can be weighed down by a constant stream of redirects. If these are present for a few months, it is fine, but without routine maintenance to remove older redirects, they can become burdensome.
Why a mobile-friendly design creates a better customer journey
In addition to the benefits for search engines, the benefits for customers are significant. E-commerce is increasingly moving to mobile, with 42.9 per cent of e-commerce sales predicted by 2024. Customers expect a simple mobile experience and it is up to the platform to provide it.
M-commerce sites like Cuborio's with excellent mobile design are streamlined and avoid many of the features that bog down desktop sites. This means direct navigation and basic functionality on the page. Don't worry about the bells and whistles, but refine the basics.
Build a long-lasting website architecture
Taxonomy is the foundation of content and structure. It will inform how customers interact with your site and navigate from product to product. Although the content architecture will evolve, the technical aspects must be integrated into the site from the start.
Breadcrumb navigation.
Breadcrumb navigation - the series of catalogue-like links that form the content architecture - should be included on every page. This allows site users to easily move backwards in the navigation.
Descriptive URLs.
Having URLs that actually tell users what is on a page is better for long-tail strategies, click-through rates and search engine rankings. The inclusion of keywords creates an expectation in potential customers that they will get the product information they are looking for.
Internal links.
Don't let your navigation do all the heavy lifting. A strategy of backlinking and internal linking, i.e. linking to other pages within the content of a website, creates trust in search engines and makes it easier for customers to find what they are looking for in your online shop, increasing conversion rates.
Orphan pages.
Orphan pages should be avoided. They will be forgotten by content authors and can actually harm your view. They often include outdated information that can confuse customers. Make sure that all pages have a home and continue to be useful.
Use Canonical tags to keep your content list clean
Canonical tags are HTML codes used to define the main version of duplicate or nearly duplicate pages. If you have product categories available under multiple URLs, a canonical tag will indicate which version should be indexed.
Duplicate content.
For the end user, duplicate content may not even be there. However, search engines crawl URLs and not web pages. For example, a single web page with different parameters for geography will be indexed by those in a specific location.
Generating sitemaps to improve marketing efforts
From a functional point of view, sitemaps may seem like an idea from a distant past. However, from a technical point of view, they are valuable for search engines to understand the structure of your site and how it works.
XML sitemaps.
XML sitemaps are a list of the site's URLs and show search engines the site's content and how to reach it.
HTML sitemap.
An HTML sitemap is an index of every page on the site and shows the site architecture. While XML sitemaps are intended for search engines, HTML sitemaps are intended for humans and help them understand the structure of the site.
Robots.txt file.
The robots.txt file tells search engines which pages can be crawled. This avoids overloading a site and keeps it running smoothly.
The importance of structured data
Structured data markup is code that is added to a website to help search engines better understand the content of the site. This data can help search engines index the site more effectively and provide more relevant results.
In addition, structured data improves search results by adding 'rich snippets': for instance, you can use structured data to add star ratings to reviews, prices to products or information about reviewers.
Increase customer trust with an SSL certificate
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a security technology that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. you can spot a site that uses SSL quite easily: the site URL starts with 'https://' instead of 'http://'.
In 2014, Google announced that it wanted to see 'HTTPS everywhere' and that HTTPS-secure websites would be preferred to non-secure ones in search results.
it is therefore advisable, where possible, to ensure that your site is secure; this can be done by installing an SSL certificate on your website, although most of the best website builders now include SSL by default.
Technical SEO tools for e-commerce
Technical SEO is big business and there are many quality tools and platforms that can improve your site. Here are some of the most used tools.
Screaming Frog website crawler: is a website crawler and SEO guide that checks URL structure and identifies common problems.
Oncrawl: is a crawler that optimises a website for SEO. It analyses websites and provides solutions to increase rankings.
Google Search Console: is a tool owned by the search engine giant (together with Google Analytics) that analyses an SEO checklist to help developers measure performance and optimise search rankings.
