Join us as we delve into our recent success with Fresh Kit, where we significantly improved their website's performance and SEO scores. Learn about the importance of these metrics and how they can transform your business.
In the world of digital marketing, achieving a high-performance website that is both user-friendly and search engine-optimised is a monumental achievement. AIO Spark prides itself on transforming websites from mediocre to masterful. This article showcases our recent success with a client who experienced a significant improvement in their website's performance and SEO scores after hiring us to audit and improve their website.
The Challenge
The client came to us with a website with a mediocre performance score of 14, an accessibility score of 88, and a best practices score of 83 on Lighthouse, a tool provided by Google for assessing the quality of web pages. While these scores were not terrible, they were far from excellent. Fresh Kit needed our help to improve its website's performance and accessibility, and we were up to the task.
The Process
Our approach was comprehensive. We started with a deep audit of the website's front-end and back-end codebases to identify areas of improvement. We then optimised the website's JavaScript, fixed issues with accessibility, including foreground/background colours, and implemented traditional web tech methods for caching. We did not use any caching plugins on the site, ensuring the improvements were sustainable and effective.
The Results
The results were nothing short of impressive. Fresh Kit's website now boasts a performance score of 97, a perfect accessibility score of 100, a best practices score of 100, and an SEO score of 100. These numbers are not just figures; they represent a website that is optimised for both users and search engines, a website that is accessible to a wider audience, and a website that is poised for success.
Why These Numbers Matter
Some may argue that these metrics don't matter, but we beg to differ. These numbers represent better usability for website visitors and accessibility for more of them, leading to more conversions, better appreciation, and, ultimately, higher search rankings. Google may be the king of misdirection, but what they omit to say is sometimes more important than what they do.
Decoding Google's Updates: AIO Spark's Perspective
In March 2023, Google released a broad core update that targeted all content types across all languages and regions. In April of the same year, it refreshed its documented ranking systems page, removing four ranking systems from the list:
- the Page Experience System,
- the Mobile-Friendly Ranking System,
- the Page Speed System,
- and the Secure Sites System.
This move has sparked a debate in the SEO community, with some questioning the significance of these systems in Google's search ranking algorithms.
While Google has stated that these systems were not separate ranking systems, they were important aspects of page experience that correlated with success in search rankings. Google's recent actions have led some to believe that these systems were never a true ranking system, and their removal has led to speculation about their actual impact on rankings.
At AIO Spark, we believe that while Google's updates may seem confusing, they underscore the importance of focusing on the overall user experience. Here's our take on the recent changes:
- Page Experience System: Although Google has removed the Page Experience System from its ranking systems page, it doesn't mean that page experience is no longer important. Page experience is a set of criteria used to measure how easy and enjoyable people use a website. While it may not be a specific ranking factor anymore, it's still a crucial aspect of a website that can indirectly influence search rankings.
- Mobile-Friendly Ranking System: With the rise of mobile internet usage, having a mobile-friendly website is more important than ever. Even though Google has removed this system, it doesn't negate the fact that a mobile-friendly website provides a better user experience, which can lead to higher engagement and potentially better rankings.
- Page Speed System: Page speed is a critical factor in user experience. A slow-loading website can lead to high bounce rates, negatively impacting search rankings. Despite its removal from Google's ranking systems page, optimizing page speed remains a best practice in web development.
- Secure Sites System: Security is a top priority for users. A secure website protects users' data and builds trust, which can lead to higher engagement and conversions.
In conclusion, while these systems may no longer be officially recognized as ranking systems by Google, they are still vital aspects of a website that can indirectly influence rankings. At AIO Spark, we believe that focusing on these aspects can lead to a better user experience and higher search rankings.
As Google continues to evolve, staying ahead of the curve and adapting to changes is important. At AIO Spark, we remain committed to providing our clients with the best SEO and website optimization services, ensuring their websites rank high in search results and provide an excellent user experience.
Understanding Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, and Their Importance
For those unfamiliar with the terms, Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights are powerful tools developed by Google to help web developers optimize their websites. They comprehensively analyse a website's performance, accessibility, SEO, and more, offering actionable insights to improve these metrics.
Lighthouse is an open-source, automated tool that audits a website for performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, SEO, and more. It can be run against any web page, public or requiring authentication. It has audits for performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, SEO, and more. Each audit has a reference doc explaining why the audit is important and how to fix problems.
PageSpeed Insights (PSI) is a web performance tool that analyzes the content of a web page and generates suggestions to make that page faster. PSI provides both lab and field data about a page. Lab data is useful for debugging performance issues, as it is collected in a controlled environment. Field data is useful for capturing true, real-world user experience - but has a more limited set of metrics.
Now, you might wonder why these numbers are so critical.
- User Experience: High performance and accessibility scores mean your website is fast and easy to use. This leads to a better user experience, which can increase user engagement and conversion rates.
- SEO: While Google has recently updated its ranking systems, the principles of SEO remain the same. A fast, accessible, and well-structured website is more likely to be ranked higher in search results.
- Inclusivity: A high accessibility score means your website is usable by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities. This broadens your audience and enhances your brand's reputation for inclusivity.
- Conversion Rate: A well-optimized website leads to better usability and user experience, which can increase the conversion rate. This means more users are likely to take the desired action on your website, be it making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form.
- Competitive Edge: In a digital landscape where users' expectations are continually rising, having a well-optimized website can give you a competitive edge.
At AIO Spark, we believe that these numbers are not just scores but indicators of a website's overall health and effectiveness. They are critical to ensuring your website works well for visitors and can indicate a likely success rate on the SERPs. By employing AIO Spark to improve your website, you're not just improving numbers, but enhancing the overall user experience, broadening your audience, and boosting your website's performance on search engine results.
Our Services
At AIO Spark, we offer a range of services tailored to the unique needs of our clients. Our services include web design, SEO, copywriting, and illustration, all designed to help businesses improve their online visibility and attract more website traffic. We work closely with our clients to develop customized solutions that engage their target audience and drive conversions.
Client Testimonials
Don't just take our word for it. Check out our
case studies to see how we've helped other businesses achieve their digital marketing goals.
FAQs
We understand that you may have questions about website optimisation and SEO. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive:
What is a site audit and why do I need one?
A site audit is a comprehensive analysis of your website's ability to appear in search engine results. It assesses your site's technical infrastructure, user experience, and on-page and off-page SEO elements. You need a site audit to identify any issues that might be affecting your site's performance and visibility in search results, and to uncover opportunities for improvement.
What is technical SEO and how does it differ from regular SEO?
Technical SEO refers to the process of optimising your website for the crawling and indexing phase. It involves making your website easier for search engine spiders to crawl and index. While regular SEO often involves keyword research, content creation, and link building, technical SEO focuses on improving your website's infrastructure.
How long does it take to see results from SEO and website optimisation?
SEO and website optimisation are long-term strategies, and it can take several months to see significant results. This is because search engines need time to crawl and index your site, and it takes time for your optimisation efforts to influence your site's ranking. However, some improvements, like faster loading speed, can be noticed immediately.
Will optimising my website disrupt my current website traffic?
During the optimisation process, your website may have minor disruptions, but we aim to keep these to a minimum. In the long run, website optimisation should increase traffic as your site becomes more visible in search engine results and provides a better user experience.
What kind of businesses do you work with?
At AIO Spark, we work with businesses of all sizes and industries. Whether you're a small local business or a large multinational corporation, we can tailor our SEO and website optimisation services to meet your needs.
How do you measure success in an SEO campaign?
Success in an SEO campaign can be measured in various ways, including improvements in search engine rankings, website traffic increases, and conversions or sales growth. We use a range of tools to track these metrics and provide regular reports so you can see the progress of your SEO campaign.
What happens if I stop doing SEO after my website is optimised?
SEO is an ongoing process. If you stop doing SEO after your website is optimised, your rankings may drop over time. This is because search engine algorithms continue to change, and your competitors are likely continuing their SEO efforts. Regularly updating and optimising your website is crucial to maintaining your search engine rankings.
Do I need ongoing SEO services or is it a one-time thing?
While a one-time SEO service can lead to significant improvements, ongoing SEO services are necessary to keep up with search engine algorithm changes and stay ahead of your competitors. SEO is a long-term strategy; ongoing services can help you improve your rankings and increase your visibility in search results.
What is website optimisation?
Website optimisation is making changes to your website to perform better in search engine result pages (SERPs). It involves various strategies and techniques to improve the website's visibility, usability, and conversion rates. This includes improving the site's speed, design, content, and structure to make it more appealing to users and search engines.
How can I optimise my website?
Optimising a website involves several steps. First, you need to perform a website audit to identify areas for improvement. Then, you can work on various aspects such as improving site speed, making the site mobile-friendly, optimising the content for relevant keywords, improving user experience, and building high-quality backlinks. Monitoring your site's performance and making necessary adjustments over time is also important.
How optimised is my website?
You can determine how optimised your website is by using various SEO tools that analyse your website's performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. Tools like Google's Lighthouse or Pagespeed Insights can comprehensively overview your website's current optimisation state.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It's the practice of optimising your website to make it more visible in search engines. The goal is to get your website to rank higher in the search results, which can lead to more traffic, conversions, and revenue.
What does SEO mean?
SEO means changing your website design and content to make your site more attractive to search engines. It's all about improving your site's visibility and ranking in the organic (non-paid) search engine results to increase the quantity and quality of traffic to your website.
How does SEO work?
SEO improves aspects of your website that are important to search engine ranking algorithms. This includes optimising your website's content for relevant keywords, improving site speed, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly, securing your website (HTTPS), and building high-quality backlinks. All these efforts aim to improve your website's authority and relevance, which search engines reward with higher rankings.
What are keywords for SEO?
Keywords for SEO are the words and phrases people type into search engines. They are crucial because they connect what people are searching for to the content you provide on your website. By optimising your website for relevant keywords, you increase the chances of appearing in the search results when someone searches for those terms.
Why is SEO important for business?
SEO is important for businesses because it helps them get discovered online. A well-optimised website can attract more organic traffic, leading to more leads and sales. SEO is also a cost-effective marketing strategy because it targets users actively looking for your products or services online. Plus, it helps improve the user experience and usability of a website.
Conclusion
If you're looking for performance improvements on your website, consider AIO Spark. Our expertise in technical SEO, website optimisation, and performance enhancement can help you achieve your business goals.
Get a quote today and let us help you take your business to the next level.
This article was first published on AIO Spark:
https://www.aiospark.com/from-mediocre-to-masterful-client-website-optimisation-example?utm_source=&utm_medium=fs-share&utm_campaign=auto-social
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