Top 5 Digital To Do’s

There are so many things you could be doing online this year to make your site even more effective that it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in information overload. We all start the year with great intentions then find it impossible to keep every promise. So if you do nothing else – at least take note of these top 5 must do’s for 2013:

1. Make sure your site is fully accessible on all mobile devices. This doesn’t just mean avoiding flash and making sure the menu works. A mobile site should be a stripped down version of your main web site that caters for the mobile audience. Think about what you search for on the move and how you like to navigate on a small device. Larger buttons, less text, key facts, easy contact details and no waffle are key.
2. Ensure Google can see your mobile site and that it is well written and easy to navigate. A key factor for top page rankings in 2013 will be the existence of a well crafted mobile site at your domain.
3. Make sure you’re Tweeting, blogging, Google Plusing and Facebooking. Even if you don’t feel your target audience is quite ready to follow you on social media yet or that your subject matter just isn’t interesting enough Google wants you to be sociable. Google now sees follows and links from social media back to your site as crucial indicators of relevant website content. Social media will have a huge impact on your search engine rankings this year. Love it or loathe it –  ignore social media at your peril!
4. Make sure your site content is fresh, engaging, well written and relevant. The days of key word stuffing and writing on computer speak to get a decent search rank are long gone. Google now analyses your site for how well it is written, taking into account grammar, spelling and the relevancy of content. All you have to do now is write content that you believe your customers will genuinely want to read and you will be well placed for a decent ranking.
5. Studies have shown that photos and video hugely boost interaction especially on social media and blog posts. Ensure you add the relevant alt tags and captions to your images and use them where possible. After all – we all find watching easier than reading. So now all you have to do is find a relevant photo!