The Not Sexy, But Essential Side of SEO in The Search Economy

You've spent months crafting a visually stunning website, filling it with captivating content and engaging multimedia. Your marketing efforts are in full swing, driving a steady stream of visitors to your digital doorstep. Yet, despite all your hard work, something sinister lurks beneath the surface, slowly undermining your website's true potential.

It's a harsh reality that many businesses face: even an aesthetically pleasing website with excellent content can suffer from severe traffic drops due to underlying technical issues. Picture a bustling restaurant, filled to capacity one night, only to have a mere trickle of customers the next day, with no apparent reason for the sudden exodus.

This invisible threat is what David Riggs, founder and CEO of Pneuma, refers to as the often-overlooked world of "technical SEO" - the foundation upon which a website's success is built. In this insightful podcast episode, Riggs sheds light on the not-so-sexy but essential aspect of online optimization, emphasizing the critical role it plays in propelling your website to its full potential.

Understanding Technical SEO: The Foundation of Online Success

"Recode is the foundation of a home. A lot of sites are built on sand because that's the easiest place to build them." - David Riggs

Just as a sturdy foundation is vital for a building's structural integrity, technical SEO serves as the bedrock for your website's visibility and performance. Without a solid technical foundation, even the most captivating content and aggressive marketing efforts can be rendered ineffective.

Technical SEO encompasses a wide range of elements that shape how search engines and users interact with your website. From site structure and page load times to schema markup and mobile optimization, each factor plays a crucial role in ensuring a seamless, user-friendly experience.

The Hidden Impact: When Good Websites Go Bad

The consequences of neglecting technical SEO can be severe, even for websites with exceptional content. Riggs shares eye-opening examples of clients who experienced drastic traffic drops due to technical issues:

"If you think about a site losing 90% of its traffic, it's not far fetched to assume 90% of the revenue might go with it. And let's say 50% of the revenue went with it. That's still not great. That's still 50% of revenue loss." - David Riggs

The financial implications of such traffic loss can be staggering, directly impacting a business's bottom line. Worse still, these issues can stem from seemingly minor oversights, such as changing title tags or URL structures without careful consideration.

"Many times a marketer can shoot themselves in the foot or even a founder of a business who's on The, you know, kind of tweaking with the website can have drastic impacts from a 2 to 3 second change of changing a title tag or a URL structure." - David Riggs

The Pursuit of Usability: Core Web Vitals and Beyond

In today's digital landscape, user experience reigns supreme. Google's Core Web Vitals initiative reflects this shift, measuring a website's performance and usability through metrics like page load times, layout stability, and interactivity.

"Core Web Vitals is always a really good thing to I say quote to clients or explain The, clients, but, I'm doing it off memory. It's a set of 3 metrics The Google will analyze to determine essentially the health of your site or how easy it is for someone to use the site." - David Riggs

While technical jargon can be intimidating, the underlying principle is simple: prioritize a smooth, efficient user experience, especially on mobile devices.

"The easiest quick win that you can get with Core Web Vitals is just page speed. How quickly can you get the thing to load?" - David Riggs

Riggs emphasizes that a positive user experience should be the ultimate goal, not flashy designs or complex animations that may hinder usability.

"I want somebody to convert. I want somebody to leave the site and say, man, that site answered my question exactly as I wanted as quickly as possible. I can't wait to chat with them more." - David Riggs

The Road to Technical Optimization: Dos and Don'ts

So, how can you ensure your website is technically optimized for success? Riggs offers some valuable insights on what to avoid and what to prioritize.

The Don'ts:

• Avoid complex animations and excessive navigation options that can slow down your site and confuse users.

"I always say cut out all the fancy animations, cut out all the fancy graphics. What makes a website work? It's good storytelling, good copy, good content, good structure." - David Riggs

"You should only have 4 or 5 buttons in that top nav bar. Keep it simple." - David Riggs

• Steer clear of inconsistent page structures and layouts, as this can create a disjointed user experience.

The Dos:

• Implement a logical site architecture and consistent page layouts to enhance navigation and usability.

"Google likes having site structures, similar to this. I've I've really noticed that both in our clients and broad data as well. You want things that have a structure to them and you want things that ultimately have some level of organization, and pillar based marketing is an easy way to bring both of those into the fold." - David Riggs

• Follow Google's guidelines for schema markup and rich snippets to improve your website's visibility and chances of ranking higher in search results.

"Schema and Rich Snippet and some of those other items are almost Google saying, hey. Take this template, do this. If you put your content into this format, you're gonna have a better chance at ranking and getting more traffic." - David Riggs

Embracing the Unsexy Side of SEO

While technical SEO may not be the most glamorous aspect of online marketing, it is the bedrock upon which all other efforts can truly flourish. By prioritizing a solid technical foundation, optimizing for usability, and following best practices, you can ensure that your website not only looks great but also delivers an exceptional user experience that drives engagement, conversions, and long-term success.

To get started on the path to technical optimization, take Riggs' advice: "Page speed.web.dev, I think, is the exact link. That is it. Page speeds and page speed insights by Google. Go plug in your site and just see what it says." This simple step can provide invaluable insights into your website's technical health and identify areas for improvement.

Remember, while flashy designs and captivating content may initially draw visitors in, it's the unseen technical elements that keep them engaged, converting, and coming back for more. Embrace the not-so-sexy side of SEO, and watch as your website reaches new heights of success in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

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