4 Ways to Help Your Website

Posted by Rob on April 14, 2011 at 8:24 am

So you have a website that’s not performing as well as you think it should. No biggie, here are 4 great ways to add a little flair to your website and help with SEO, usability and overall appearance.

1. Use CSS for Consistency

You don’t have to like CSS, or really even understand all that it can do. Adding Cascading Style Sheets to a website that doesn’t have them can cut down overall code weight by several KB per page and ensures a consistent look across your website. Every paragraph should be the same font size, and every headline should match your theme. Consistency helps build trust and credibility.

2. Reduce Image Sizes

Start by downloading a backup of your website. Next, find all of your images and upload them to Yahoo’s free service Smush.it™. This will reduce file size on all standard file types without losing any quality. Smaller images load faster and faster websites make visitors happy.

3. Make Sure Your Links Work

This one is often overlooked. Broken links are a great way to lose trust. Test every link on your website and correct any that don’t go where they’re supposed to.

4. Sign Up For Webmaster Tools

This one is easy. Google offers a free tool that gives you insight into what they find when they visit your website. Once configured, Webmaster Tools will offer information on Search queries, errors on your website, suggestions to improve your website, and even a list off all websites that link to your own.