If you were to sit down right now and dissect your website, you’d find potentially hundreds of elements and functions within it. From internal search functions to headlines, there are many aspects to even the most basic of websites. Ensuring that each function and element of your website is functioning appropriately is crucial to both search engine optimization and user experience. Some aspects of your website matter more than others, however – it is vital that they are working well. Let’s talk today about a few vital website elements that you need to optimize (or at least ensure are working as they should be).

Mobile Responsiveness and Indexing

For several years now, Google and other search engines have been rewarding websites that provide mobile functionality. Likewise, sites that do not offer this benefit are being penalized: their rankings are harmed by not providing functionality for people across all devices.

When pinging users with website content, it’s important that a mobile responsive design is in place. This’ll ensure that every aspect of the website renders properly on their specific device. Additionally, search engines must also be able to access your website effectively: mobile indexability is crucial, as a lack of ability in this department can harm your rankings in mobile search results just as much as lacking mobile responsive design.

HTTPS Functionality

Your website should always aim to be as secure as possible. HTTPS protocols have been required by search engines for the past year or so: without these certificates, you could be losing traffic. HTTPS revolves around the purchase of a certificate (usually between $50-100 per year) that authenticates your domain and ensures that all information transmitted to and from it is encrypted. Because of the increased demand for security, search engines view websites that do not offer this function as potential liabilities. Once installed, your domain will naturally display “https://” in its URL instead of “http://”.

Efficient URL Structure

Speaking of URL structures, it is just as important to worry about what comes at the end of each URL as what comes at the beginning. The overall URL structure of each page or post should aim to be efficient and descriptive. Ideally, each URL will include keywords and content relevant to the page itself. By default, some content management systems will start pinging users online with URLs featuring random strings of numbers or letters. There are options to easily customize this structure in WordPress and other CMS solutions  – be sure to structure it so that the URL is built based on the headline of each page.

Fast Page Loading

The speed at which your pages load matters a lot. Beyond two seconds, for every second it takes for your pages to load, you lose 10% of your traffic. This simply isn’t a tenable position to be in – so fix it! From optimizing databases to removing unnecessary plug-ins, there are many ways to improve page loading times. Be sure that you’re hitting that two-second goal for all of your pages!

There are undoubtedly hundreds of elements that influence how well a website resonates with search engines and users alike. These four elements are nevertheless very important aspects of that process. Leave us a comment below with any specific elements you also find essential to website performance.