02.06.2023

Launching a Web is the first step, not the last one

By: Giampaolo De Martiis

Many projects end where they should start. When a digital product (website, eCommerce, mobile application) is launched, it is thought that it has reached a successful conclusion.

But the truth is that you have only started a journey of optimization in which consistency is very important.


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Link |Digital Transformation (linkdigital.es)


Danger Signs

Poor Security: Business Continuity Risk

Despite the critical importance of online security, statistics show a worrying lack of awareness and protective measures among website owners.

According to a report by Cybint, 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses, and the average cost of such an attack is USD$200,000, serious enough to shut down many companies permanently.

A 2022 report from Positive Technologies revealed that 82% of websites examined had at least one point of vulnerability, and 26% contained high-severity vulnerabilities. Despite these risks, 65% of companies never perform a security audit of their websites, according to a Clutch study.

 

Less speed: Less traffic volume

According to a study conducted by Google, the probability of bounce (users abandoning the site) increases by 32% if the page load time increases from 1 to 3 seconds.

In addition, the report states that if the loading time increases to 5 seconds, the probability of bouncing shoots up to 90%. These statistics demonstrate the importance of maintaining fast load times to retain visitors and prevent them from leaving the site before interacting with the content.

Thus, on average, pages that occupy the top positions in Google search results have a loading time 34% faster than pages that occupy lower positions.

 

SEO bad practices: less quality traffic

SEO is also affected by website optimization. A Backlinko study analyzed 11.8 million Google search results and found that page load speed and user interaction time are key factors in a site's ranking in search results.

It is clear that organic traffic can bring huge benefits to a website's conversion rate, even outperforming paid traffic in some cases.

According to a 2023 study by BrightEdge, 53% of all website traffic comes from organic searches, demonstrating the importance of a solid SEO strategy. In addition, research from Databox found that the conversion rate of organic traffic can be up to 15% higher than that of paid traffic.

Backlinko's 2022 report also supports this idea, revealing that the CTR (Click-Through Rate) for organic search results in the first position is nearly 31.7%, while the CTR for paid ads on Google is only 1.91%.

These statistics demonstrate that while paid traffic may deliver faster conversions, organic traffic generates more reliable and longer lasting conversions, which can ultimately result in a higher conversion rate.

 

Bad usability practices: less conversión

In terms of navigation and design, according to a Forrester Research study, a good user experience can increase conversion rates by as much as 200%.

Similarly, the 2023 State of UX report shows that a staggering 88% of online users are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience.

Finally, a survey conducted by Decibel revealed that a difficult-to-navigate website can decrease conversion rates by as much as 35%. Therefore, it is essential that companies adopt sound CRO strategies to ensure that they maximize their sales and lead potential.

Thus, poor usability practices (UI UX) can lead to a significant decrease in traffic, retention and conversions, underscoring the importance of good usability optimization to the overall effectiveness of a website.

 

No optimization, less conversión

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is essential to ensure that website traffic converts to sales or form fills. Research indicates that a lack of CRO can have a considerable impact on a website's effectiveness.

For example, a study by Venture Harbour suggests that a lack of CRO can decrease conversion rates by 50%.

According to Adobe research, companies that rank in the bottom quartile for customer experience see a decrease in conversion rates of up to 40%. The same research shows that companies with a solid CRO strategy see a 55% increase in leads and a 79% increase in sales.

 

What to do?

Five pillars

Consistency and good optimization practices should be supported by five pillars:

  1. Measurement
  2. Speed
  3. Usability
  4. Security
  5. SEO

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1. Define indicators, goals and tolos

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is a comprehensive process that includes several key performance indicators (KPIs) related to security, speed, best practices, usability and SEO. Here is a list of indicators to consider and how to define them:

Security
  • Security incident rate: The number of security incidents that occur in a given period of time. The goal should be to reduce this number to the minimum possible.
  • Incident response time: Measures the time it takes your team to respond to a security incident. The goal should be to reduce this time to minimize potential damage.
Speed
  • Page load time: The time it takes for a page to load completely. Google recommends a load time of no more than 2-3 seconds.
  • Time to First Byte (TTFB): Measures the time from when the user makes a request until the first byte of information is received. The lower the better.
Best Practices
  • Bounce rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A goal could be to reduce this percentage, which would indicate that visitors are finding relevant and engaging content on your site.
  • Pages viewed per session: The average number of pages a visitor views during a session. An increase in this number may indicate increased interaction with the site.
Usability
  • Conversion rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (such as making a purchase, filling out a form, etc.). A common goal is to increase this percentage.
  • Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of users who click on a specific link compared to the total number of users who view the page. A goal can be to improve this percentage, indicating a greater interest in your content.
SEO
  • Keyword ranking: Where your website ranks in search results for certain keywords. Improving these rankings is often a key objective of SEO.
  • Organic traffic: The number of visitors coming to your site through search engines. Increasing this number can indicate a successful SEO strategy.

Tools to measure these metrics can vary, but some commonly used ones include Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Moz, Pingdom and security analysis tools such as Nessus or OpenVAS. Each of these tools can provide valuable information about different aspects of your website and help you improve your CRO.

 

2. Speed

The loading speed of a website is crucial to provide a positive user experience. A slow site can generate frustration and lead visitors to abandon the page before interacting with the content.

In addition, Google considers site speed as a ranking factor in its search results. Some of the ways to improve speed include optimizing images, reducing the number of HTTP requests and minimizing server response time.

Tools such as Google Lighthouse, Google Vitals and GT Metrix can help identify performance issues and provide recommendations for improving site speed.

These tools evaluate load speed on mobile and desktop devices, allowing developers to optimize the experience across all platforms.

 

3. Usability: Best Practices

Best practices in web development refer to the guidelines and standards that should be followed to ensure optimal site quality and performance. These guidelines include the correct use of HTML tags, proper structuring of content and the implementation of security measures, such as the use of HTTPS.

Google Lighthouse is a useful tool for evaluating best practices on a website. It provides an overall score and offers specific recommendations for improving compliance with best practices in web development.

 

4. Accessibility

Web accessibility is essential to ensure that websites are usable by all people, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Some of the key aspects of accessibility include the use of alternative text for images, proper structuring of headings, and keyboard navigation.

Tools such as Google Lighthouse can help evaluate a website's accessibility, providing a score and specific recommendations to improve the experience for all users.

Accessibility optimization not only benefits people with disabilities, but also improves the overall user experience and can have a positive impact on SEO.

 

5. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is the process of improving a website's visibility in the organic search results of search engines.

Optimizing a website for SEO involves addressing technical and content factors that can influence a site's ranking in search results.

Some of these factors include optimizing title and meta description tags, structuring URLs correctly, and implementing internal and external links.

Tools such as Google Lighthouse and GT Metrix can help identify SEO issues and provide recommendations for improving a website's visibility in search engines.

These tools provide valuable information on how to optimize site content and structure to improve ranking in search results.

 

Conclusions

Optimizing a website is essential to ensure a high-quality user experience, improve accessibility and increase search engine visibility.

By addressing performance, best practices, accessibility and SEO, website developers and owners can ensure that their site is designed to provide an optimal experience for all users while improving its ranking in search results.

Investing in site optimization will not only benefit visitors, but can also generate a significant return by increasing traffic and converting visitors into customers or subscribers.

If you are looking to effectively optimize your website and ensure an exceptional experience for your visitors, Link Digital is the perfect partner to help you achieve your goals.

With extensive experience in website optimization and a skilled team of professionals, Link Digital has a deep understanding of best practices and the latest trends in performance, accessibility and SEO.

By choosing Link Digital as your partner in the optimization of your website, you can be sure that you will receive a personalized and high quality service that will allow you to maximize visibility, traffic and conversion on your website. Don't wait any longer and start enjoying the benefits of an optimized website with the help of Link Digital.


Do you want to know how Link optimizes your website?

Let's talk!

Link |Digital Transformation (linkdigital.es)