Your SEO Spring Cleaning Checklist: Refreshing On-Site Optimisation

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May 24, 2024 / by
Your SEO Spring Cleaning Checklist: Refreshing On-Site Optimisation

Your SEO strategy should never sit still. Google is perpetually evolving and letting your site stagnate will often mean it lags behind those that are wise enough to take action and keep moving with the goalposts. Spring, as the season of rebirth and rejuvenation, is the ideal time to give your SEO strategy a little polish and sparkle.

Let’s explore how you can use the new season as an opportunity to enhance your online presence with minimal effort. Because spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore.

Improve Website Loading Speed

Why It Matters – The faster your site loads, the more likely Google will be to place it higher in rankings as site speed falls under the “quality” factor.  Users also increasingly expect quick page load times; a slow site can lead to high bounce rates as potential visitors feel frustrated waiting for sites they think are never going to load and go elsewhere.

What to Do – Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights or Semrush’s Website Checker to assess your site’s speed and act accordingly. If your site is particularly slow, chip away at it a little; optimize images, reduce file sizes, and eliminate any unnecessary third-party scripts that could be using up valuable data. If that doesn’t touch the sides, you might even want to consider moving to a different hosting provider.

Get Featured Snippets

Why It Matters – Featured snippets appear at the very top of search results, increasing visibility and acting as an ideal gateway into the rest of your site. Implementing a Snippet Bait strategy can help you secure these coveted spots.

What to Do – Identify keywords you already rank for and study existing featured snippets for those keywords. You can then create content based around those keywords specifically designed to fit within snippet boxes. Think clear and concise and ensure they are answering a question rather than asking one.

Enhance Dwell Time

Why It Matters – Dwell time (how long users spend on your site before going back to the search results page) impacts rankings, with more engaged visitors more likely not only to stick around longer but to convert from visitors into customers as well. The longer you can hold their attention, the better chance you’re going to have of not only plying your wares but ranking high.

What to Do – Quality, relevant content is always going to keep people hanging around longer. Focus on removing older, less relevant content and buffing up what can be buffed up so that it feels more relevant to your audience and provides genuinely valuable information. You can also optimise meta descriptions to encourage clicks.

Optimise Old Content

Why It Matters – Existing content can be a goldmine for SEO if you’re willing to give it a little spit shine. Old posts can be edited to feel more current or given a little edit to make them evergreen.

What to Do – Review old blog posts and pages and pinpoint areas in them that no longer feel relevant. Update information where possible, add relevant keywords, and improve readability. You could also spruce up your internal linking while you’re at it too, not only to improve site navigation but to give the Google crawlers something to find and rank!

Check Mobile-Friendliness

Why It Matters – The majority of internet use today is via mobile, so it makes sense to focus first on ensuring your site looks and acts its best on a smartphone. Google has made clear that it indexes sites now on a mobile-first basis so whether you agree with it or not, it’s in your best interests.

What to Do – Test your site’s mobile responsiveness first and foremost and ensure all images, text and videos are optimised for mobile devices. You should also ensure core web vitals (such as loading speed) meet Google’s mobile standards.

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