Google has clarified their most recently updated Google webmaster guidelines put out at the beginning of the year.  Previously there was a lot of “do this…but don’t do that”, so we’re happy to give you a quick the run-down on a few of these line items.

Valid HTML

Google specifically mentions valid HTML and links to the W3 validator.  In short - Google is telling us that broken HTML makes it harder for them to understand a page.  As more and more pages add more mete data, it’s important to write easily parsed HTML.

Page Title Clarification

Titles are important for SEO and ranking factor, however spending time reworking titles might not be the best use of your time.  Even if titles are important, you also need a good design, and site structure.

Short URLs

A short URL compared to a long URL with the same content is likely to be picked for first.  Google will also crawl URLs in the order of length.

A few others to keep on the “to-do” list for early 2016:

HTTPS

Making the move from HTTP to HTTPS ensures your site to be safe.  This is simply a good practice for communication on the web between the user and your website.

Mobile Friendly

Google has warned that mobile-friendly sites will take ranking precedence.  You’re able to test your site easily with this mobile friendly testing tool.

Accessibility

The most important content for your site should be visible by default.  Creating specific (descriptive) title tags for your pages.  Likely, this is aimed at people using plugins or software adding alt attributes to images.

Just to Recap

Google is going to continuously change their guidelines to focus more on the benefit of the user.  By focusing on some of these points, you’ll be able to decide which you should spend the most time on.

Too Busy? Don't Care? You Should! Hire Us!

Are you too busy? This this too much to take on? Don't care? We live and breathe search optimization and would love to help. To talk more about the most recent Google webmaster guidelines, and how we can help you sift your way through them, contact us!