For non-tech savvy website owners, the choice between a www or non-www website may seem unimportant. However, this little detail actually affects some aspects of a website, including its SEO.

Some would think that this part isn’t really crucial when creating a website. A WWW website is the traditional setup while a non-WWW address offers a shorter URL.

Just like anything under the sun, both of these options have its upsides and downsides.

The traditional WWW website

Ever since the internet began, WWW is used on all domains. Also, people associate WWW to a website URL. Still, it’s not the main reason why website owners opt for a WWW address.

This choice is related to cookie settings, sub-domains, and other things that may affect the ranking of a website. To make it clearer, here are the pros and cons:

Pros

• Passing cookies to subdomains. If you have a background about site cookies, you’ll know that it’s passed in a hierarchical manner. For example, if you set cookies on your website www.example.com, the cookies will be passed on the subdomains: great.www.example.com and so on.
• Flexible sub-domains. In terms of DNS, subdomains are more flexible if you have a WWW website. If you don’t have a WWW URL, it would be difficult to come up with a CNAME without messing up the Mail and FTP.

Cons

• A bit ancient. It’s not that WWW is a bad thing but it’s already an old choice. Sure enough, it has great perks but some websites can live without it.

Understanding the non-WWW website

First of all, omitting the WWW on your website address means you’ll have a shorter URL. It’s easier to recall and direct searches would be effortless. Instead of typing www.example.com, you can now truncate it to example.com.

The fact that it’s easier to spell, remember, and type makes it an attractive choice for modern websites. Still, there are some disadvantages to it.

Pros

• Best if you don’t need cookies. Some websites don’t need cookies which make WWW addresses disposable. You can also save some bandwidth if you opt for the non-WWW address.
• Better ranking. There has been a correlation that a shorter domain equates to better ranking on search results. As much as this isn’t conclusive, websites can benefit from the potential.

Cons

• You can’t restrict cookies. If you opt for a non-WWW address, you can’t restrict the cookies from being passed on to the subdomains. Nevertheless, most websites and blogs will host their content on the same domain which makes it less of an issue.
• CDN integration needs a lot of work. For those planning to use a content delivery network, it would be challenging to do so in a non-WWW domain. Setting a CNAME in this condition will affect the Mail and FTP which you’ll have to fix.

In the end, both the WWW and non-WWW addresses are beneficial for various applications. As advancements on the web continue, we may soon kiss WWW goodbye. Still, only time knows. But before you choose, make sure that it suits your website’s goals.  

Search engine optimization encompasses every single industry. From startups, retail stores, and corporations, there’s a constant need to improve a business’ online presence. And this year, the same is still true for all businesses.

But do you really need SEO? For a business that’s a far-cry from tech, it might be a little doubtful if they still need such optimization. But as the internet takes sales by storm, there’s no doubt that practicing ideal SEO strategies is never dead for business owners.

Here’s why SEO is still important for your business:

1.    SEO is directly connected to your sales funnel

A sales funnel is targeted to hook a visitor to the possibility of availing your service or product. But before it happens, that person has to find your website first.

And how would you do it? Search engine optimization. The higher you rank on SERPs, the more clicks and conversion you’ll get.

2.    SEO helps you engage your audience

Ranking at the top of the SERPs imbibes trustworthiness for internet users. True enough, by doing so you surely earned the nod of various search engines.

But aside from reaching the top, SEO is also about sending the right message to your audience. That way, they stay connected to your website.  

3.    SEO gives you the exposure you need

All businesses need exposure to increase their sales. Using optimal SEO strategies and awesome content, you’ll gain the spotlight.

However, this isn’t an easy process and you need an expert to conduct it for you. By targeting the right audience, your business will experience a drastic increase in conversion.

4.    SEO is better than PPCs

As much as SEO and PPC may cost the same, the lasting effect is the determiner. PPC only last for a certain period while SEO will give you lasting effects. Your effort will run for months even after you’ve paid the SEO expert for its service.

5.    SEO pulls in organic traffic

If done right, SEO can pull in traffic to your website by as much as 300% more than social media sites. Also, the moment you rank on top of SERPs, you are guaranteed clicks from thousands of visitors. With high traffic, you can expect better conversion rates.

6.    SEO is in the works 24/7

Unlike PPCs that have expiration periods, SEO works 24/7. Even when you sleep, eat, or daydream, optimal SEO will keep your site on top of the search results.

Your website is open all the time and ready to take in orders or new subscribers.

7.    SEO increases your ROI

For marketers, SEO is proven to yield higher ROI than other paid methods. By optimizing your site for search, it will become a magnet for sales and new patrons.

You should make sure that you target the keywords your customers are searching for. That way, you can lead them directly to your sales funnel.

Regardless if you’re running a startup or a large company, SEO can make a difference in your revenue. But remember that SEO is a long-term strategy that requires consistency and the right techniques.

SEO is a multi-faceted method. It’s also ever-changing which requires constant upgrades and knowledge of the latest algorithms. Failing is somewhat inevitable, but you can reduce the blow if you know some pitfalls you may encounter this 2019.

A mistake often goes unnoticed in SEO. Only when the results are obvious that the website owner will recognize that’s something is wrong. Some are easy to fix while others will need the help of the experts.

To give you an idea, here are some of the common mistakes you might commit to your SEO:

1.    You publish ‘thin’ content

Just imagine your pages as a sandwich spread. The thinner the filling gets, the blander the taste will be. But if you’ll concentrate the spread in the middle, it will be tastier and fulfilling to eat.

Thin content is a prevalent issue among big websites. For the sake of producing content, poor pages are published. In this case, Google crawlers perceive the poorly constructed page as thin content. This is bad news for your SEO.

2.    You let broken links linger

You should fix broken pages as soon as possible, especially if there are backlinks pointing to it. These 404/401 pages aren’t healthy for the internet and it’s also not a good thing for your website.

If we’re going to talk the language of the web, a page is non-existent until another page links to it. But if Google crawls this page and finds out it’s directing to a broken page, it will piss the crawlers. Search engines don’t like wasting their resources and time.

3.    You use poor keywords

The problem with keyword search and usage nowadays is that many marketers don’t really understand what competition is. The use of keywords should be based on your domain authority.

For example, if your domain authority is less than 30, experts recommend that you target keywords with monthly searches fewer than 100. You have to learn the basics before taking the ranks of bigger websites.

The rule of thumb: always target low competition keywords and start from there.

4.    There are duplicate content on your site

Somewhat related to thin content, duplicate content is usually a way of website owners to optimize the same keyword for multiple pages. However, this will also lead to keyword cannibalization which isn’t something Google wants.

Duplicate content won’t just affect certain pages. It can also jeopardize your entire site if you keep using it as a way to over-optimize certain phrases.

The solution? Take time to write fresh content with different keywords.

5.    You make things complicated

Most SEO newbies would over-complicate their efforts with the hope that they can gain organic traffic in the least possible time. But remember that Google can spot a forced way to gain its ranking favor.

Let’s take this example: your poorly constructed website gets 150 backlinks in just five months. For such a small and thin site, that number of backlinks can raise an eyebrow.

Remember, backlinks aren’t the only way to get traffic. You have to focus on the bigger picture and improve the quality of the content your site offers. One by one, test your SEO strategies and work your way from there.

Search engine optimization is an ever-changing field. What worked two years ago won’t be the best methods today. And with 2019 rolling in, you have to ensure that your top spot on the SERPs remains solid.

It’s a fact that the top result will get more exposure, clicks, and conversions. So when it comes to optimizing your website, you need to use the latest techniques on your sleeves.

SEO can become confusing and a pain to do. But if you want to earn the coveted spot in the search results, consider these five strategies this 2019:

1. Focus on making your site mobile-friendly

Last year, Google rolled out its mobile-first indexing algorithm. What does this mean? It means that their crawlers will give more ranking favor to sites that are optimized for mobile.

Mobile compatibility also increases conversions due to the improved user experience. With more and more internet users opting for mobile devices, a mobile-friendly website has a lot of perks.

You can choose a separate mobile website, a responsive design, or an adaptive design. All of these come with a few pros and cons.

1. Don’t forget the image type

Humans are visual beings which is why images are timeless elements in ranking a website. About 28% of SERPs contain images due to the fact that internet users want more elements that they can see.

However, you should pay attention to the image type you’re using. Basically, you have three options: JPEG, PNG, and GIF.

JPEG is the most common and widely used format since it’s compatible across all devices. Meanwhile, PNG is a little bit on the newer side which means there could be compatibility issues on the side of the users.

Lastly, the GIF format has become a craze. Still, it’s a bit limited on the colors and size.

1. Speed is the name of the game

Time and again, website speed dictates whether a visitor will stay or close the tab. And in 2018, Google has finally recognized website speed as a ranking factor.

You can create Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to make sure that you have an edge on mobile speed. Also, Google crawlers like the use of AMP since it speeds up the delivery of content to the visitors of your site.

1. Consider hreflang implementation

If your website is designed to be accessed in multiple languages, you have to exploit hreflang implementation. Some think that this is redundant, but there might times that Google crawlers may find it hard to sort your pages.

With hreflang tags, your website adjusts its preferences based on the location and language from where it’s accessed. It’s crucial to display accurate content for your international audience.

1. Pay attention to your XML sitemap

Creating an XML sitemap isn’t a hard task. Also, submitting it to Google makes it easier for the search engine to crawl your pages. A plugin in WordPress lets you generate a downloadable XML sitemap.

When creating a sitemap, don’t include pages you’ve blocked with the robot.txt file. In the case of very large websites, you should include your best pages that are well-ranked and well-constructed.

These are just some of the crucial strategies that you should apply on your website. SEO algorithms are constantly changing. But if you know how to keep up, optimizing your site should be easier.

Almost every company would have a blog nowadays. Besides, it’s an SEO staple and an ideal way to optimize profitable keywords.

However, not all website owners understand the full potential of blogging. For some, it’s just about writing content, packing it with the best keywords, and hitting the publish button.

But in the bigger picture, there’s more to it than merely mere page copies.

If you want to use your blog as a powerful SEO tool, here are some of the tips you can follow:

1. Write for a specific audience

When you write your blog posts, target a specific segment of your audience. This way, each of your posts will be valuable across your readers.

If you’re selling a specific service, say finance planning, you can write separate posts targeting companies and individual clients.  

Make sure that you use keywords that your readers are likely to search for. At all cost, offer content that has solutions and not just pure sales copy.

1. Come up with an awesome blog name

Yes, you have a blog, but it doesn’t have to be named as plain as “Blog”. Come up with a creative name to tickle the interest of your readers.

If you’re not a fan of witty blog names, you can simply use your keywords. For example, if you have a business website for your appliance repair shop, you can name your blog as The Appliance Expert Blog

You can include the keyword on the page title of your blog. This way, you can pull in more traffic.

1. Optimize your content

If you have a blog for some years now, you can repurpose your content to boost your SEO. You can extend the content and look for additional on-page strategies you can implement.

Make sure that you add internal links on your blog posts to spread the authority of your high-performing pages.

Also, you can review the title tags and description of your posts to ensure that your keywords are well-optimized.

1. Fix your URL structure

As much as possible, your blog posts should be easy to find. But what if your blog page’s URL is too long to fit on the address bar?

The rule of thumb is to make the URLs of your posts descriptive, short, and simple. You can also use your keywords for added optimization.

Spare the conjunctions, linking verbs, and prepositions. Remember, Google loves short addresses and it also has a correlation to a website’s ranking.

1. Use images and videos

Aside from your great content, you should also add videos and images related to your topic. Humans are visual beings and their attention spans are too short for plain text.

You can create a video about your content so the readers will have an option to watch it instead of skimming through the long text. Also, images can be infographics that will add a sparkle to your page copy.

Lastly, make sure that you place necessary alt tags on your multimedia content.

As you see, a website’s blog is a powerful SEO tool. If you do it right, the blog will yield better SEO results in no time.