Your homepage has a lot of important functions. It is a welcome page to your website and business, plus it is a guide and navigational tool for the content on your site. It also helps build trust and authority, and you can use it to highlight special offers and key messages. What about SEO?
Your homepage plays an important role in the overall optimisation of your website for Google and other search engines. Therefore, homepage SEO is crucial.
Ranking for Your Company Name
It is usually straightforward to rank for your brand name. The exception to this rule is if your company name is a commonly used search term. You will find it more difficult in these circumstances, so you will probably need the help of an experienced SEO company in Auckland.
Homepage SEO Tips
There are a number of SEO steps you can take to optimise the homepage on your website. Here are 12 of the most important.
1. Target Keywords
Identify a small list of keywords to target on your homepage in addition to your company name. The list should include the keywords that best describe what you do or offer.
2. Page Title
To optimise the page title of your homepage, focus on your brand or company name first. You should then include the keywords that are most relevant to your products or service.
Make sure it is user-friendly and readable, though, and is not just written for Google.
3. H1 Tag
To optimise the H1 tag on your homepage, follow these tips:
- Make sure there is only one H1 tag
- Include the most important keywords
- Make sure it is descriptive
- Include your target location
4. Image Alt Tags
Including image alt tags is important for SEO generally as well as for your homepage. Making the image alt descriptive is essential and you should include keywords where possible.
For your homepage specifically, make sure you add an image alt tag to your logo. You should also have a descriptive filename for your logo, i.e. YourCompany-Logo.png
5. Text
There are many people who believe the best homepages have minimal text. The thought process is that people don’t want to read lots of text, so it is better to keep your homepage clean.
However, a skilled SEO company in Auckland will be able to make your homepage text-rich with relevant keywords while still keeping the page clean and uncluttered. This will help with your SEO effort.
Adding text that explains what your business does is essential.
6. Usability Features
Common usability features are important for the SEO of your home page. This includes best practice usability features like a logo and an easy to use menu so visitors can find what they are looking for. Quick links to your contact and products/services pages are also helpful.
7. CTAs
Strong CTAs will help prevent bounce rate and will improve the user experience as a CTA can help visitors to your website find the answer to their query or a solution to their needs.
8. Meta Description
Your homepage should have a strong meta description that includes your main target keywords. Crucially, make sure this isn’t then the meta description that is used on all other pages of your website. Each page should have a unique meta description.
9. Internal Links
Your homepage should have a focused link strategy to the most important sections of your website. This helps users find what they are looking for and it helps SEO.
10. Social Proof
Building trust with visitors to your website is an important part of SEO. Adding social proof will help with this. Examples include testimonials, case studies, and memberships of recognised organisations.
11. Speed
Website homepages can have a lot of media-rich content that can slow them down. As page load speed is an important part of SEO, make sure your homepage is optimised to make it as fast as possible.
12. Responsive Design
The homepage of your website should look great on all devices, including mobiles. So, it should have a responsive design.
Getting the Most from Your Homepage
Your homepage is not the only page you want to rank in Google. That said, getting it to as high a position as possible for keywords that are important to your business will help you achieve your goals.
