When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), few websites get as bad of a rap as single-page websites. For many people, there can be concerns about whether Google can even find single-page websites.
If you need evidence of how much disdain there is for single-page websites, then look at the article entitled “Five Reasons Why a One-Page Website Could Hurt Your Business.” There is a common belief that single-page websites are not shareable or findable, though this is not entirely true.
Consider how the single-page website whatisrss.com ranks number one for “what is RSS?” All that said, many people still have valid reasons for not wanting to do SEO on single-page websites, and they can definitely be a little more difficult to rank and optimize for search.
While single-page websites can be a little more difficult to optimize, they are not impossible to optimize. People just need to be open to a new way of thinking with a bit more creativity than standard SEO task lists that people might deploy for bigger websites.
We will present you with a few SEO tips for single-page websites that you can use to increase the likelihood of your own website ranking better and attracting more traffic.
Emphasize Link Building
Link building is important for all websites, and it will be especially critical for smaller websites that do not have an abundance of content. Since the typical on-page optimization could be limited, a person will need to rely even more on links to drive rankings and traffic.
The main advantage here can be time, as people can take the time they would normally invest in blog posts and page content to build relationships that may eventually earn them backlinks.
There is no shortage of articles about different ways to earn backlinks, but now is your time to actually go and try a few of the not-as-well-known tactics. Such tactics could include unlinked brand mentions, 404 link building, and earning backlinks in real life.
People can also add social media buttons that allow visitors to easily share content on their website.
Content Matters
We have all heard, for most of our internet lives, that content is king, and nothing has changed much in that regard. All websites hoping to rank higher will have to improve the quality of their content.
Many websites can attract links simply by being unique. A good example here can be the website Staggering Beauty, which earned 3,671 links from 775 root domains.
This does not mean that you have to get crazy and do something unrelated to your business. However, people can be drawn to things they have not seen before, so you want your content to be worth linking to and outstanding enough to share.
You should not sacrifice readability for SEO. If you neglect the coherence of your content, it will negatively impact your rankings. Delivering quality content relevant to your audience, however, will mean that organic traffic can increase naturally.
You also need to remember that Google favors websites that stay up to date, so you want to update your content regularly to keep it fresh. You could focus on a weekly news section that is updated regularly, or update your portfolio by replacing older user product reviews with newer ones.
The Importance of Keywords
Keyword research always needs to be as thorough as possible. Companies need to know exactly which keywords will deliver the best results and where to place them within their limited space.
You will probably have to pick and choose the best keywords since you may not be able to use them all. This can mean that you have to make some tough choices about what to leave out, but you have to invest extra time in your research.
A good example here is Wood Shed Production, a website clearly optimized for keywords. When you scroll down, you can see the company name mentioned often, as well as all sorts of woodworking-related keywords and local mentions of the towns they are in.
Single-page websites do not require only one H1 rule. Multiple H1 tags can create more opportunities to optimize keywords, and on sites like these, they indicate content separation.
Break Your Content into Sections
Even a single-page website still requires some structure to present its content clearly and compellingly. This means that when a person is designing a single-page website for a business, they can replicate the format of a traditional website by organizing their content by industry standards such as home, products, and contact.
The best way to do this is to use DIVs and anchor links often. Consider that WebFX’s favorite local coffee shop, Little Amps, has a single-page website that relies on anchor links and separate sections to divide up its content.
The navigation at the top of the Little Amps webpage allows people to “jump” to different sections. Each section is given a DIV with an ID:
<div id =”Our-Work”>
Then you simply link to it:
<a href=”# our-work”> Our Work </a>
When you are linking to a section of your website from another website, your HTML would look like this:
<a href=”http:// www.trionndesign.com/#our-work “>Our Work</a>
Optimize each DIV ID for usability and keyword SEO, selecting the most relevant keywords for each section. This can help organize your content and make it easier for visitors and search spiders to navigate your website.
It can also help you direct visitors to specific portions of your webpage from other sites.
Invest in Google Analytics
People should do this for all their websites, but they will need to pay even closer attention to a single-page website. With larger sites, pages that are not performing well still allow people to get traffic from other websites.
With a smaller website, it is critical that a person dig into their analytics and use the data to make changes. Doing SEO for single-page websites is not impossible, but it requires extra work and a different way of thinking.
Many of the same issues that people can get away with missing on their bigger websites may be huge misses on smaller websites, so people need to make sure they get the little things right. SEO for a single-page website requires a lot more focus and creativity.
When you are looking for further inspiration and SEO ideas for a single-page site, check out One Page Love and their enormous gallery of single-page websites.
Find an SEO Company in Houston, TX | SERP Matrix
If you need any kind of SEO help in Houston or a surrounding area of Texas, get in touch with SERP Matrix today. Our representatives are ready and willing to do whatever we can to make a real difference for you.
You can set up a free consultation by calling (713) 287-1134 or contacting us online. Either way, our team will get in touch with you and arrange for a discussion about your project.