15 More smart website tweaks (#10)

Optimise for AI, choose a theme that speaks clearly to AI

Your theme does more than just the looks; it also affects how search engines and AI understand your website. To help AI read your content easily, choose a theme with clean, simple HTML. Look for tags like <article> and <main> and make sure to use clear headings. Avoid themes filled with too many <div> tags or those built with complicated page builders, as this “div soup” makes it hard for AI to figure out what’s important. Select a theme that loads quickly, uses straightforward code, and helps your content stand out.

What's your visitor's first impression?

When people visit your website, they quickly form an opinion. This happens before they click, scroll, or read anything. Their impression is mainly based on how your site looks and feels. So here’s the question: What word do you want popping into their head in that moment? Trust? Clarity? Expertise? Something else? Whatever it is, design and content should work together to create that impression right away. Make sure your homepage clearly shows the feeling you want your visitors to experience.

Don't waste your meta description

Your meta description is important. It shouldn’t just repeat the first sentence of your page. This is your chance to stand out in search results, so make it count. Write something clear, relevant, and compelling. Use a variation of your keyword, not just a copy of your page title. If it makes sense, include a call to action. Think about what your audience wants and speak directly to that. A strong meta description can increase clicks, enhance engagement, and improve your page’s performance.

Use internal links to strengthen your website

Internal links are one of the simplest ways to improve your website, but a lot of people forget about them. Linking between your own pages helps visitors move around more easily, which makes for a better user experience. It also spreads link equity, or SEO power, across your website, helping more pages rank better in search results. When you link with purpose, using relevant anchor text, you increase the relevance and authority of the linked pages. It’s easy, it’s free, and it works. Add internal links wherever they make sense.

Use external links to add value and build trust

External links aren’t just for footnotes, they play a big role in how your content performs. Linking out to high-quality, relevant websites shows Google how your content fits into the wider web. It helps search engines understand what your page is about and builds trust. Linking to helpful resources also adds value for your readers. It helps them learn more and positions you as a useful guide. Consider the human aspect as well. Linking to others can help build relationships, open doors, and even lead to backlinks in return.

Keep your NAP consistent for better local SEO

To do well in local search and appear on Google Maps, your NAP—name, address, and phone number—must be the same everywhere. This includes your website footer, contact page, social media profiles, local directories, and any other places your business is listed. Even small differences (like “Street” vs “St.”) can confuse Google and hurt your rankings. Choose a format and stick to it. Consistency builds trust with search engines and helps more local customers find you.

Complete your social media profiles

This one sounds basic, but many businesses overlook it. If you want to improve your SEO or grow your business online, you need strong social media profiles. Don’t just create empty accounts. Make sure they are fully filled out, up to date, and match your website. Start with the big ones: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. Then add any industry-specific platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Houzz—wherever your audience is looking. Make sure your business information is consistent across all platforms. It builds trust, helps with local SEO, and makes your business easier to find.

Use video to boost engagement and sales

Video has become a big part of smart content strategies, and for good reason. People are more likely to watch than read. A well-placed video can double your conversion rate, increase the time visitors spend on your website, and provide them with a clearer understanding of what you offer. Use video to explain your products, showcase your services, or share your brand story. It adds energy, builds trust, and keeps people interested. Now is the time to start making videos.

Understand how Google views content freshness

Fresh content means more than just changing a few words or updating a date. Google looks at multiple signals to decide whether your content is still relevant.

Here’s what really matters:

• Content freshness: Is your information up to date?
• Rate of change: Are you updating regularly or just once in a while?
• User engagement: If clicks, time on page, or shares are dropping, Google may see your content as stale.
• Link freshness: Are new sites still linking to your content over time?

To stay relevant, keep improving your pages. Not just for search engines, but also for your readers.

Make your website faster to rank better and keep visitors

Google ranks websites based on over 200 factors, and loading speed is one of the key ones. If your site takes too long to load, people will leave before they even see your content. That’s bad for user experience and bad for SEO. Aim for a loading time between 2 and 5 seconds. Every extra second after that increases your bounce rate and lowers the chances of someone sticking around. Want better rankings and happier visitors? Focus on speed.

Submit your website to Google (especially if it's new)

You don’t have to submit your website to Google; usually, their bots will find it. But if your site is brand new, submitting it can speed things up.
Google discovers new sites by following links from other websites. If your website is already linked somewhere online, it will likely get crawled and indexed over time. But why wait? Submitting your site directly to Google Search Console is quick and easy, and it can be the fastest way to get indexed.

Make the most of your Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile is one of the most powerful tools you have for local visibility. It can often attract more customers than your website. When someone searches for your business or related services, your Google Business Profile listing can show up right in the search results or on Google Maps. Make sure your profile is fully filled out: correct name, address, and phone number, business hours, services, photos, and a clear description. Collect reviews and respond to them regularly. This isn’t just another listing. It’s your chance to show up front and centre when it matters most.

Keep your redirects live for at least a year

When you change URLs, don’t be quick to remove the redirects. Google’s John Mueller recommends keeping 301 redirects live for at least a year. Why? Because it takes time for Google to crawl, process, and reprocess them. In fact, many redirects are left in place for several years, and that’s perfectly fine. Removing them too soon can hurt your SEO and confuse both users and search engines. So when you update URLs, think long-term. Set the redirect and leave it alone.

Double down on long-form content

Long articles won’t automatically get you backlinks, but they do increase your chances. When BuzzSumo analysed over 900 million blog posts, they found that long-form content earns 77% more links than shorter posts. That’s a big difference. Longer pages give you more space to explain, add value, and cover topics in depth. This makes them more useful and increases the likelihood of them being shared or linked to. To boost your visibility and authority, invest in high-quality, in-depth content. It works.

Optimise more than just keywords

Getting your content to rank well isn’t just about keywords. To really succeed, you need to focus on the overall experience.

That means:

• User experience – Is your page easy to read, navigate, and use?
• Search intent – Are you answering what people are actually searching for?
• Page speed – Is your site fast enough to keep people from leaving?
• Click-through rate (CTR) – Does your title and meta description make people want to click?

When you optimise for these four, your content is more helpful, more engaging, and more likely to rank higher in search results.