3 website issues that are bringing down your SEO and user experience

Most B2B marketers have a long wish list of things they would like to improve on their website. Prioritizing that list can be difficult. Here are three issues that you should review and take action on now. 

While at first glance they may seem like primarily technical issues, fixing them will improve not only the user experience but will also have a positive impact on your SEO.  

1. Adobe Flash

There are still plenty of B2B websites that are using Flash, probably because the site was built more than seven years ago when it was the go-to software that enabled websites to be more animated. But its use and support by browsers and devices has been waning. Adobe announced in late July that it will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020. In the same announcement, it also encouraged content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to new open formats like HTML5. While Adobe has given a generous timeline, there are strong reasons why you should migrate away from Flash as soon as possible.

  • Lack of browser and device support. The majority of mobile devices have not supported Flash for several years. Google Chrome has made Flash a click-to-play plugin and will only work if a visitor to your site gives permission to run it. Apple has not included Flash on Mac systems since 2010, and the default browser Safari requires explicit approval on each website even when Mac users opt to install Flash.
  • Security. Flash has long been a target for hackers, and there are many large companies that have corporate IT policies that prohibit and block employees from using it. This presents a major issue for B2B websites targeting corporate audiences.

2. Site errors

It is not uncommon for a large website to have errors. This can be a result of taking down a page or changing the URL without redirecting it. Make time on a regular basis to do a technical audit of your site to ensure that you are not only catching the errors but fixing them.

Install a free tool like Google Search Console on your website. This will help you monitor broken links, find server errors and receive important notifications on the overall health of your website.

Less errors mean a better user experience and potential improvements in your SEO.

3. Slow load times

Speed is important. Your visitors most likely do not have the time or patience to wait even five seconds for a page to load. Slow load times lead to high abandonment rates and they can also have a negative impact on your search rankings. Google has made it clear that speed is one of the contributing factors in their algorithm.

Don’t make an assumption on the speed; use a free tool like Pingdom or Google’s PageSpeed Tool to test the speed of your site. Both tools will provide a benchmark score against industry standards and provide recommendations on what and how to fix any issues causing a problem with load times.

Ensuring your website is fast, error-free and using modern technology will provide your visitors with a better experience and give you a boost in the rankings.

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