Wondering why your website traffic is poor, or why your website isn’t coming up in Google? This short list of 5 questions can help you start diagnosing if your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is up to snuff. Don’t know what the *bleep* SEO is? Read on! This list is for the non technical!

1. What are you searching for in Google that you aren’t coming up for?
   If you are a florist, what will your customers be searching for to find you? Chances are they might look up “florist shop in Nanaimo” or “flower delivery nanaimo” – if these phrases aren’t on your website in key places, you won’t rank for them. Starting with a good keyword list is key, then integrate those keywords into your website content.
2. Are your titles filled in correctly?
   Your page title is what shows up in the tab of your browser (screenshot below), as well as what Google will show as the link to your website in searches (second screenshot below). Make sure this title is filled in correctly, ideally with some of those keywords mentioned above. You should be able to do this in your website editor – if you don’t know how, ask your webmaster.
3. Are your descriptions filled in correctly? 
   Similar to your page title, you should make sure your website pages each have the description filled in. The description is the text content that Google shows below the link to your site (screenshot below). This description should also contain some of those keywords that we mentioned above.
4. Does your website load slowly or quickly?
   When you visit a website and it feels like it’s taking forever to load, what do you do? Most of us have pretty low patience online these days – chances are, you’ll hit the back button and move on to the next result. These bounces are a signal to Google that your website is not good for users, and the end result – they move your website lower in the list. There are tools you can use to test the speed of your website – Google’s Page Speed Insights is probably the most popular, but we really like GT Metrix. Give it a try and see how your website scores! Your website should really be loading in 5 seconds or less, as indicated on the GT Metrix results.
5. Does your website “convert” visitors?
   While this doesn’t affect your overall ranking, it’s important that your website is effective at converting the visitors that do arrive there. What do we mean by “converting” you ask? Well, that depends on the goal of your website, but for most businesses, a conversion is when a client reaches out and contacts you. Does your website currently encourage visitors to contact you? Is your phone number easy to find? Are contact forms or your email address easy to find and fill out? Does the website have a natural “flow” to it? All of these factors will help turn website visitors into leads! After all, what’s the point of your website if it doesn’t “convert!”