Optimizing Your Website to Navigate Uncertainty In the Digital Landscape

In case you’ve missed the last few major marketing headlines: Google’s been having a rough time. And the fallout could have a drastic impact on businesses around the country—and the rest of the world. 

Most recently, Google was determined to be a monopoly, which is never a good thing outside of family game night. (And this comes on the heels of a major leak that revealed 2,000 pages of the company’s inner workings). 

The monopoly determination could lead to costly lawsuits, breaking up the company’s business units, and other major changes that shrink Google’s market share. 

And it could be a huge deal for businesses like yours.

For many of the websites we monitor, their two biggest traffic sources are:

• Direct (essentially, when someone types in your URL to visit your site)
• Organic (when someone finds your website through a search engine—almost always Google)

Suddenly losing such a major traffic source could have a huge impact on businesses everywhere.

To illustrate, imagine suddenly losing 40% of your web traffic. That could translate into 40% fewer website-generated phone calls, emails, and chats. 

That’s 40% fewer sales from your website. All because Google got too big. 

Can you afford to take a financial hit like that?

How to Improve Site Health (Even In A World Without Google)

At RedTree, we used to say your website was the face of your business. 

But that’s not enough anymore. 

It’s the heart. 

And if you want really great results from your site, you have to treat it like your own body. 

Here’s what to focus on:

1. Sleep – In real life, you want good sleep so your body and mind can rest and restore itself. In the digital landscape, this is the equivalent of actually spending time with your site. 

Focus on making those improvements you’ve been putting off and remember that a website is an ever-evolving asset, not a static tool. 

For ideas on getting started, check out the most common web development challenges and solutions.

2. Eat Well – At mealtime, you focus on getting healthy proteins, plenty of greens, and good hydration. In the digital world, it’s a little like checking in on your website’s diet of users. 

Are those users engaged? Are they visiting your most important pages? Are they leaving the site before they convert? 

Pay attention to your user behavior—and optimize your site to help them take your desired actions. 

3. Exercise – Regular exercise is critical for heart health. 

In the website world, regular exercise is a little like regularly checking in on your technical configurations by asking questions like:

• Are your plug-ins updated?
• Does your site load quickly?
• Are your schemas accurate?
• Can users reach every page you’ve built?

4. Build Community – Having a healthy social life is essential for reducing stress levels and boosting mood (important factors in maintaining a strong heart). 

On your website, focus on building community by collecting contact information. In a world where you could lose a huge chunk of traffic, make the most of every visit by gathering email addresses and phone numbers. 

If a user doesn’t convert on your site, you can continue to nurture them as a lead through alternative communication channels! 

For even more strategies on building communities and nurturing site visits, check out our strategies for improving user experience. 

Thinking Beyond Search And Your Website

There’s no telling what will happen over the coming months and years with Google. Some possibilities:

• Google loses a large portion of its market share, allowing search engines like Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo to grow substantially. 
• Google’s AI Overview results become more popular, meaning becoming one of the AI’s three cited sources becomes even more important for maintaining search traffic to your website. 
• Google’s advertising tools become less popular and powerful, meaning you could find less costly alternative channels for web traffic. 

No matter what happens, make sure you’re ready. 

Find Additional Website Support

Your web agency should have strategies for navigating such a major transitioning in the digital landscape. Lean on their expertise. 

If you’re not sure if your agency is the right fit for you, check our guide on what to look for in a web design agency.
Or, even better, contact us. We’ll make sure you receive the support you need.