7 Technical Website Requirements
Welcome to the WMM podcast - today I am talking to you Mastering the Technical Aspects of Website Development providing you with a 7 point checklist.
Creating a new website involves more than just its aesthetics and content. While the look, feel, and overall customer journey are crucial, paying attention to the technical aspects ensures that your website runs smoothly and is easily discoverable by search engines. And I am not referring to SEO - that is a critical part to your online success however today we dive under the hood. Just like a mechanic checks your engine before a race, a technical website checklist ensures your site is well-prepared for the digital race. Using this checklist will ensure that your website is functional, easy to use, efficient and effective.
There are 7 Website Technical Requirements
Mobile Responsive Design:
A responsive website adapts its layout to fit various screen sizes, including mobile devices, tablets, laptops, and desktops. With the majority of internet users browsing on mobile devices, ensuring your website is mobile responsive is imperative for providing an optimal user experience and improving your site's ranking on search engines.
* SSL Certificate:
Securing your website with an SSL certificate is paramount for safeguarding user data and building trust with your audience. An SSL certificate encrypts the data transmitted between your web server and users' browsers, protecting sensitive information such as login credentials and payment details. Moreover, websites with SSL certificates are favored by search engines, resulting in better search rankings.
* Website Hosting Service:
Choosing the right website hosting service is crucial for the performance and reliability of your website. Look for a hosting provider that offers fast loading speeds, robust security measures, and reliable uptime. Additionally, ensure that the hosting service includes an SSL certificate in their package to provide a secure browsing experience for your visitors.
In short, a great website hosting service will excel at speed, security and reliability.
* Redirects:
If you're updating an existing website or changing URLs, setting up redirects is essential to maintain SEO rankings and ensure a seamless user experience.
For example, the current site or page may be
Original website: www.mywebsite.com/seo-services
However the new site or updated page URL will become:
Updated website: www.mywebsite.com/services/seo
* Redirects automatically forward users from the old URL to the new one, preventing them from encountering broken links or missing pages. This practice not only preserves your website's SEO authority but also prevents frustration for users trying to access outdated content.
* Create and Submit XML Sitemap:
An XML sitemap serves as a roadmap for search engines, guiding them to crawl and index all the important pages of your website. By creating and submitting an XML sitemap to search engines like Google, you can expedite the indexing process and improve your website's visibility in search results. Tools like Yoast can help you generate and submit your sitemap effortlessly.
* Browser Compatibility:
Ensure that your website displays and functions seamlessly across different web browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Conduct thorough testing to identify any compatibility issues and make necessary adjustments to ensure a consistent user experience across all browsers. Consistent performance across browsers is vital for reaching a wider audience and maximizing user engagement.
* Website Page Load Time:
Optimising your website's page load time is crucial for retaining visitors and improving search engine rankings. Slow-loading pages can lead to higher bounce rates and lower user satisfaction. To enhance page load speed, optimize images for web, minimize video content, and choose a hosting service optimized for speed and reliability. Additionally, consider implementing techniques like browser caching and content delivery networks (CDNs) to further improve performance.
CDN - content delivery network which is a network of interconnected servers that speed up webpage loading for data heavy applications.
Use the Website Technical Requirements Checklist I’ve taken you through today as a roadmap to ensure your website functions seamlessly from a technical perspective. Knowing you have these covered, you can then look at how you can get traffic or more traffic to your website through the use of SEO and other traffic generating initiatives.
