Guide: Optimize your website, rank on Google, convince visitors

Optimize your website: 10 quick wins

1. Revise home page: Clear message, clear offer, visible call-to-action, no long presentation of the company
2. Optimize images: Replace unnecessarily large files, use WebP
3. Maintain meta data: Give each page a meaningful title & description
4. Streamline navigation: Hide or combine unimportant menu items
5. Strengthen internal linking: Connect main pages with each other in a targeted manner
6. Shorten forms: Show only necessary fields, test the technical function
7. Enable HTTPS: If you haven't already done so, switch over immediately
8. Check mobile view: Test on real devices, not just in the desktop editor
9. Revise CTAs: Tailor visibility, language, placement to the user
10. Set up uptime & monitoring: Automatically check if your site is available

What does it mean to optimize a website?

Optimizing a website usually means that there are various negative symptoms that should be addressed. After optimization, the website should then serve the actual goal of the website more. That could be faster loading times, more visitors, more revenue, and other goals.

Whether a page looks good is secondary if it loads too slowly, isn't found, or no one knows where to click. So when we talk about optimizing a website, it can mean several things, even in combination:

1. Technique: The site is slow, partly outdated, etc. It should be stable, fast, secure and mobile-friendly again.
2. It's coming too few visitors on the website: The website should therefore be optimized for search engines in order to be easier to find there.
3. There may be visitors, but these Don't buy/book: In this case, conversion optimization is required, i.e. visitors should be more convinced of the purchase.

In many companies, the website was set up once and then not fundamentally questioned for a long time. Perhaps a text was adapted here and there or an image was exchanged. But the basis often comes from a time when requirements, target groups or technical standards were completely different.

Know or define the goal of website optimization

So before you start working on your website, you should clarify where this should lead in the first place. Because optimization is not an end in itself, but should help achieve specific goals.

For most companies, it involves one or more of these things:

• Resolve technical issues: The website loads slowly, links or forms lead nowhere.
• More visibility: better rankings on Google in order to be found at all
• More leads or inquiries: via contact forms, downloads or appointment bookings
• More trust: through a clear, professional appearance that shows your competence
• More turnover: for example in the shop or through targeted referrals to offers
• Better user experience: so that visitors find their way around and enjoy staying

These goals influence what you optimize and how. A company with stable Google visibility but poor conversion will want to optimize the website differently than one that barely has any visitors because it is not even noticed by search engines due to technical or content.

What does a website need to be powerful?

A good website loads quickly, is found on Google, guides users safely through the content and brings results. That is exactly what many existing pages lack.

It is not about rebuilding everything, but about starting where there is real impact. The most important factors are:

• Technical stability: The site must run securely, even on the go and with many visits.
• Charging time: Every unnecessary fraction of a second costs users and visibility.
• Structure & content: Anyone who doesn't immediately understand what it's about jumps off.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): Without visibility on search engines, there is no traffic. That's why Google, Bing and Co. need to understand your website.
• User Experience (UX) & Conversion: Orientation, trust and clear course of action determine whether visitors become customers.

These areas are intertwined. And that is exactly why there is little point in working only on optical design, for example. If you want to optimize your website, you need it first look at it as a whole and only then target the weak points. So first list the problems with your website and then proceed step by step.

Website optimization guide: identify, analyze, fix problems

Some website issues are closely related, so solving one will also fix the other. Conversely, this also means that a well-intentioned attempt at a solution with too little know-how will break more than it fixes. Therefore, only approach things that you are certain of being carried out. Call in help for everything else.

1. How can I optimize the loading time of my website?

The page loads noticeably sluggishly, especially on mobile devices or when the network is slightly worse. Users jump off before content is visible.

How do you recognize it:

• long load time of several seconds (mobile or desktop)
• Bad rating in Google PageSpeed Insights
• Core Web Vitals show slow interactivity or layout shifts
• High bounce rate on landing pages, particularly via mobile devices

What you should check and how:

• Image size and format: Open pages in the DevTools network analysis (Chrome → right click → “Explore” → “Network” tab) and view the loaded files.
• Number and size of scripts and style sheets: Also visible via DevTools.
• Server response time and caching: Test with tools such as PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or WebPageTest.
• Mobile charging time: Test mobile with WLAN disabled.

What you can do specifically:

• Reduce images to the appropriate size, convert to WebP, enable lazy loading
• Minify and bundle CSS and JS files, remove unnecessary scripts
• Enable browser caching and gzip compression on servers
• Check the hosting setup, switch to higher performance hosting if necessary
• Use CDN (Content Delivery Network) for global performance improvement

2. How can I optimize my website for search engines?

Your page doesn't appear in search results for important search terms, or just way back.

How do you recognize it:

• Hardly any visitors via Google even though content is available
• Pages aren't indexed or listed with warnings in Google Search Console
• Your content appears on Google under incorrect or irrelevant terms
• No visible entry for industry-typical search queries (“Attorney Basel”, “Webdesign KMU Zürich”)

What you should check and how:

• Indexing: Check in Google Search Console under “Pages.” Do important URLs appear there?
• Correct page title and meta descriptions: Analyze in source code or via Screaming Frog SEO Spider
• Keyword search: Search for your target terms on Google. Does your site even appear?
• Structure and hierarchy: Are headings clearly structured? Is there a useful page architecture?

What you can do specifically:

• Select only one topic (main keyword) per page, display it cleanly in H1, title, meta description and URL
• Avoid duplicate content, separate topics and set a clear internal link
• Add structured data to better explain content to search engines
• Revise content: become more specific, offer clear benefits instead of advertising promises, write specifically for the target group.
• Fix technical errors (redirects, 404 pages, noindex tags)

important: Search engine optimization (SEO) is a huge topic that now includes numerous individual job profiles. It is therefore impossible to give a general and concise answer as to why a website is doing poorly on Google or how to optimize a website for Google.

The solutions shown here are therefore intended as initial points of attack. If you find these symptoms on your side and can't fix them yourself, it's a good idea to get help.

Tip: Your website barely gets any visitors and your first check already shows more SEO problems than you would have thought? Get in touch with us and we can get started together Discuss solutions for your website.

3. How can I get more inquiries via my website?

There is regular traffic, but it quickly fizzles out. Visitors click a bit and then disappear without taking any action.

How do you recognize it:

• No or extremely low conversion value despite stable visitor numbers
• Forms are rarely sent
• Users even stay for a while but drop out, e.g. before taking the last step
• Show heat maps or session recordings: There is a lot of scrolling but little clicking

What you should check and how:

• CTAs visible and understandable? Open your site like someone who has never been there: Do you immediately see what you should do? Also test this with friends or test subjects.
• Short and technically stable forms? Test every form yourself (mobile and desktop), check load times after submission.
• Building trust: Are there customer testimonials, references, clear language?
• The offer is understandable? Read the homepage or landing page critically: Is it clear who this is for and what it's good for?

What you can do specifically:

• Make CTAs larger, more contrasting and more precise (e.g. “Get advice now”)
• Shorten forms, keep only really necessary fields, keep the threshold low
• Strengthen trust through customer logos, quotes, guarantees or clear language
• Detoxify content, away from empty phrases, towards value propositions
• Optimize the thank you page and follow-up processes (confirmation, email, next step)

4.Why does my website look so cluttered?

Your site no longer looks up to date, whether visually, structurally or functionally. Users don't seem comfortable or can't find what they're looking for.

How do you recognize it:

• Feedback such as: “I couldn't find my way around” or “It was kind of confusing”
• Very short length of stay despite thematically appropriate content
• Unclear start, the user doesn't immediately know what it's about
• Mobile display with moved elements, too small fonts, buttons that are difficult to click

What you should check and how:

• Visual hierarchy: What catches the eye first? Are there landmarks?
• Navigation logical and reduced? Analyze menu item structure: Are important topics easily accessible?
• Check mobile presentation: Try out different smartphones and tablets
• Design consistency: consistent fonts, colors, button styles?

What you can do specifically:

• Limit main navigation to max. 5—7 points, sort the hierarchy logically
• Revise fonts, colors, layout, mobile first thinking
• Use whitespace in a more targeted way: Let content work instead of push
• Make CTAs prominent and self-explanatory
• Optional: Define or revise the design system (for consistency in look)

What can you optimize about the website yourself?

Not every optimization requires an agency or a complete redesign. Some problems can be tackled by yourself with the right tools, a little time and effort.

What you can optimize yourself:

Loading times:

Optimize images, remove unnecessary plugins, process page speed reports. With some training, this is also possible without a developer.

SEO basics:

Formulate and store meta data cleanly, revise internal links, clearly structure content. A lot of this is editorial work.

Use tools for analysis:

With Google Search Console, Google PageSpeed Insights or Hotjar, you can identify vulnerabilities yourself and take initial measures.

Tip: We do not recommend that you always address any issue with a plugin. A number of promising plugins only unnecessarily inflate your site and often get in each other's way.
The desire to solve a difficult problem using such an abbreviation is more of a sign that a professional should look at the matter.

When a service provider should optimize your website:

If you don't have in-house expertise or capacity.

Technical optimizations, such as server configuration or a clean SEO setup, are prone to errors if you don't know exactly what you're doing. If done incorrectly, they also cause further, sometimes even more serious problems.

When it comes to major structural changes or design issues.

UX, UI, responsiveness or a new content architecture require a lot of experience and someone who also thinks the whole thing from a user's point of view.

If your site is technically out of date

Outdated CMS, missing security updates or error-prone templates are a clear case for a professional re-setup.

Tips for optimizing your site

Many website problems can be identified and resolved directly with a little bit of effort. The following tools, tips, and methods will help you get visible results quickly.

Website optimization tools

• Google PageSpeed Insights: checks loading times and technical weaknesses
• Google Search Console: shows you indexing problems, click numbers, rankings
• Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity: analyze user behavior on the page (scroll, clicks, exits)
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider: uncovers technical SEO issues
  
  

None of these tools automatically solve the problems for you. But they'll show you where you can start. With identified problems, you can also set the goal of your website optimization much more precisely.

Best practices for sustained website optimization

• Think from the user's perspective, not from an internal perspective. What is he looking for? What information should he find? How can he easily orient himself?
• Work with key figures, not from a gut feeling. Use the tools mentioned above to search for clues.
• Give changes time to take effect. The improvements in SEO in particular take a while to become visible.
• Document what you've changed. This makes it easier for you to undo steps if necessary or report your attempts to a service provider.

Involve freelancer or agency

If you can already narrow down the need for optimization of your website very well, a specialist or freelancer can often help you very well. This addresses the problem very deeply, such as targeted SEO optimization or technical optimization.

Make sure that the service provider already has references and has been rated well themselves. After all, you sometimes let him very deep into your website's system, which involves a great deal of responsibility.

Working with an agency is an option if you have uncovered a lot of construction sites or do not know exactly what is wrong with your website. Web design and programming agencies are usually set up in such a way that they have a specialist on their team or on hand for all problems that arise.

Is your website very outdated, has no chance with Google and has been a negative business for a long time? If you want a fresh start and want your website to be where many of our customers already are, we can help.

Axisbits creates high-end websites for start-ups, scale-ups, and SMEs. We provide you with open-hearted advice, we plan your project and implement it in full. Ongoing maintenance and subsequent updates are also in the right hands with us.

We offer you High-end web design for companies. You can find successful websites of our customers in our portfolio.

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