Inside Tips for the 2022 Website Owner

The new year comes with many practices and traditions. In the Philippines, it’s customary to wear polka dots on New Year’s Eve because round shapes are said to bring peace.

Meantime, the Danish smash plates against the fronts of their homes (the more shards, the greater the fortune in the new year.), while Greeks adorn their front doors with onions as a symbol of fertility. Though the traditions vary, the meaning of each is similar: welcome prosperity and start the new year afresh.

Similarly, website owners and creators have customs of their own to spruce up their sites in the new year. With these three expert tips, those wanting to build, revamp, or better secure their websites can effectively do so with greater peace of mind in 2022.

1. Upgrade Your Malware Software

Perhaps the most important tip in the new year is to review your website security for the purposes of malware removal. In 2021, nearly 1,300 sites were compromised by malware by the end of September alone. Malware refers to a range of hazardous software, such as viruses, adware, Trojans, worms, and ransomware. These hidden items can ambush and wreak havoc on the health of your site and computer.

Because of its severity, website malware removal is an integral part of website protection. In particular, malware removal tools provide technology that removes malware and suspicious code located on your site and also eliminates malware found in public source code. It’s your best bet for a safe, healthy website in 2022.

2. Improve and Optimize Speed

Obviously, webpage load speed is important. In fact, it’s so obvious that many owners overlook improving their site’s speed. The speed of a website affects all user aspects, from satisfaction to end revenue, and when someone visits a slow site, they often don’t stay long and seldom return. Since speed is critical to users, it’s also important for search engine optimization (SEO), which is why page load speed is factored into that ever-important SEO ranking.

In 2022, there’s no reason why someone should wait for more than a few seconds for the page content to load. In need of some tips to maximize page speed? For starters, be sure to use file compression and compress any content you can. Additionally, minify your code by removing all unnecessary characters like commas and dashes. Lastly, reduce the number of redirects your users encounter while on your site. These few steps can ensure your new visitors will become returning users.

3. Update Your Site’s Keywords

Upon building your first website, you likely conducted extensive keyword research to help navigate traffic to your URL. But in 2022, times and terms, they are a-changin’. Case in point: Merriam Webster added 520 new words to the dictionary just last year. In other words, it’s possible that the keywords you chose originally no longer effectively draw in your target audience.

This suggests that devoting time in the new year to checking your site’s main keywords is a worthwhile endeavor. One great resource is the Google Keyword Planner that helps you identify the most current and effective key terms for your content and audience.

This Year, Feel Confident in Optimizing and Securing Your Website

You may not need to wear polka dots or smash plates to host a safe and prosperous website in 2022. But by improving your site’s speed, updating your keyword choices, and upgrading your malware response efforts, you can feel confident about securing your business or personal website in 2022 and beyond.