If some people are to be believed, you should rip up your Google Search strategy, put your website on the back burner, and put the money you save into other areas of marketing. But given the enormous monopoly that Google holds in the search industry and the amount of users who are chronically online, ignore these areas at your peril. That’s not to say search engines and websites aren’t evolving. In 2026, an optimized website looks very different to what it did ten years ago.
Below are four areas you should focus your efforts on if trying to optimize your website for Google and its users. Continue reading to learn more.
Also read: 10 Web Design Trends That Are Shaping Modern Websites
SEO
SEO is the process of optimizing your website for search engine algorithms, such as Google’s. Technically, this whole article is about optimizing for Google, but in the first section, we’ll cover the fundamental areas of traditional SEO. While the areas we’ll come to discuss can also be considered SEO factors, they cross over into areas such as UX, web development and web design.
The question you are ultimately asking when implementing SEO is: can Google find my website and does it view it favourably? This starts with indexing and crawling. It’s not enough to just have a good-looking website anymore; you also need to make sure it is both crawlable and indexable. Fortunately, Google provides advice around these topics on Google Search Central.
To help Google understand the structure of your website, have a clear hierarchy. Main pages should be listed in the main navigation bar; subpages may appear as a drop-down option within the nav. For example, the Snapfish website lists cards in the top nav. Hovering over this brings up different types of cards. This structure helps Google to understand that cards are the main page, while pages displaying birthday cards come next in the hierarchy.
Page titles and meta descriptions have long been a key part of an SEO campaign, but it’s outdated to just stuff keywords into your metadata. Instead, remember that you’re informing Google about what is on the page, not just your users. Page titles and meta descriptions should be clear and informative first and foremost; mentions of SEO keywords should feel natural and not forced.
In truth, this whole article could be about SEO, as there’s so much to talk about. But two areas that do need consideration are structured data and internal linking. Internal links help Google to crawl your website while also providing further information to users. Structured data, sometimes referred to as schema, is snippets of code that provide added context to search engine algorithms. There are many different forms, but it can cover things like opening times and reviews.
Also read: Top SEO Strategies for WordPress Sites
Design
Design used to focus on the way a website looks, but as time went on, Google started to prioritise user experience more and more. In the early days of SEO, websites would be optimized for algorithms through keywords, but the design didn’t lend itself to a user-friendly experience. Often, websites would be cluttered but would still be able to rank on Google.
When improving the design of your website in the present day, consider users and algorithms. A good example is the point made in the previous section about adding the main pages to the top navigation bar. This helps Google, but it also helps users to find what they are looking for. As a general rule of thumb, if your design helps your users, it probably also helps Google at the same time.
A great example of this is Google’s attitude towards mobile-first design. Mobile browsing now far exceeds desktop levels, so it’s no surprise that Google favours websites that prioritise mobile users. This means your website should be responsive across different screen sizes. Ensure buttons are clickable and copy is readable. The layout should also be focused around readability. Having clear heading hierarchies and appropriate spacing improves both crawlability and user experience.
Finally, remove friction from your website. Irritating pop-ups, buttons that don’t lead anywhere and other obstacles that make your website harder to browse will likely result in a clear point where users drop off.
Performance
Google places a lot of emphasis on the performance of your website. When you hear performance in relation to websites, this covers load speed, responsiveness and visual stability. All of these factors can be measured using Google’s Core Web Vitals.
When designing a new website, don’t just consider how it looks; consider how it performs. If your website is too slow, users will bounce, and Google won’t view your site favourably. If your website isn’t performing as you’d like, take a look at images, videos and unnecessary code that may be able to be removed. Third-party scripts can also cause a website to run slower.
People-First Content
There was a time when you could manipulate Google visibility through what have now become known as black hat techniques. Nowadays though, you have to ask if your content genuinely helps people.
Ask yourself:
- Is the content based on genuine queries, concerns or interests?
- Does your page match the user’s search intent?
- Is the content original or does it offer more value than what exists already?
- Should users trust the content?
- Is content well-written and/or clear?
If you can answer yes to the questions above, then it would suggest your content has been written for humans and that it’s also valuable. Recently, there has been a strict crackdown by Google on thin content that simply regurgitates information that is already available to users.
With search engine algorithms becoming increasingly advanced, a good rule is to simply ensure that content is high quality and valuable to users. In many ways, the best way to optimize content for search engines is to first optimize it for humans.
Final Thoughts
With more competition than ever before, it’s imperative that you continue to optimize your website for search engines and users. The four areas above are a solid starting point, but you’ll need to adapt for your business and industry.
Also read: How to Fix “Not Indexing” Issues in WordPress (Simple Steps That Work)
