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Do You Really Need These Pages?

Do You Really Need These Pages?

by | ~ SEO ~

The short answer is, “Yes,” for reasons that are obvious and some that are not.

We’ve all seen these kinds of pages at one time.  Most of us think that they are there as courtesy to inform visitors what is happening. While this is nice, because improving the visitor experience for your website is a major concern, there are also other reasons why these pages are used. Reasons that you, as a website owner, should know.  

Article At a Glance——————————–

Article Summary
– Coming Soon Page
– Maintenance Mode Page
– 404 Page
Links to Resources

We’ve all seen these kinds of pages at one time.  Most of us think that they are there as courtesy to inform visitors what is happening. While this is nice, because improving the visitor experience for your website is a major concern, there are also other reasons why these pages are used. Reasons that you, as a website owner, should know. 

 

1.  Coming Soon Page

When a visitor happens to visit your website before it is launched and finds a half-baked jumble of things, you can be assured that they won’t come back, even when it is finished. So, after you have registered your domain name, set up website hosting, and started building your site, one of the first things you should do is set up a “Coming Soon” or “Under Construction” page. That way, people will understand that your website is still a work in progress. 

You can also include on the page components such as a countdown timer showing when you project the site will be launched (you can always change it later), a place for them to enter their email so they can be informed when your website is ready for prime time, and social media links. 

But, what about Google and other search engines that come to your website to index and rank it and see that it is semi-completed? Unless they are told otherwise, they are going to simply go ahead and discover that this or that is missing, some pages are a mess, this doesn’t work, and many other things that are not right. They are not going to give your new site a very high evaluation.  

But, with a properly configured Coming Soon page, they will know that the site is not completed and not to attempt to index or rank it yet. They will check back from time to time, and one day it will be completed and then they will start the process of evaluating it. 

Some Coming Soon templates even able you to show in the background images of your company, people at work, or even general images representing your business field or industry. These images can be set to appear one after another like a slide show. 

Here is an example with nature images which, of course, can be replaced. 

Some templates even allow you to put video and audio in the background. 

Here are the two most popular sources for Coming Soon templates:

 

2.  Maintenance Mode Page

No website is perfect when it is first launched and nor does it stay the same. All websites undergo revisions, modifications, and updates from time to time. And when this happens, you need to put the site into “maintenance mode” to inform visitors that the site is temporarily unavailable while you make changes. Otherwise, they might find unfinished pages, broken links, mistakes, and other things which would be like getting caught with your pants down.  

You also have to let search engines know the site cannot be accessed. When you put a site into maintenance mode, it returns what is known as a “503 error code” to search engines to let them know that your site is temporarily unavailable.  Otherwise, they may think your site has crashed or is broken. Or, they made discover all sorts of strange things going on as your work on your site and penalize your search rankings for that. 

Of course, you shouldn’t keep your site in maintenance mode for excessively long periods of time, or the search engines will get suspicious. 

When you obtain your Coming Soon template, most of them will come with a setting to easily put your site into maintenance mode, as well as the ability to change the Coming Soon message. This is important because your website is already launched. Now, you need to tell people that it is down for maintenance and not “launching soon.” 

You can still display the other components, including the countdown timer and social media links. 

3.  404 Page

Visitors can make mistakes when trying to get to a page on your website. They could type in the url incorrectly or they could enter the correct url of a page which once existed but has since been deleted or moved. When that happens, your website generates a “404 error code” and takes the visitor to a “404” page. Fine, now the visitor knows something is wrong. 

But, this is also a great opportunity for you to engage with those visitors. You could make the page somewhat humorous or creative. You can also add links (hopefully working ones) to other pages of your website that they may be interested in, so that they stay on your site and not go elsewhere. You can even include an ad for your products or services. 

And, when you properly set a 404 page, search engines will know exactly what is going on and not penalize you. 

When compose your 404 page, here are a few things you may want to take note of: 

  • Don’t make the page too deadpan, like “The page cannot be found,” and that’s it. 
  • Avoid starting off a large graphic identifying your page as a “404” page. This will make you appear too “techy.” The visitor is frustrated enough not being able to find the page they wanted to go to, and now they are confronted with a technical error code name. It would be best to put “Error code: 404” somewhere on the page, but small and inconspicuously.  
  • Try to lighten up the situation by injecting a bit of humor or creativity. 
  • Remember that your visitor is going to be frustrated or perplexed that they cannot reach the page they wanted to go to. You may want to show your visitor through images that you sympathize with their frustration, such as displaying a photo or drawing of a frustrated person. 
  • Don’t overdo your sympathy by using images of a person smashing their computer or throwing it out the window. This just helps to escalate the visitor’s frustration into anger or rage, which they may then direct that at you. 
  • If you include links to other pages of your website, always test them first. 
  • When you set up other links in your website, as a matter best practices for SEO purposes, you want the link to open up the destination page in a new browser tab or window. But, not with a link you set on a 404 page. You want that link to open in the same window or tab so it “replaces” the 404 page. In other words, you want to get rid of that 404 page as soon as possible. 

Here are some noteworthy examples of a 404 page (Click to enlarge):

 

The easiest way to set up a 404 page is to use a plugin and obtain a template which you use as is or modify. If you are using the Divi theme, then get the Divi 404 Page Builder plugin available through Divi Cake.

So, we hope we have answered the question about whether these three types of pages are necessary for your website.  They are! 

Please leave us a comment to let us know what you think about these pages. And, if you have any examples of these pages that impressed  you, paste in the link.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any related questions or concerns.

Links to Resources

Here are the direct links to the resources mentioned in the article. Click on the “up” arrow to jump to the section in the article where the resource is mentioned or click the link to go directly to the corresponding webpage.

1) ↑ DpDev Art Coming Soon plugin:  https://wpdevart.com/wordpress-coming-soon-plugin/
2) ↑ SeedProd Coming Soon plugin:  https://www.seedprod.com/
3) ↑ 404 Page Builder for Divi plugin:  https://divicake.com/products/divi-404-page-builder/
4) ↑ DiviNext 404 Layouts: https://plugins.divinext.com/divi-next-404-layouts/

5 Critical Tips for Using Website Images

5 Critical Tips for Using Website Images

by | ~ SEO ~, Graphics

You don’t need to be a graphic designer or use PhotoShop to be able to handle most image-related tasks with confidence.

In our previous post, we discussed the need to include certain pages in your website which you might thought were unnecessary or didn’t know about. Today, we would like to give some important information about using images on your website. 

Article At a Glance——————————–

Article Summary
– Acquiring Images
– A) The Free Way
– B) The Paid Way
– Editing
– Optimizing
– Geotagging
– Alt Text
Links to Resources

(Note: In as much as you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge software or an online service by its logo. You’ll see what we mean.)

 

1. Acquiring Images 

First, you have to get the images. If you don’t have any photos of your business, you can obtain generic ones related to your business field or industry. Or, it may happen that you have lots of photos, but you are still missing certain ones to complete or enhance your website. In these cases, you can obtain specific photos related to your business field or industry.  

These images would fall into the category of “royalty free,” meaning that once you have acquired them, either for free or by purchasing them, you don’t have to pay a royalty, copyright, or usage fee every time you use them. They are yours to use as you wish, though usually you are restricted from selling them to a third party. 

You can obtain these the “free way” or the “paid way.” 

A) The Free Way

There are dozens of legitimate websites that have amassed a ton of images which they will give you for free.  You just download and use them. You might have to set up a free account with the website, but not always. 

Here, are three of the more popular ones (in order of recommendation): 

.

 

As you may know, most search engines also have a function for searching for images. Here are the main ones (order of recommendation): 

However, remember that many of the images they display are subject to copyright. But, there are ways of searching so you can find the ones you are free to use.  

For example, with Google Images: 

  1. Before search for an image you, look just below the search box and go to Settings/Advanced Search.  
  2. From the “usage rights” dropdown menu, you can select “free to use or share” or “free to use or share, even commercially.” 
  3. Even with that setting, you could still have a gut feeling that you really might not be able to use some of them.  
  4. The best selection is the most stringent one, “free to use, share, or modify, even commercially.”  
  5. Then again, you should really only select the ones that are obviously generic and in the public domain. If you have any doubts, don’t use them. 

The majority of images you find by these means are generally quite usable. However, if you want something very specific, or that has been designed or shot exceptionally well, then you will have to go the paid way. 

Incidentally, if you are ever in need of a logo, button, or similar graphic element (and especially if you need one right away), you can easily create them yourself for free using the following service: 

Again, there are dozens of legitimate websites that will sell you images. Here are some of the popular websites where you can buy quality photos (in order of recommendation):

 

Some specialize only in paid images, while some like ones above provide images both for free and for purchase at a fairly reasonable price. 

Be sure to read the conditions for using the images you purchase. Just because you paid for them, you might not be able to use them whenever, wherever, and for as long as you wish. 

OK, now that you have acquired your images, here are some things to keep in mind. 

 

3. Editing 

The images might be too big, too small, may require some adjustments or cropping, or may need the background removed, and so on. For that, you will need image editing software. There are some fairly good software or online services that can be of great help. You can’t do as much as you can do with Photoshop or Illustrator, but they are easy to use and free. Some are free to download to your computer, while others can be used online. 

Here are some (in order of recommendation): 

 

3. Optimizing 

Once you your image is looking just the way you want, you should “optimize” it. This means reducing the “size” (weight) of the image. Images that are a megabyte or two in size (weight), compared to ones that only several kilobytes, may take much longer to load (display) on your site, and you may be penalized by the search engines for having a slow website. 

Images usually contain a lot of extra “invisible” EXIF or metadata embedded in them making them heavier than they need to be. Optimization eliminates this excess data without any loss in visual quality, at least to the naked eye. A 1 MB image could be reduced to as “light” as 600 KB or 500 KB.

This reduction of weight (and loading time) helps considerably when you have several or dozens of images to display on your website. 

There are several online tools available to optimize images, and here are a few: 

 

4. Geotagging 

As a small business owner serving a specific location, it is very important that Google and the other search engines know precisely where you are located so they can better associate a certain image with a precise location. 

Yes, you will naturally have your address displaying on your website, but you are conveying your location simply using ordinary numbers and words. You want to make it even easier for the search engines to determine your exact location by putting all your important images through a process called “geotagging.” 

Geotagging the image embeds into the image metadata your precise geographical location in terms of longitude and latitude. You can geotag images using free software, some of which are (again, in order of recommendation): 

One bit of advice – don’t be a bit taken back with the “military feel” of the interface of these apps. It may seem like you are about to direct a guided missile to your location. But, once you have a look around, you will see that the interface is really quite simple to use. 

The basic steps are generally the same for most geotagging apps. 

  1. Use Google Maps to get your latitude and longitude. (Some geotagging apps may help you with this.) 
  2. Upload your image into a geotagging app. 
  3. Check to make sure the interface displays your correct location. (You might even be able to see a satellite view of it.) 
  4. Engage the geotagging process. 
  5. Download your image with the embedded geotagged metadata. 

(Note: You must optimize before geotagging. Otherwise, you will lose all your geotagged data.) 

 5. Alt Text 

Make sure you use alt text. If you are not familiar with “alt text,” it stands for “alternative text,” in other words, alternative information for an image. (Sometimes, it is called an “alternative attribute.”) To fill in the alt text for an uploaded image, access the image from the Media Library and a screen will appear with a blank field for the alt text.  (Click to enlarge)

(Note: This discussion is about basic SEO techniques, and as such, you do not have to concern yourself with the “Caption” or “Description” box, or if you encounter a “Title” box. If you want go to a higher level of SEO, they you will have to deal with these.) 

Enter a brief phrase describing the image, such as “clinic building nearing completion.” Simply convey what it is in direct terms, but be somewhat descriptive. For example, if the image is a trophy, you can write something like, “trophy for outstanding bowler in large trophy case.” You should also add your primary keyword for your entire site or the page the image appears on. If your primary keyword is “best dentist in New Haven,” then you could write something like, “clinic building nearing completion soon to house best dentist in New Haven.” Don’t worry if your phrasing sounds slightly stilted or awkward. If you find it difficult to “work in” the keyword into the alt text so it is a single phrase, you can write it first, add a dash (-), and then your alt text, I.e., “best dentist in New Haven – your alt text.”  

Alt text was first developed for the visually impaired who use a device to read out loud the text on a page. These devices have the ability to access the alt text embedded on the page and then use text-to-speech technology to say it says.   

But, alt text serves other purposes: 

  • If for some reason, the image does not display properly on the screen, the alt text would appear so at least the reader has an idea of what was supposed to be there. 
  • It helps search engines to understand better exactly what the image is, which in turn works toward better indexabilty of the image. 
  • It saves you from getting penalized by some search engines for having too many images without alt text. 

(Note: You do not have to bother with alt text if the image is merely for decoration, such as a large star or arrow.) 

So, we hope that this post has been useful and you keep the information in mind when dealing with images for your site. 

Please let us know in the comment section below any thoughts you may have. And, be sure to share with us if you have found an image-related online service or software which is particularly useful for you. 

As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns. Just use our Contact Us page or our Support Center. 

Links to Resources

Here are the direct links to the resources mentioned in the article. Click on the “up” arrow to jump to the section in the article where the resource is mentioned or click the link to go directly to the corresponding webpage.

1) ↑ Pixabay:  https://pixabay.com/
2) ↑ Unsplash:  https://unsplash.com/
3) ↑ Pexels:  https://www.pexels.com/
4) ↑ Google Images:  https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en
5) ↑ Bing Images:  https://www.bing.com/images/details/%7B0%7D
6) ↑ Yahoo Images:  https://images.search.yahoo.com/?guccounter=1
7) ↑ CoolText Graphics Generator:  https://cooltext.com/
8) ↑ CanStockPhoto:  https://www.canstockphoto.com/
9) ↑ ShutterStock: https://www.shutterstock.com/
10) ↑ Adobe Stock:  https://stock.adobe.com/
11) ↑ Paint.net:  https://www.getpaint.net/download.html
12) ↑ GIMP:  https://www.gimp.org/
13) ↑ Pixlr Online Photo Editor:  https://pixlr.com/x/
14) ↑ TinyPng:  https://tinypng.com/
15) ↑ Kraken Image Optimizer:  https://kraken.io/web-interface
16) ↑ Imagine Optimizer:  http://www.imageoptimizer.net/Pages/Home.aspx
17) ↑ Geosetter:  https://geosetter.de/en/main-en/
18) ↑ EasyTrails GPS:  http://www.easytrailsgps.com/
19) ↑ Geolmgr:  https://www.geoimgr.com/