How to Improve SEO and Accessibility For Your Houzz Website
For a successful website, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Accessibility are key.
SEO is a top consideration because it makes your website easy for search engines (like Google) to find and rank you in search results, which brings in more organic traffic.
Accessibility is also important because it ensures your website is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.
The Houzz Website Editor helps you build both an accessible and SEO-friendly site so you get the exposure and traffic you need. Watch the video below or read step-by-step instructions to learn more.
Houzz Website Editor's Built-in Advantages
Your Houzz website automatically includes features that help with SEO and accessibility:
- Automatic meta-titles and descriptions based on page content
- Business contact info on every page
- Map block for localisation
- User-friendly URLs
- XML Sitemap
- Mobile-friendly design
- Fast loading times
- A Site Improvement Panel that identifies common website issues that could impact SEO and accessibility performance
These features create a positive user experience, which search engines love.
Best Practices for a Better Site
While the Houzz Website Editor provides a great foundation, here's how you can further optimise your site for SEO and accessibility:
- Use Headings & Paragraphs: Use Heading 1 once per page, and Heading 2-4 for subheadings to structure your content. This helps search engines understand your content's hierarchy and allows screen readers to navigate easily for visually impaired users.
- Add Image Alt Text: Provide short, descriptive text for every image. This helps search engines understand your images (boosting image search) and allows screen readers to describe images to users who can't see them.
- Create Clear & Consistent Navigation: An intuitive menu helps both search engines index your site and users (including those with disabilities) find what they need without frustration.
- Optimise Meta Titles & Descriptions: Your meta title is the clickable headline in search results, and the description summarises your page. Well-crafted titles provide context for all users and improve click-through rates.
- Focus on Quality Content: The content of your website is what has the biggest impact on your SEO. Valuable, relevant, and well-written content keeps users on your site and tells search engines that your site is a valuable resource.
By focusing on both SEO and accessibility, you'll not only rank higher but also create a more inclusive and user-friendly web presence for your visitors.
Learn More
Accessibility and SEO are extensive topics. While Houzz Website Services strives to provide a quality experience by default, gaining additional understanding can significantly improve your website's accessibility and success.
Here's a non-comprehensive list of resources you can consult. Please note that these sites are not related to Houzz, and Houzz does not endorse any specific information from them.
Accessibility
- The WCAG standard is an international standard for accessibility best practices. Some countries and regions use this standard as the basis for their legislation on accessibility. In particular, the WCAG perspective video series is helpful to understand how different users experience websites.
- The Easy Checks website can help you understand if your website meets basic accessibility requirements.
- Get familiar with the legal requirements for accessibility in your country.
SEO
- Google’s documentation can help you understand how SEO works at a high level, and offers a basic checklist to help get your website in the search results.
- Bing’s webmasters guideline includes more detailed information on the do’s and don’ts of SEO.
- The Search Engine Journal provides news on SEO and digital marketing.
More Website Services Resources
How to Add Content to Your Houzz Website
How to Use the Settings Tab For Your Houzz Website
How to Use the Styles Tab For Your Houzz Website
How to Use the Pages Tab For Your Houzz Website
How to Edit the Projects Page on Your Houzz Website
How to Set Up a Domain and Publish Your Houzz Website
How to Edit the Contact Form on Your Houzz Website
How to Add a Blog to Your Houzz Website