I am a web developer and I share daily SEO tips here. I also explore the world of UX design along the way.
Perfekte Zeilenlänge
Text is easy to read when the lines have comfortable proportions. With small captions and small font sizes, text lines can quickly become unpleasantly long, meaning they may not be read at all. However, with a simple trick, you can always adjust the line length to the font size.
example-1 is based on the inherited font size. If the font-size is 16px, then the DIV is 160px wide.
example-2 is based on the number of characters, using 0 as a reference — in other words, the width of 20 zeros. Around 65 characters per line are recommended. Lines set in serif typefaces can also be slightly wider.
Starte mit einer Routine
I am currently restructuring an extensive website. During a process like this, it is easy for links to become outdated or for old URLs to lead visitors in the wrong direction.
That is why I start each morning by checking Google Search Console for new 404 errors. If necessary, I set up a suitable 301 redirect in the htaccess file. Afterwards, I start the validation process and let Google check the corrections.
This small routine only takes a few minutes, but it helps keep the website clean, accessible, and user-friendly over time.
Halte es überschaubar
Google Analytics provides a wealth of information about users and their behavior. However, not every metric is equally relevant. What matters is keeping an eye on the most important KPIs.
A clear and well-structured dashboard helps you stay focused. Think of your GA dashboard like the cockpit of a small car: you don’t need every single gauge, just the information that tells you whether everything is running smoothly. This way, you can keep an overview and optimize your website effectively.
Mach's klein
You know this: You visit a website and the images take forever to load. If it’s not caused by a weak internet connection, it’s most likely because oversized images are being placed inside small containers. This increases loading times and has a direct impact on the user experience. With PageSpeed Insights, you can quickly identify these issues.
The good news: Google provides a suitable tool with Squoosh. With a simple drag & drop, you can compress images and save them, for example, as WebP or AVIF files.
In my case, I was able to reduce the file size by 54% – without any visible loss of quality. The result: less data, faster loading times, and a noticeably faster website.
Die Plotregel
Yesterday, I listened to another radio play from the series “Das war morgen” on ARD Sounds. As an introduction to the episode “Temperatursturz”, the host said: “There is an unwritten plot rule among us authors: The fewer sentences you need to describe the content of a story, the better the structure of the story itself will be afterwards.”
A rule that, in my opinion, applies to SEO in exactly the same way.
Wie tickt deine Zielgruppe?
If your website already generates many impressions but receives only a few clicks, it is worth taking a closer look. The question is not: “How can I get more visitors?” but rather: “What can I offer visitors to help them make progress in their search?” A great opportunity often lies in improving existing content and creating meaningful internal links.
My reading recommendation:
“Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness” by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein.
The book vividly illustrates how effective a well-designed nudge can be.
Typeface
From an SEO perspective, the content of a website is what matters most. But keep in mind that you’re writing for people, too, so the way your text looks is important as well. Back in 2015, the Adler Schmidt agency published a very enlightening article about font readability. It covers readability, font size, character and line spacing, contrast ...
highlights.js
Would you like to share your experience? If so, I recommend highlightjs.org/. It's a JavaScript library that recognizes your programming language and highlights it in color.
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/highlight.js/11.12.0/styles/default.min.css">
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/highlight.js/11.12.0/highlight.min.js"></script>
<!-- and it's easy to individually load additional languages -->
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/highlight.js/11.12.0/languages/go.min.js"></script>
<script>hljs.highlightAll();</script>
reCAPTCHA v2
To prevent bots from accessing forms, I use Google's reCAPTCHA. I had caching issues with version 3. I resolved the problem by switching to version 2. However, I'm still not using Silktide's Cookie Consent at this time.
Mach deine Sitemap dynamisch!
Sitemaps don’t have to be static. With a little experience, you can create a PHP file that automatically generates and outputs XML data when called. The great thing about this approach is that the sitemap grows automatically. New artists, projects, or news items added to the database can be incorporated into the sitemap without having to update a static XML file manually. In Google Search Console, all you need to do is specify the URL of the PHP file as your sitemap. I just tried it out — and it works wonderfully. Ideally, there’s nothing else you need to do. The sitemap simply keeps growing along with your website.
Nutze Schema.org!
Structured data improves how your content appears in search results. However, it doesn't necessarily improve your Google ranking. By using machine-readable markup in HTML (embedded as JSON-LD in the tag), you help search engines and AI systems better understand your content and its context.
Vertrauen ist besser
Collect real customer testimonials. They show real-world experience and build trust. Ideally, they’ll convince visitors to become customers.
Weniger ist mehr
Use keywords in the headline and introduction, but use them sparingly in the body of the text. Instead, write naturally and use synonyms. Google understands that.
Eine Newsbar lohnt sich
A live feed at the top of the website increases the visibility of your content. It's a great way to boost your CTR. Consider whether it might be distracting on a smartphone, and make sure it doesn't disrupt the layout. Google really doesn't like that.
Zeige Kundenreferenzen
If you have worked with well-known clients, agencies or publishers, you should make these references readable for search engines as well.
A common mistake is to combine all logos into a single image. It may look good to visitors, but Google cannot reliably identify the individual company names in the image and associate them with your services.
And if your references are stored in a database, you can even display the entire list dynamically using PHP.
Warum alt-Texte wichtig sind
Alt texts help search engines understand what can be seen in an image. Google can now also analyze images using AI, but the exact context is often missing. A good image description provides additional context.
Alt texts also help make your website more accessible. People who are blind or have limited vision often use screen readers. These programs read content aloud or convert it into Braille.
The best approach is to write your alt text as if you were briefly explaining the image to a blind person.
A good alt text should:
be around 5–15 words long
be written in a natural and easy-to-understand way
not contain keyword chains
describe the actual content of the image
provide an important message for graphics (for example: "Growing demand for sustainable products")