Analyze, track, and optimize websites

With the help of simple editorial and development tips, you can improve the findability of your websites. Ruhr University Bochum also provides tools that give you insights into user behavior and the quality of your website, helping you optimize your online presence.

© Generated by AI, ChatGPT

Search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) includes measures that improve the findability of websites in search engines, for example Google.

Basic SEO tips

The following basic SEO tips for editors as well as website managers and developers provide an important foundation.

Basic SEO tips

Editorial tips

  • Cover one topic per page.
  • Right at the beginning—in the first short paragraph—it should be clear what is important.
    Do not write long introductions; instead, be concise and precise.
  • Link from and to thematically related pages.
    Do not add links indiscriminately—only when it makes sense in terms of content.
  • Follow hierarchies in the page structure: H1, introduction, H2, etc.
    When creating texts in Word, work with structural elements from the outset.
  • Use clear, descriptive, and unambiguous titles and URLs.
    Example: “Contact the student advisory service” instead of simply “Contact”.
  • Keep your websites and content up to date at all times; old pages weaken the overall impression.
    Tools such as Siteimprove help you find outdated content and links that no longer work.
  • Correct, working links are important for the quality of the website.
    Check links regularly. We also recommend not using link shorteners, as short URLs can harm SEO.

Development tips

  • The website must be mobile-optimized. The loading time is a high priority.
  • Use a URL with ruhr-uni-bochum.de.
  • For English websites, use the meta tag <html lang=”en-US”>.
  • Set up a sitemap.

Most content management systems offer the option to set up a sitemap; there are also tools available online. Please feel free to contact the Agency for Online Communication (onlinekommunikation@ruhr-uni-bochum.de).

  • Make sure your website is accessible, the source code is clean, and there are no broken links. Every accessible website is also search-engine optimized.
  • When moving websites/your web presence, set up redirects.
    Redirect the most-clicked pages 1:1. Otherwise, create thematically similar landing pages and set up bulk redirects. Do not redirect everything to the new homepage.

Consultation

For further questions and consultation on search engine optimization, please contact the Agency for Online Communication:

Matomo

Matomo is a comprehensive web analytics platform that makes it possible to gain detailed insights into the behavior of visitors to your websites.

  • For example, Matomo determines how often your website is visited, which other websites visitors come from, and where they navigate.
  • In addition, the tool provides an analysis of time on site as well as statistics on entry and exit pages and bounce rates.
  • With Matomo, you can also analyze custom time periods to identify trends and patterns in visitor behavior over time.

This enables you to make informed decisions about optimizing your websites and improving the user experience.

Using Matomo

The Matomo version provided by IT.SERVICES at RUB is GDPR-compliant; data is stored only on servers of RUB.

The contact for using Matomo is IT.SERVICES:

All information about Matomo

Siteimprove

Siteimprove provides all units at RUB with a tool that can be used on web presences to reduce digital barriers and improve usability.

The tool automatically analyzes websites and identifies technical issues in development and editorial aspects such as broken links, large files, and spelling mistakes—it even provides suggestions for improvement.

Using Siteimprove is recommended not only for existing websites, but also when building a new online presence, in order to eliminate potential weak points at an early stage.

What does Siteimprove do?

  • Siteimprove comprehensively checks, assesses, and monitors the accessibility of a website based on legal requirements and standards, as well as content in terms of quality, currency, security, and usability. The tool provides the assessment in scores.
  • In doing so, the tool also takes into account—if specified—custom defined rules and standards.
  • In addition, the tool evaluates technical and content-related aspects that influence visibility in search results (SEO).
  • Over a longer integration period, Siteimprove also shows developments.
  • Siteimprove explains all identified issues and optimization suggestions in detail and in an easy-to-understand way, and also shows solutions that can be used to fix issues and implement improvements.

Using Siteimprove

The service is currently free of charge. If desired, the Agency for Online Communication will set up your website in Siteimprove so that the tool can capture and check it, train you in its use, and advise you on any questions.

All information about Siteimprove​​

(The link leads to the service portal for employees.)

Scroll to Top