For most website owners, Google search ranks are pretty high on the list of their priorities. Getting your site to rank well in search results will result in more exposure and traffic, which means more money in your pocket. But how do you make that happen? There are dozens of ranking factors, including some you may not even be aware of, and all it takes is one minor mistake to get your site penalized by Google or even removed from the results altogether.
Improve your overall page quality
The quality of your website’s content has a direct impact on its ranking. The more authoritative your information is, for example, and in turn, more often it is linked to by other pages, websites, and social media accounts, then that content will rank higher in search engine results.
Develop valuable links
When it comes to optimisation, you can spend a lifetime trying out different approaches and optimizing your strategy. Remember that SEO takes time, just like any other form of marketing or sales. If you want to speed up your process, consider hiring an SEO expert. Be aware that some companies may perform link-building tactics that are against Google’s terms of service. If caught, they could end up being penalized along with their clients. This is why it’s important to be cautious when engaging in these practices or looking for links on third-party sites instead of creating them yourself. Building links is a slow but steady process with limitless upside—but it isn’t quick and easy money.
Use relevant keywords
One of, if not the, most vital factors in website search ranking is relevance: Does your site contain keywords that users are looking for? Adding relevant keywords to your content makes it more likely that users will find you when they search online. Keep in mind that there’s no shortcut for relevancy; don’t simply repeat a keyword phrase over and over again. Instead, use natural language as you would if you were writing an email or a letter.
Create amazing content
The key to attracting and converting site visitors into leads is great content. You can have a website that’s attractive and easy to use, but if it doesn’t offer solutions or helpful information, then people will not be inclined to stick around. To make sure your site has what your prospects want, it’s important to understand their needs and speak directly about those topics. If you are unable to provide valuable information that is relevant to your audience, chances are they won’t stick around for long.
Have social shares
Having a large number of social shares is one way that search engines find and rank your website. To increase your social media presence, use tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule shares at optimal times, or share a post across different social networks at once. You can also choose one day per week where you share several posts all at once—try sharing a post every morning for seven days in a row, for example. Getting into a rhythm will help you grow your following.
Improve usability, trustworthiness, and speed of the site
The easier your website is to use, and more trustworthy it appears, and the faster it loads, generally speaking, the higher it will rank in search results. If you want to improve your site’s ranking on Google, consider these three usability-focused factors: accessible content, user reviews, and speed.
Review On-Page SEO Factors
First, make sure you’re optimizing your website for search engines. This includes elements like keywords, meta tags, title tags and descriptions, content types (text vs. video), frequency of updates, and more.