6 SEO strategies to increase your ranking
Emily Ward With millions of websites competing for attention, how can you ensure your business stands out? The answer lies in effective SEO strategies. By leveraging SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) you can increase your Google Ranking, improve your website’s visibility, and attract more potential customers. In this guide, we’ll delve into what Google Ranking is, why SEO is important, and the 6 essential SEO strategies that we think will help your business climb the search engine results pages (SERPs).
What is Google Ranking?
Google Ranking refers to the position of a website in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords or phrases. When users search for information, Google’s algorithm determines which pages are the most relevant and ranks them accordingly. Higher-ranked websites appear at the top of the SERPs, making them more likely to be clicked on by users.
Google uses various factors to rank websites, including content quality, keyword relevance, website speed, mobile-friendliness, and backlinks. Understanding and optimising these factors can significantly increase your SEO ranking, making your website more visible and accessible to potential customers!
Why is SEO Important?
SEO is the practice of enhancing your website to meet the criteria set by Google and other search engines. Here’s why SEO is crucial for your business:
- Increased Visibility: A higher ranking on SERPs means more visibility. Most users don’t look beyond the first page of results, so appearing at the top is essential.
- Organic Traffic: SEO helps attract organic, non-paid traffic. This traffic is more likely to convert into customers because users are actively searching for what you offer.
- Credibility and Trust: Websites that rank higher are often perceived as more credible and trustworthy by users.
- Competitive Advantage: Effective SEO strategies can give you a competitive edge over businesses that don’t optimise their websites.
6 SEO strategies to improve your Google Ranking
- Keyword research and optimisation
Keywords are the starting point for SEO. They are the terms and phrases users type into search engines to find information. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the keywords relevant to your business. You can use an SEO Keyword Research Expert to find keywords with high search volume and low competition.
Once you’ve identified your target keywords, incorporate them naturally into your website content, including headings, meta descriptions, URLs, and image alt texts.
- High-quality content creation
Google prioritises content that provides value to users which means that producing extensive articles, blog posts, videos, and infographics that address your audience’s needs is key to increasing your SEO ranking.
Regularly update your content to keep it fresh and relevant. Long-form content (over 1,000 words) tends to perform better in SERPs, but ensure it remains informative and engaging. Worth with fully vetted and reviewed content writers on PeoplePerHour.
- On-page SEO optimisation
On-page SEO refers to optimising individual web pages to improve their ranking. This includes:
- Title Tags: Ensure each page has a unique, descriptive title tag that includes your target keyword.
- Meta Descriptions: Write compelling meta descriptions that accurately describe the page content and include keywords.
- Header Tags: Use header tags (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content and make it easier for search engines to understand.
- Internal Linking: Link to other relevant pages on your website to help search engines crawl your site and improve user navigation.
- URL Structure: Create clean, descriptive URLs that include keywords.
- Mobile optimisation
With the increasing use of smartphones, it would be wild not to optimise this in your SEO strategy. Make sure that your website is responsive and provides a seamless experience on mobile devices. This includes fast loading times, easy navigation, and a mobile-friendly content layout. You can use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check your site’s mobile compatibility or you can work with a UX designer, who will make sure your website is in top condition for a smartphone user.
- Technical SEO
Technical SEO focuses on all the elements of your website that search engines like Google look at to help work out the importance and quality of your site. Being aware of technical SEO and its elements will give you a competitive advantage, especially if competition within your industry is particularly high. You want to focus on:
- Website Speed: A fast-loading website enhances user experience and can boost your SEO ranking. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to analyse and improve your site’s speed.
- XML Sitemap: Create and submit an XML sitemap to help search engines understand your site structure and index your pages more efficiently.
- Robots.txt: Use a robots.txt file to control which pages search engines should or should not crawl.
- Secure Website (HTTPS): Ensure your website uses HTTPS to provide a secure connection, which is a ranking factor for Google.
If XML and robots.txt goes over your head (like it does for this content writer), it’s worth considering hiring a trusted SEO expert to carry out an audit of your site and recommend improvements.
- Backlink building
Backlinks, or inbound links, are links from other websites to your site. They are a significant ranking factor, as they signal to search engines that your content is authoritative and trustworthy.
Focus on building high-quality backlinks from reputable sites within your industry. You can achieve this by creating valuable content that others want to link to, guest blogging on reputable sites, and reaching out to industry influencers for collaborations. Avoid black-hat tactics like buying links, as they can lead to penalties from Google! If you don’t know where to start with a backlink strategy, consider hiring a backlinking expert on PeoplePerHour.
Implementing effective SEO strategies is essential to increasing your Google Ranking and boosting your business’s visibility. That’s why following these 6 SEO strategies will help your business thrive and boost conversions through your website.
