Ok, we’re going to lay it all out for you right here. If you aren’t ranking on page 1 of Google (that is, the top 10 of search results) you may as well have an invisible website because no-one is going to find you. Harsh but true.
Not many people will spend their time trawling through pages to get to the content they want. They’ll just adjust their keywords and try again with Google doing all of the heavy lifting (search-wise that is!)
However, there is something you can do about this that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to begin. Below we have five ways to help you sort out your Google rankings and move on up the charts.
- Create Original Content
If you want to create the best experience for your users, create original content that they won’t find anywhere else. This will keep them coming back for more as you share your unique perspective on topics that fit your niche industry. What’s more, Google and other search engines have been built to find unique content and push these results higher up the ranks. Those who regularly add high-quality, comprehensive information about topics show that you are an authority on the topic which mean’s Google’s little algorithm bots will search and add you as an expert.
Need some help writing original content? Semrush’s SEO Content Tool can help you step foot in the right direction.
https://www.semrush.com/seo-content-template/
2. Add a Compelling Page Title and Meta Description
Your web page title and meta description are two of the most crucial tags for your page.
Your web page tags are clickable headlines that are shown in search results and are essential from an SEO point-of-view. Search engines like Google and Yahoo commonly display the first 50-60 characters of a title.
Here are some first-rate practices to keep in mind whilst adding page title tags:
consist of your target keywords
Include your target keyword/s
Avoid keyword stuffing
Convey what your page is about & how it is unique
Keep it descriptive however concise.
A meta description is a quick summary of a page inside the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) that is displayed below the page title.
They give users a very short summary of what they can expect from the page and how it relates to their search query. You can add up to 155 characters that allow you to advertise your content to potential customers.
3. Optimize Your Pictures
It can be difficult to resist a simply delightful graphic that sums up the overall essence of the topic you are talking about. However, when including pictures it’s very important to remember that they need to be optimised to ensure they work with your website content rather than against it.
- Ensure the size and formatting of your graphic works. If the photo is too large it will slow your website right down similarly if you choose an unsupported file type, your image might not load at all. Awkward.
- Include descriptive text for all of your images to support accessibility. It helps individuals accessing your site via screen readers which read out the content and it also allows Google bots to trawl through and understand what you are including on your page.
- Finally, always test your images on multiple screens. It may work on desktop but goes missing on mobile. These days, users tend to search more on their phones so it’s always important to optimise for all sized screens.
4. Optimize Your Page’s Speed.
If your web page takes a long time to load, you are going to have a whole lot of frustrated customers, and your ratings might drop.
There are several free websites that allow you to test out the speed of your page including Google’s very own PageSpeed Insights https://pagespeed.web.dev/
Now, once you have determined the speed of your site you can do the following to repair performance issues.
- Compress your pictures
- Delete unnecessary plugins
- Reduce the amount of redirects
- Enable browser caching.
5. Develop & Maintain Backlinks.
Whilst probably too technical for most business owners to create, these have the biggest impact. A backlink is basically an article on another website linking back to you. There are many ways you can do this however, ideally it’s a copywriter creating the content with the keywords and links in the right place, then researching the best website to add the article to.
The SEO best practices above are a good starting point to acquire better search rankings. That stated, the opposition for the coveted first web page on Google is extreme, regardless of the area of interest you operate in. For any support or questions about SEO call or email us at Cultivate Digital for a free, in-depth discussion of your goals and requirements.
Yours in SEO!
