The emergence of the digital brought about new opportunities for various individuals and businesses. Somehow, the online world leveled the playing field for both seasoned entrepreneurs and beginners in running a business. In this case, all you need is to establish a strong online presence to be at par with other market players or even gain a competitive edge.
One of the most viable means to build a powerful presence online is to ensure that your website or page is displayed on the first page of search results. Better yet, you need to strive to rank higher in the search results of reputable search engines because, in this way, you are increasing the likelihood that users will visit your site. This article tackles some of the tips that you can use to rank higher on Google.
Step 1: Familiarize yourself with Google’s Ranking Algorithm
One of the primary things that you need to do to rank higher on Google is to familiarize yourself with its ranking algorithm. In this case, you need to exert extra effort to research because the truth is, the algorithm of this most popular search engine is updated almost every day. While you may not be able to get into the nitty-gritty details of every update, you at least need to have an idea of the major principles they have implemented.
One of the major updates in Google’s ranking algorithm happened in 2012 wherein spammers and sites that buy unnatural links to boost their rankings were targeted and penalized. In 2013, the algorithm was modified to understand the context and intent behind a user’s search which paved the way for long tail keywords. In 2014, local SEO efforts emerged to cater to local searches while in 2015, mobile-friendly websites were favored. If you have a good idea about all of these, then you are in a better position when it comes to how you need to optimize your site accordingly.
Step 2: Evaluate your Current Ranking
As soon as you get a good idea of how Google’s ranking algorithm works, the next thing that you need to do is to evaluate the current ranking of your website. One seasoned eCommerce SEO consultant suggests that you take a look at the Queries Report which can be found in Google Analytics. To access this report though, you need to connect your Search Console account to Google Analytics.
From the Queries Report, you will have a good idea of all the phrases you have ranked for as well as how high you have ranked for the phrase. You will also see the number of times that your website has appeared in Google, as well as the number of times that your pages have been visited. With this information, you will have a good idea of how you will be able to improve your page to rank higher on the search engine results.
Step 3: Use the Right Keywords
When you know where you stand when it comes to Google rankings, you will be able to come up with the right strategy to either maintain your position if you are already at the top, or improve your ranking accordingly. In this case, make sure to use the right keywords because this will prove to be beneficial regardless of your specific goal. To do this, you need to learn how your audience finds your website.
From there, try to look for the keywords that already land you on the first page of the search results. Several site explorers can provide you with an organic keywords report. Use this to find the keywords that already drive the most traffic to your site, as well as those that have higher search volumes or higher business value. As soon as you have a list of keywords that you can focus on, use them to create better content that will pique the interest of your audience and keep them engaged.
Step 4: Leverage Link Building
Apart from keywords, you also need to focus on the credibility of your website. One of the most viable means of doing so and eventually earning the trust of your viewers is by leveraging backlinks. Backlinks are links from other authoritative sites that point users to your website. Merely being associated with a highly trusted site such as news pages as well as popular blogs will already increase your credibility.
Step 5: Focus on the User Experience
Alongside the use of the right keywords and backlinks, you should also take the time to focus on the user experience. This means that you need to exert extra effort to ensure that your page loads within a couple of seconds. Statistics show that online users are somehow impatient, leaving a site if it entails the need for them to wait for more than half a minute for it to load. Make sure that your website is responsive as well. After all, more and more users are now using their mobile devices to access the pages that they want to visit.
Step 6: Track your Metrics
Finally, make sure to track your metrics. In this way, you will have a good idea of which of the strategies you have implemented are successful or otherwise. In case of the latter, you will be able to come up with viable ways on how you can enhance your strategy to improve your rankings based on the data that you garner.
To rank higher on Google, make sure that you are familiar with the ranking algorithm implemented by Google. From there, you need to evaluate your current ranking. As soon as you have a good idea of where you stand, you will be able to implement the things that you need to do to improve your ranking or maintain it accordingly. This means using the right keywords and leveraging link building, as well as focusing on user experience. You should also take the time to track your metrics to know whether your optimization techniques are effective. All these are geared towards ensuring that your target market will be able to find you online effortlessly.