We’re used to turning to Google search for all our online needs and questions. With over 40 thousand searches processed every second, it’s clear why showing up in the SERP’s (Search Engine Results Pages) can be valuable for a business.
Most people stick to the first page of results for any given Google query. That’s where your website ranking becomes essential — you want to be at the top of the results for your preferred keywords. Depending on the industry, market, and keyword, that can turn out to be difficult. However, it doesn’t mean that improving your ranking is impossible. Here are five ways to make your website stand out in the SERPs:
1. SEO Optimization of Content
There’s a reason why SEO optimization is considered necessary for web marketing. Writing your content so that it provides value while being structured around the keywords your prospects may use in a search is the top strategy for improving your website ranking. The best part about it is that it’s continuous: once you post your content, it will work 24/7 to bring more leads to you. It’s crucial to get this right if you want search engine visibility. Google puts a lot of emphasis on quality, relevant content, and the best SEO practices ensure your website meets those requirements.
2. Faster Website Loading Times
Another thing that affects how high your website can climb in the rankings is its loading time. It’s not crucial when it comes to Google algorithms, but it certainly makes for improved user experience. If a website loads quickly and efficiently, that can affect the conversion rates positively. And with Google’s mobile-first indexing, it’s also important to make sure your site can load quickly on all devices. Become mobile-friendly, optimize your images, and don’t use plugins you don’t need.
3. Good Title and Meta Tags
Creating an SEO website is all about making it easy for the crawl bots to index. Title and meta tags help Google figure out what your site is about, and how relevant your content is. Both are visible in the search results, and they also help people determine whether your page has the information they seek. Most people pay attention to the title but neglect the meta description which is also essential. Make sure it describes what the content on the page is about within 300 characters.
4. Content Sharing Options
Including content sharing options on every page is easy to overlook. Even though it’s not a direct Google website ranking factor, shareable content improves engagement, which can get you more visitors. Make sure you include social sharing buttons that will help your content to be found more comfortably.
5. Schema Site Markup
There’s been plenty of discussion on whether using a Schema.org site markup helps an SEO website rank better. Some web marketing authorities claim that it does have an effect based on their internal data, although the evidence isn’t conclusive. However, even if it doesn’t affect ranking directly, using a markup can help your conversion and click-through rates.
The downside of relying on SEO is that it can take months to see the results. If you want your digital marketing efforts to come to fruition faster; contact me. I’ll be happy to discuss your marketing strategy with you and help in any way I can.
Rob Dunford is a Marketing Consultant in the Great Toronto Area with over 20 years of experience in implementing marketing plans for small businesses.