Ranking higher on Google should be the goal of every digital marketer out there. If your business is not on the first page of Google for your specific keywords, you're likely giving way to the competition. However, understanding the process to rank higher on Google can be confusing. With the constant updates, Google implements for its ranking algorithm, you may feel overwhelmed and lost on what to do to improve your stand.
If you want to go from a business that struggles to get noticed online to one of the first resources contacted to solve customer problems, you must learn how to rank higher on Google. This blog will show you some easy tips and techniques to increase your ranking and find your audience through search engines.
5 Steps to Ranking Higher on Google
There are many different approaches and tools you can use to rank higher on Google. Deep-dive SEO audits can completely change how your website feels and operates - but this takes time, money, and a lot of resources.
We'll cover SEO auditing your website in another blog, but for this article, we'll discuss some clear, easy, and quick tips you can use to rank higher on Google.
STEP ONE - Get the basics down
If you read our previous blog on how Google ranks your website, you'll know that Google evaluates your website and each page based on how unique your content is, how your page engages visitors, and how well it performs. These are the basics of getting a higher ranking with Google, and should be addressed first before tackling the more advanced steps further down this list.
Here are the criteria you need to satisfy to get your basics down:
- Your website is…
- Regularly updated
- Clear and intuitive to navigate
- Easy to use and understand
- Organised to have unique pages for every solution
- Your content is…
- Original and unique (not copy-pasted)
- Comprehensive, but presented in a bite-sized, scannable way
- Demonstrates knowledge and is helpful
- Organised and well-presented
STEP TWO - Keyword optimisation
Once you have your basics down, you can begin to optimise your website pages to rank higher on Google. You should first find the right keywords and phrases you need to include for your customers.
While keywords have given way to phrases and topics, they still play an important role in Google's algorithm. Having the right keywords will define what your website will focus on and what kind of visitors you will attract.
The first step to keyword optimisation is finding the right keywords for your business. Think of phrases, questions and words your ideal customer would use to find a solution to their problem. Then, create a list of each keyword or topic and assign a specific page to address each keyword.
For example, if you sell fashion, your list may look something like this:
- “Latest fashion trends” - https://Fashionistaar.com/category/contemporary-fashion
- “Coats for winter” - https://Fashionistaar.com/winter-coats”
- “Fashion retailer” - https://Fashionistaar.com
Once you have the keywords and topics assigned for each page, be sure to spread out key phrases surrounding each topic in a clear, and in-depth way. This will give you a base to work off for the rest of your Search Engine Optimisation.
STEP THREE - Differentiate from your peers
Many of the external factors Google considers involve comparing your website to your competitors. If you manage to stand out from your competitors, you can rank higher than them.
In this step, you need to take a look at what your competitor pages look like. Input your main keywords into Google and examine the first few results. For each website and keyword, complete the following process:
- Look at how their pages work, how they're laid out, and what content they use.
- Compare their pages to yours and guess why they rank higher.
- Take note of what your competitors don't have on their pages, but your customers will like.
- Write down improvements for your pages based on these findings.
In general, try to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and see how quickly you can navigate competitor websites to find your solution and be convinced of its effectiveness.
STEP FOUR - Make improvements to your website
At this stage, the research is done. Now, the work begins.
Start by adding the additional content you mapped out in the previous step, making sure to include your keyword research findings as you go. Remember, each page needs to focus on one topic or keyword, so try not to dilute your web pages too much.
Once this has been completed, you can make further improvements to your website. These improvements are either visual or textual.
Text improvements
- More information for your services, products and business
- FAQs
- Helpful resources
- Blogs
- Adding keywords to page titles, headings and product descriptions.
Visual improvements
- Lots of good pictures of your product or service.
- Customer photos and logos.
- Spec charts, technical sheets and other information.
- Graphics and charts to explain complex concepts.
- Video tutorials and reviews.
- Customer testimonials.
- Comparisons and accurate pricing information.
- Written product reviews from social media.
STEP FIVE - Become an authority
Another aspect Google checks is whether your website is seen as an authority on a particular topic or subject. It does this through links to your website from other reputable websites. Getting more of these links while disassociating yourself from lessor websites will be critical in establishing your authority.
There are a few ways to encourage websites to link to yours:
Signing up to Business Registers
Local and industry Business Registers are an easy way to list your website while encouraging interested parties to consider your product or service. Many of these websites have been long-established as reliable, so they go a long way toward building your authority.
Linking to partners
Many of your business partners would be happy to provide backlinks to your website in return for you doing the same. This way, you're leveraging their SEO efforts as the link value (also called link juice) gets passed on from each site.
Watch your competitors
Your competitors likely have attempted their own methods of gaining link authority. You can follow each link and see which sites they managed to get listed on. From there, you can approach those websites and get listed yourself.
Digital PR
Reaching out to news websites with insightful articles can help you increase your authority by leaving a link in each article back to your website. This also helps to position your company as an authority on topics in the mind of your customers.
Review sites
Finally, submitting your products or solutions for unbiased review will also garner backlinks. Many review sites have high search rankings, making links back from these websites valuable for businesses looking to build their own ranking.
Climb the ranks of success
We've only just scratched the surface of boosting your Google search rank in this blog post. However, the above tips and tricks should get you started on the right foot when attempting to climb the ranks of the Google results page. To implement full SEO practices and conduct an audit, you'll need a partner to show you how.
If you want to be an organisation whose website is a central asset, you need to start with an experienced web developer that understands the sales and marketing process. We understand that finding the right developer is a frustrating and time-consuming process, which is why we have spent the last 12 years designing, developing and maintaining high-performing websites for dozens of B2B clients worldwide.
We give you everything you need to build a high-performing website - developers included. Start with taking our free website audit and watch as your search rankings, traffic and online leads increase.
