How do you rank higher on Google search results? Well, having a well-built digital footprint is a necessary part of marketing today. The more outreach you have to your audience, the more likely Google is to pay attention to your brand and showcase your pages to its users when they search for the words and phrases that apply to the products and services you offer. Of course, showing up on page one of the search engine results pages (SERPs) isn’t quite that simple. It does take more than just being found in multiple places online; when you’re trying to figure out how to get your website to rank higher on Google, you have to put work into your content and create user experiences that are more relevant, valuable, and frequent than your competitors. How do you do that? Great question! We’re here to give you the answer.
1. Publish Relevant Content
Like many things in life, you need to focus more on the quality of your content than the quantity of the posts you publish. Yes, you need to post blogs and social updates frequently, but you can’t just put words into the universe for words’ sake; getting your website to the top of Google means you need to focus on creating content that specifically fits users’ intents when they’re searching for information online.
Keywords and phrases need to be considered for each webpage and post, but be careful not to be too overzealous with a huge list of keywords; it can be hard to rank well for tons of different options. Instead, pick a focus keyword and maybe one or two secondary options to create your content around. If you want to rank for multiple keywords, make a separate page for each phrase you’re targeting, and create blog posts specific to each individual subject.
Google also looks at the recency of your content, which means it’s important to update it regularly. One of the factors the search engine considers when deciding if your pages are relevant to its users is analyzing how recently your posts and pages were published. In other words, it’s important to have fresh content going out to the world on a regular basis.
2. Improve Your Website’s User Experience
If your bounce rate is high, Google isn’t likely to recommend you to its users. What would make people leave your site as soon as they arrive? Well, there are honestly several things, but if it’s user-unfriendly, that’s a surefire way to lose your audience’s attention before they even begin to get acquainted with your brand.
Designing a great user experience is an all-encompassing endeavor that really includes every aspect of your site that people touch and interact with, but here are some top elements to pay attention to:
- Navigation. Your site should be easy for people to navigate. Without clear navigation, your audience will likely become frustrated and leave in search of better alternatives.
- Mobile Responsiveness. More searches happen on mobile than desktop today, so your site needs to meet people where they are. The design of your site needs to be fluid and able to adjust to all types of devices.
- Page Speed. The longer it takes your pages to load, the more likely you are to lose your visitors. According to Google, when page load speed increases from just one to three seconds, the probability of bounce increases by 32%. To optimize your page speed, your site should load within two seconds.
3. Tell Google Which Keywords You’re Targeting
When you’re trying to figure out how to increase your Google ranking, you have to do your part to help the process along. Google’s web crawlers are responsible for figuring out what every website on the internet is offering to create an organized index of this information and quickly show relevant results when people type something into the search bar. Thus, it’s important to make it as easy as possible for Google to crawl your site by placing keywords in strategic places such as:
- Meta titles
- Meta descriptions
- URLs
- Alt tags
4. Build More Backlinks
Backlinks are links that come from another website that send people to your own. Google weighs backlinks heavily during the ranking process because it considers that sites that are being linked to are, in theory, providing information that another site finds valuable. This, in turn, causes the search engine to view highly backlinked sites in a very favorable light.
Incoming links contribute to your website’s domain authority. Your domain authority is a measurement of how relevant your site is within your industry. The higher your domain authority score, the greater your possibilities of ranking well in the SERPs.
How do you get backlinks? Here are a few ideas:
- Build skyscraper content
- Publish ultimate guides
- Look for sites that host guest posts
- Leverage the use of influencers
5. Optimize for Voice Search
According to a study performed by Perficient, 55% of respondents say they use voice search as one of the top three ways they search for information online. Many people prefer the method of speaking into their phones or smart speakers over any other option. As such, you’ll want to be sure your site is optimized for voice search so people can find your business when they’re not typing out their inquiries. It’s important to note that people phrase things differently when they use voice search, so you’ll want to incorporate your keywords into full, fluid phrases that flow in a natural, conversational style. As you try to figure out how to rank first on Google, creating voice search-friendly content is an imperative part of the puzzle.
If you need help improving your site’s ranking, Zero Gravity Marketing is here to help. Hire our team so we can take you from undesirable search positions to optimal online visibility using our know-how and internet marketing expertise!
