How to Rank Higher in Google Rankings
You have a beautiful new website. Now what? Because the internet is constantly being updated with more information about businesses like yours, competition for visibility is getting more challenging every day.
Why Isn’t My Site at The Top?
Frustrating for all, ranking on Google and other search engines is a waiting game. According to AHREFs: "The average top 10 ranking page is 2+ years old and those that rank at position #1 are almost 3 years old (on average). In fact, only 22% of pages that currently rank in the Top 10 were created within 1 year." These sites use extensive SEO, backlinks, and other techniques to get there. Here’s a list:
Google AdWords
The easiest (but most expensive way) to appear in the top of Google rankings is to pay for AdWords. If you Google anything, you will notice those sites with the small “Ad” are always at the top. This location comes at a premium - it can be $1000+ a month depending on your business and what your competitors are currently paying. If this is not a shocking amount for your business, feel free to contact Google AdWords directly and they will assign a consultant to work with you. Just know that as soon as you remove your ad, you will probably fall back to where you were before.
Google My Business
By creating a free business profile on Google My Business, you will make it easier for clients, customers, or reader to find you on Google Search and Maps. Visit the Google Business Guide for more information.
Continuous Updates of Your Website
One of the best scenarios for capturing Google’s attention is to continually make changes to your site, alerting Google that something is alive, a functioning site. But how? Considering adding a blog that creates a new searchable page on your site every time you make a new entry. Even if it’s only a quarterly entry, that’s still 4 more searchable pages than you had last year. For best results, however, plan to add new content every few days if possible.
Another great option is to added landing pages that highlight certain keyword phrases and locations (like “Best web designer in Hartford CT”). Use those same keywords in your title page, H1 header, and SEO statement to maximize results. It’s important to add a separate page for each keyword phrase.
Onsite SEO
The placement of the appropriate amount of keywords throughout your site is an important tactic in getting search engine attention. Too many, and your site can be flagged as “keyword stuffing” and subsequently ignored.
A title tag is used by search engines to display a page in search results, as well as appear at top of the browser telling search spiders and users what your page is about.
Every image and video should have descriptive keywords embedded known as ALT tags. These descriptions are another way search engines can locate your page.
Every page (and possibly every section) should have a unique SEO statement with the keyword phrases that accurately describes that page’s content.
A sitemap is a page that specifically creates links to all the other pages of your website to help search spiders locate pages quickly resulting in better rankings.
Mobile Version
With a high percentage of organic traffic coming from mobile, a website with an easy-to-navigate, fast mobile interface will naturally rank higher on Google. They are now using something called “mobile-first indexing” to rank the mobile version as well.
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, your ranking is being negatively affected:
Is it difficult for a user to quickly go to a needed location?
Do they have to scroll forever to find your products or services
Is your font small or hard to read?
Is it difficult for visitors to handle basic tasks on your mobile site?
Are your images or pages slow to load? Starting in July 2018, Google now uses mobile page speed as a search ranking indicator so loading time is a huge factor.
Internal Links
There is nothing more frustrating than clicking on a link over and over again and nothing happens. It also sends a message to Google’s crawler bots that your site is not working correctly. Ensure that every link and CTA (call to action) is working correctly.
External Links (aka Backlinks or Local Directories)
Google ranks the reliability and relevance of your site partially as a result of how many times it has been recommended by third parties. Google’s algorithm will check the number of organic and quality inbound links to your site. Quantity does not trump quality so beware of backlink services that claim to give you hundreds of local citations.
Other Considerations
If your website is still using Flash, be aware that Google tends to rank them lower. Also, the shorter and more relevant you can make your URL name, the better. Google likes short URLS but equally likes to recognize some part of the name and how it relates to your business.
How Long Does it Take to Move Up in Ranking?
The simple answer: it depends. On average, a page in the top 10 was over 2 years old and most pages that were number one are over 3 years old. Does this mean you cannot move up quicker? It is possible but it will take some work.
To start, your website should be clean and easy to navigate. If your website is hard to use, especially on a mobile platform, Google will find it hard to crawl which impacts your ranking. Be sure that all duplicate content is removed which not only confuses your readers. but Google crawler bots as well.
Love your current site but it’s still stuck in the same ranking position? Consider having an SEO audit. Charlotte’s Web Designs can help determine if you have any Google penalties that are hindering your ranking. We use a multi-step approach including a technical SEO audit, an on-page SEO audit, an off-page SEO audit, and a social media quick audit. Contact us to schedule one here.
Want to Know More about SEO?
Google has a guide for anyone promoting online content which is a good overview of how Google finds and understands your content as well as some helpful hints on optimizing your site’s hierarchy, content, and images. Check out Google’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide.
Conclusion
Moving up in Google rankings through SEO is an ever-changing algorithm and requires the vigilance of the changing terms and conditions Google considers important. While there is not a simple or clear path, there are some basic things you can do to make your website as visible as possible including having a clear, easily-navigated layout with working internal and external links, ensuring SEO and keywords are appropriately used, continually making changes or adding pages to capture attention, and ensuring your content works well on a mobile platform.
Need help getting your business noticed? Please contact Charlotte’s Web Designs for a free consultation.
5-star Google-rated Charlotte’s Web Design, LLC is a sole proprietor web design and digital marketing firm specializing in custom, professional websites, SEO, branding, logo design, digital marketing, content writing, and graphic design with over 35 years of technology experience currently working with over a hundred small businesses. Please contact me for a free consultation.
