If you're looking to improve the SEO (search engine optimization) efforts for your website, check out these seven ways to boost your SERP (search engine results page) rankings.
Acronyms aside, Google rankings are everything when it comes to generating organic traffic. In fact, according to a study by Backlinko, the #1 result on Google gets 27.6% of all clicks. On average, moving up one spot in the first-page search rankings leads to a 2.8% increase in clickthrough rate.
With that in mind, it's crucial to ensure that your webpage is created and maintained with Google search rankings in mind. The #1 result on Google is 10X more likely to get a click than the #10 result – so make sure you're sitting up toward the top of the page, preferably within the top three. These seven tips will show you how.
#1: Update Existing Content
It's crucial to keep your website fresh and up-to-date. Updating any content that was posted over 12 months prior will allow your site to be reindexed, meaning it'll be analyzed by Google's crawlers like it was just published. This can help keep your site content evergreen and considered relevant by Google's algorithm, and it'll often give you the SEO boost you've been looking for.
#2: Target High-Potential Keywords
When you're looking to find out where to start with your SEO improvements, it can be helpful to know which keywords you're already shining in. Go to your Google Search Console's "Performance" tab, under which you'll find "Search Results."
Once you're in "Search Results," take a look under the "Queries" tab. Sort by position so that you can see the search queries for which you rank the highest. Look for ones where you rank between 5 and 15, and focus on improving the pages on your site that are related to those queries. One great way to do that is through interlinking.
#3: Structure Your Content Strategically
Google recently introduced featured snippets, which appear above even the traditional #1 ranking. The content in those snippets is pulled from one of the top 10 results, and formatting is crucial for landing that coveted spot. For example, here's a featured snippet for the search query "how to make espresso."
One way to get into a featured snippet is to use standardized subheadings. Google loves a good list format, and if it can pull content from your site into a useful list, you're one stop closer to that featured snippet position.
Here's how: Use subheadings to describe each section of your content (whether it be on a webpage or in a blog post). All you need to do is make sure that all of those subheadings use the same H tag (e.g. H2, H3, H4) so that Google can tell that they're equal. For instance, in this blog post, we're using our preset H2 text for each numbered section on the list of ways to improve SEO.
#4: Locate Low-Traffic Keywords
One of the most common reasons that businesses struggle with SEO is that they're targeting keywords that are far too competitive. You want to spend your time and energy working to rank in keywords that will actually be attainable for you.
As you work on keyword research, you can use Google Search Console or a plug-in like Moz (our personal favorite) to determine keywords with less competition. Generally, question-based keywords are a great place to start because they're more specific, targeted toward your audience's unique needs, and have higher clickthrough rates.
#5: Get Backlinks From Authoritative Sites
Google heavily weighs the authority of each site when curating its top 10 results. So getting linked to by a site with a higher authority score can really boost your site's credibility in the eyes of Google. One great way to do this is by creating data-drive content. When you provide stats or factoids that aren't common knowledge on your pages, you may be linked to as a source when other sites use your data.
#6: Optimize Your Images
While it sometimes seems like an afterthought, optimizing your images is actually an important part of SEO. Images can send people directly to your site via Google Images, but more commonly, they can also help enhance your textual conent.
Visuals are great for breaking up large walls of text and helping your readers better understand your content. They also can make your content more relevant per Google's algorithm. In addition, you can write alt text (also known as alt tags) for images that allow you another opportunity to use keywords. Alt text is an important piece of how search engines understand images.
#7: Ensure Your Site is Mobile-Friendly
Recent studies have found that 92.1% of internet users access the internet using a mobile phone. That means that your audience will likely be viewing your content on a portrait-oriented screen, so you'll want to ensure that your site is readable and effective in either orientation. Optimizing both images and content for mobile can ensure viewers stay on your site longer, which will show Google that you're providing authoritative, informative content.
Let the Pros Handle Your SEO
Optimizing your written content for SERP rankings can be both time-consuming and labor-intensive, using up the most valuable resources of small business owners. While it's important to understand the basics of how SEO works, outsourcing SEO-related tasks is often the most cost-effective option.
At WriteHQ, we're a team of dedicated writers and editors with intensive SEO training. We can take care of your SEO keyword research for you and write blogs, create web content, or take on any other type of content writing project for you. Reach out to us today to find out how we can be better together!
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