Google rankings are done by sorting through millions of results to find the ones that best fit what is being searched. Your site’s Google ranking is great indicator of how popular your site is, therefore having a higher ranking is very desirable. Even if you Google ranking is lower now, there are a number of things you can do to improve it.
1. Put keyword in the beginning of your title
When Google sorts through content, it puts more of an emphasis on words that are at the beginning of your title tag. This is also called front loading, defined as “putting the important details, special information and keywords at the front of sentences, headings, paragraphs, links, buttons, list items and calls-to-action.”
2. Write quality content
Contrary to popular belief, it’s important to make sure your word count is long enough. In fact, the ideal length for most blog posts is between1,500 and 2,500 words, disproving the idea that shorter means better. What actually matters most is making content that is scannable and easy to read. You can do this for your content by making sure you break up information using subheadings, utilizing font changes or bolding when necessary, and keeping paragraphs short.
3. Optimize your site for mobile devices
In today’s world, it’s rather easy to check if your site is optimized for mobile devices. You can even use the Mobile Friendly Test tool from Google to check. Optimizing for mobile devices will help you potentially reach even more people, and having more people open you site on all types of devices can boost your Google ranking.
4. Secure your site with HTTPS
Securing your site with HTTPS instead of simply HTTP adds a level of encryption. For that reason, it is far more secure and an excellent choice for protecting your content. The added security of HTTPS can be essential if your website has users give you information, like personal or credit card data.
5. Be aware of “search intent”
Search intent refers to the goal of a user who is searching up something in a search engine. Google has the ability to figure out whether your site matches the search intent of users. Therefore, it’s smart to do your best to match content with that in mind in order to have Google rank you higher. For example, if someone is in looking for a hair salon close to their location, they may search “hair salon nearby,” and Google will give them a list of results. They may check out a few, but stay the longest on the site for the company they end up choosing. Google then tracks this information, along with the actions of other people who search for that, and ranks the results accordingly.
6. Vary your content
While blogs and article posts are great, it’s good to add a variety of media to your site. In pages that are word-heavy, try to break up content with headings and by adding photos or videos. In fact, 83% of businesses say adding videos is provide a good ROI. Beyond just that, people who take time to watch the videos on you site will be spending more time on the page, therefore boosting your Google ranking. If you want some more tips on how to improve your visual content strategy, check out our blog.
7. Take steps to lower bounce rate
Your bounce rate is when a user clicks on your site from results, makes no other actions to trigger a request and then “bounces” back to the search page. Google takes this into consideration and will rank your site lower due to the higher bounce rate. Adding things like visual content or a table of contents (when appropriate) can help keep user engaged and on your site. It’s also important to look at your “above the fold” area, aka the upper-half of your site that is visible without any scrolling. Make sure there is lots of content in this section that is easy to read and well organized because it’s what people see first when they open the link. 
8. Share your site on social media
Having users share your website on their social media can be a great way to boost rankings. If you can get people to post and share links, the traffic that it creates can boost not just your Google ranking, but your SEO as well. You can help encourage this by adding links for sharing on social media, like social media icons at the bottom of a page. That way, it just takes one click for someone to share it!
If you’re looking for more social media/digital marketing news and guidance, contact us at Bad Rhino!
