Everyone wants to get found online, and one of the best ways to get more traffic to your website is to score high Google rankings. So the question is, of course, how do you improve your Google Rankings?
If you're looking to improve your rankings on Google, then you've come to the right place! In this blog post, I'll walk you through some of the best SEO tips for increasing your website's visibility.
We'll go over how to optimize your website for search engines, and also give you some tips for creating high-quality content that will help you rank higher. Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to reaching better rankings and securing more traffic for your website!
What exactly is SEO anyways?
Before we dive into how to improve your Google rankings, it's important to understand the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how it helps you to get more traffic to your website. Be sure to check out my article on the beginner's guide to search engine optimization first if you need a refresher.
In a nutshell, SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that it will rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), like Google. The position that your web pages are placed in the list of search engine rankings when someone performs a search is known as your keyword position.
The goal of SEO is to increase your visibility in search results for target keywords, which can ultimately lead to more organic traffic and conversions for your web pages. The tips ahead will help you increase the odds of ranking when someone performs a search query.
What are the most important factors that influence Google's keyword rankings?
There are a number of factors that go into your rankings on Google (in fact, there are over 200+ Google ranking factors), but here are three of the most important ones that can have an immediate impact on improving your organic search traffic.
- On-site SEO: these are factors such as page speed, title tags, and meta descriptions that are all within your control. Improving these factors is commonly known as on-site SEO.
- Content: creating high-quality content (also known as content marketing) that is relevant to your target keywords is also a key factor in rankings and determining your page SEO.
- Off-site SEO: these are external factors such as backlinks and social signals that show Google your site is popular and trustworthy.
While there are more factors that impact when and how Google displays your website in search, you have the most control over these factors, and improving them is crucial if you want to rank.
Start by auditing your on-site SEO and making a better user experience.
The first step to improving your Google rankings is to audit your on-site SEO and to make sure that there aren't technical problems that could be holding you back and preventing you from ranking higher in Google search results.
Check things like your website's loading speed, title tags, meta descriptions, and that your website is mobile-friendly. The most efficient way to audit your on-site SEO is by using a dedicated SEO tool like Semrush.
By running a scan on your website, you can quickly identify on-site SEO issues and find recommendations for how to fix them, which is known as on-page optimization.
How to check your site speed:
You can use a tool like Google's PageSpeed Insights to check your website's loading speed and to get recommendations for how to improve it. If you find that your website is slow or has other technical issues, fix them as soon as possible! Google's search algorithm prioritizes websites that load quickly.
How to set your title tags and meta descriptions:
The exact method of how to set a title tag and meta description for your website page depends on your website platform, but you can generally find instructions by doing a quick Google search (such as how to set title tags in Squarespace, Webflow, WordPress, etc.).
Both your title tag and meta description are important for Google to understand what your page is about (and to entice visitors to click!), so be sure to include your keyword phrase in both! Including your exact keyword in the meta description for your page helps Google to understand that your page has relevant content for your target keyword.
How to check if your website is mobile-friendly:
You can check if your website is mobile-friendly by using Google's mobile-friendly test. Since the majority of website traffic is on mobile, you're missing out on a lot of visitors if the site doesn't work on mobile devices. If your website is not mobile-friendly, then you'll want to make some changes so that it is!
Create high-quality website content
If you want to improve your rankings on Google, then it's important to also focus on creating high-quality website content. Quality content is one of the most important factors that Google takes into account when ranking websites, so it's essential that you create content that is both relevant and engaging for your audience.
Be sure to include internal links pointing to other relevant pages on your website (for example, if you're an SEO expert agency and you create a blog post on optimizing your site for SEO, you would want to include a link within your content to a relevant web page on your site).
Here are a few tips for creating quality website content:
- Write for your audience first and foremost. Don't write for the search engines!
- If you're creating content for your service or product pages, ensure that what your writing is clear and concise. Clarity beats cleverness every time.
- Use headlines and subheadings to break up your text and make it easier to read.
- Use images, infographics, and videos to supplement your text and to make your content more engaging.
- Make sure your content is well-researched and accurate. If you are citing facts or statistics, include external links to high-quality sources in your content.
Improve your SEO rankings with search engine optimized blog posts
One of the best ways to improve your Google rankings is with a blog. Blogging is alive and well, and it's one of the best ways to engage your audience and help you show up in search results.
By creating blog posts with content that is relevant to your audience, you can not only improve your rankings on Google, but also drive more traffic to your website when others link to it online.
But it's not enough to just have a blog - you also need to make sure that your blog posts are high quality and offer value for your readers. This means including well-researched keywords, using proper grammar and spelling, and much more.
Be sure to check out my article on blogging for SEO for my top tips on creating posts that engage your audience and help you to improve your rankings for a particular keyword.
Improve your off-site SEO
There are a number of things you can do to improve your rankings on Google, but one of the most important (and most ignored) is off-site SEO. Off-site SEO refers to all of the things you can do that are not on your website to help improve your rankings.
Off-site SEO includes tactics such as link building (getting other websites to link to yours - which is why creating high-quality content that others will want to link to is so important!), social media engagement, and more.
What is link building?
Link building is a process by which you create backlinks to your website from other websites. Backlinks are basically just links from other sites that point back to yours, and they're important for two main reasons:
- They help improve your Google search rankings by signaling that your website is trustworthy.
- They help increase the amount of traffic that comes to your website.
Link building can be a complicated process, but a simple link building strategy is to create high-quality content and then reach out to other websites and ask them to link to your content. Other link building strategies include writing guest blog posts for other websites, and asking if you can include relevant links back to your website within the content.
As you're looking for other websites to incorporate into your link building strategy, make sure that you're getting quality backlinks to your site. You can use a tool like Aherfs website authority checker to check a website's authority. If their score is too low, then getting a link back to your site may not be as impactful as a website with a higher authority score.
It can be tempting to skip link building because it's a lot of work, but Google's algorithm pays close attention to the number of links pointing to a page. If you have more backlinks than your rivals, that can help you edge out that higher placement in Google search.
While off-site SEO can be time consuming, it is well worth the effort if you want to improve your rankings on Google.
Tips for improving your Local SEO rankings
While all of the tips above apply for improving your overall SEO, there are additional actions you can take if you want to improve your SEO in a specific geographic area.
This is known as Local SEO, and it's important if you want your website to show up in local search results for people who are searching for businesses or services in your area.
Here are a few tips on how to improve your Local SEO rankings:
- Make sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all of your online listings.
- Build up reviews on popular local directories and review sites (like Google My Business, Yelp, etc.).
- Make sure you have a presence on local directory and listing sites (such as the Chamber of Commerce website for your city or town). Bonus points if they will link over to your website!
- Include location-specific keywords in your website content.
- Create location-specific landing pages that detail your products and services for that particular region.
How to track your website's organic search traffic and Google search result rankings over time
If you're not tracking your organic search traffic and keyword rankings, you could be missing out on valuable insights about your website's performance.
By monitoring your ranking on Google search, you can get an idea of how well your site is performing in terms of SEO and visibility. You can also learn which keywords are driving traffic to your site, and which ones need more work.
In addition, tracking your organic search traffic can help you identify any ranking changes that may occur, so you can take action to improve your site's ranking.
Ultimately, tracking your organic search traffic and keyword rankings is essential for understanding and improving your website's performance.
How to track your organic search traffic
If you want to track your website's organic search traffic and progress over time, then I recommend using Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to track traffic to your website, as well as other important data such as conversion rates and more.
To set up Google Analytics, simply create an account and then add the tracking code to your website. Once you have Google Analytics set up, be sure to check back periodically to see how your website is performing and to make changes as needed.
As you improve your SEO and keyword rankings, you'll begin to show up higher on search results pages. Once you hit the first page of search results pages, you can expect to see more organic search traffic on your website.
How to track your keyword rankings
Ranking on Google search can be a tricky business. You want to make sure you're ranking for the right keywords, but you also don't want to obsess over your position and get caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations.
That's where tools like Semrush and GrowthBar come in. They both offer great features for tracking your keyword positions.
Semrush has a comprehensive suite of tools for research, analysis, and monitoring, while GrowthBar focuses specifically on keyword ranking and helping you with keyword research.
Both tools can help you stay on top of your rankings and make sure you're moving in the right direction. So if you're serious about your SEO, be sure to check out Semrush or GrowthBar.
Additional tips and resources for improving your Google rankings
Here are a few additional tips and resources for improving your rankings on Google:
- Use keyword-rich headings and subheadings for your website pages and blog posts.
- Optimize your website's images by including keywords in the file names and image alt text.
- Take advantage of social media platforms by sharing links to your content and engaging with others.
- Submit your website to directories and other relevant online resources.
Bringing it all together so you can improve your Google keyword rankings
If you’re looking to improve your website’s SEO and keyword rankings, there are a number of things you can do.
Just remember to be patient - SEO takes time! - and to keep creating quality content that your audience will want to read, and keep looking for opportunities to get quality links back to your website.
In this article, we looked at some of the most important factors that influence Google’s keyword rankings.
I also shared some tips on how to audit your on-site SEO and make a better user experience.
Finally, we talked about ways to create high-quality website content and improve off-site SEO.
If you want to learn more about SEO, be sure to check out my other articles on Search Engine Optimization. Thanks for reading!
Frequently asked questions about improving your rankings on Google
How do I find my Google ranking?
To find your rankings in Google, use a site keyword tracking tool. There are some great SEO tools out there to help with this, such as Google Search Console, Semrush, or Growthbar.
How much does it cost to rank #1 on Google?
It costs nothing to rank #1 on Google, but the question is not that simple. SEO rankings are determined through a variety of ranking factors such as 1) a website's authority (the site's trustworthiness and popularity), 2) links, 3) quality of content, 4) synchronization with other sites, as well as 5) social media rankings.
How long does it take to rank on Google?
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, but generally, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to see rankings improve. However, if you're just starting out with SEO, it's important to be patient and not expect immediate results.
What is the #1 ranking factor on Google?
There are a number of ranking factors, but one of the biggest ranking factors on Google is a website's authority. This is determined by a number of factors such as the site's trustworthiness and popularity. To improve your rankings, you need to work on building up your website's authority.
You can check your website's authority using Ahrefs free website authority checker.
How do you rank higher on Google?
To rank higher on Google, you need to improve your site SEO and create great content. To improve your site's SEO, you can optimize your website for search engines, build links, and publish great content. Additionally, make sure that your website is synchronized with other sites and that you have a strong social media presence.
What is Page Rank?
Page Rank is a Google algorithm that assigns a numerical weighting to each page on the web, with the purpose of "measuring" its relative importance. The higher the number, the more important the page is.
How do I know my Page Rank?
An SEO software, such as Semrush, can help you evaluate your page rank for a specific page.
What is a good Page Rank?
There is no definitive answer, but in general, a higher Page Rank is better.
How can I rank my website for free on Google?
You can rank your website for free on google by optimizing your site and creating great content. In particular, creating blog posts that are optimized for SEO is a great (and free!) way to rank your website on Google.
How can I check my website ranking?
To check your website ranking, use an SEO tool like Google Search Console or Semrush. These tools will help you track your rankings for specific keywords and phrases.
Additionally, be sure to monitor your website's traffic to see if there is any correlation between rankings and traffic. If you notice that your rankings are slowly increasing but your traffic isn't budging, then it's likely that you may be targeting the wrong keyword.
