5 Simple Steps To Improve Your Website Ranking
One of the most important aspects of having and running a website that is often overlooked is the importance of your website is easily found by your target audience. Whether you are new to the industry or looking for a quick win to instantly improve both your ranking and visibility within the search engines, through the use of SEO, this task has never been easier until now.
Search Engine Optimisation or SEO for shorty is not an instant win and will never happen overnight. However, when it comes to improving your website’s ranking, optimization is an investment with a number of things needed to be considered before you begin. For example, do you have the time? The skill? Or the understanding to conduct such an undertaking of a task?
If you have answered yes and are ready to embark on the challenge of improving the performance of your site, we have put together some easy steps for you to follow and implement. Helping you to climb the search engine ladder making your way closer to the rich snippet position, all while improving traffic and productivity.
Publishing Content
Producing high quality, interesting and optimized content on your site is one of the biggest traits to raising your ranking within the SERPs. By posting content that is worth reading, as well as knowledgeable and well written, will work to increase traffic and improve the authority of the site, allowing Google to view it as both a reliable and reputable source.
From here, it only goes up. The higher the authority, the higher the ranking.
It should be said, however, that the content needs to be optimized for SEO. To optimize your content and ensure that it appears within the search results, through the use of long-tailed keywords, you can tell the search engines the intent and meaning behind the content within your blog. By finding and using keywords that would be used by the searchers themselves, you can improve its visibility. It should also be recommended that your chosen keyword is used within the URL, heading and page title of the page, creating a user-friendly and keyword-rich page.
When looking for keywords to add to your page, use sites such as uber suggests and Semrush to discover the keywords, content ideas and the search pattern of your target audience
Stay Up To Date
It is all well and good posting a few pieces of content onto the site. But, if these pieces are not up to date, and relevant to the period of time, they will become outdated and irrelevant rather quickly.
For example, an article posted maybe about an event ongoing somewhere in the world, however, within a month’s time, the event may progress and the previous information will have become out of date. In this circumstance, the blog should be reviewed and updated. If not, other blogs that are more up-to-date will rank higher, no matter how well researched and well written that your blog is.
By always ensuring that content is regularly checked and updated and taking the time to review and improve the supplied information is a great way to move up the search engine result pages while hanging on to your organic position.
Quality Page Speed
A top tip that may seem rather minor to those starting out within the industry, but can really play a huge part in both the user experience and the position of your website is the page loading speed.
Google recommends that the ideal page load speed should be no more than 2 seconds, anything longer can lead to a decrease in traffic. This is because users have a low patience level and if having to wait too long, they will switch off, turning to a new website to discover the information that they seek.
By optimizing your site for speed and ensuring that it is not overloaded with large jps and add ons, can all help to improve load time and page speed. Another top tip for those wanting to improve the speed of their site is by ensuring that their site is being cached. By making sure that the browser is storing large items such as logos, CSS files, and images, new visitors clicking onto your site will receive a fast load time while experiencing the cached data.
Use A Trustworthy Host
When owning a website, it would be recommended to ensure that a trustworthy hosting plan is put in place. This ensures that the site is up and running at all times, without the risk of server errors or crashing. There are two main forms of website hosting available, that each allows a company to run, customize and build a site fit for their consumer profile. These are internal and external hosting.
Internal hosting is done by the company and gives free rein over every aspect of the website. From the first steps in the build to updating and improving the structure of the site. By using internal hosting, you can put into place a reliable system that ensures there are no connectivity issues in the office, causing a distribution in the way that the website works. For example, that of a pre-built rackmount server will be most beneficial, due to their compatibility, slimline fit, and functionality in an office environment.
The next style is external hosting. Unlike internal, this is done outside of the office, by a reliable web hosting team that are available to be contacted through the use of a telephone. They will cover all aspects of the site, working with the client and conducting tasks that the client doesn’t have the time or skill set for, allowing them to use their time more valuable elsewhere.
Optimize For Mobile Use
A large aspect that can affect the performance and success of a site is the compatibility of a website and the way that it performs. Whether used and accessed from a computer, mobile or even tablet, functionality and easy navigation is equally as important. But, this can only be done if the site is completely optimized and designed for the use of mobile.
To do this, ensure that the user will be able to perform any chosen task on the site. Even the simplest of tasks such as searching for a product, or signing in. Then, monitor its performance on each device. Contemplate if the images are needed on the mobile version of the site, while the creation of a smaller size of the image will be needed for loading speeds and to fit the size of a mobile screen.
By checking these features and making sure that your website is mobile-friendly, there will be no reason as to why the site cannot be used on all devices. Audiences will be able to access and navigate their way around your site while completing goals set in place and converting them into returning customers.
Summary
Google and search engines are beginning to get much smarter at reading and interpreting the value of our websites and their content. By making sure and working to optimize all aspects of your site, you can continue to improve and make your way up the search engine rankings.
By avoiding spammy techniques and instead, focusing on optimizing not just the content, but the site speed and user experience, you can continue to create a high-quality SEO rich site.
Along with making sure that your site is reaching and appearing within the intended search queries, your sites are at a higher rate of being discovered by the correct, responsive audience.
From simply following the steps above, you and your business will see higher conversion rates and a steady uphill rise of traffic, helping to inspire and enforce belief and trust in the power that is SEO.
Let us know what you think and feel free to share your personal experiences of how SEO and optimization have had a positive effect and helped to improve the performance of your website?
Sydney Tierney; just recently finished her studies; is working her way into the world of content writing as a digital marketing assistant. She writes for clients that specialize in workstations, procurement, and SEO management.