Google’s algorithms are in constant flux, but always striving for fairness. Getting your site to the top of Google isn’t so much about luck as hard work and ensuring your online presence is visible and accessible. There are a few key points you should bear in mind if you want to make sure that Google ranks your site high enough so that it shows up on any relevant search input.
1) Have Clear and Unique Titles for All of Your Pages
The shorter the better. Don’t waste time with unnecessary words like “A Page About I Don’t Remember What” or “My Favorite Things.”
Your page title should be accurate and informative but also succinct. It is worth getting an SEO audit completed by an agency offering seo services, as you will then know what the scope of work involves.
2) Use Keywords Wisely and Evenly
It’s important not to overdo it with the keywords. If your webpage is about running shoes, then you don’t need your title to include the words “running” and “shoes” in the same sentence. Especially in the beginning stages, Google will see this as a little red flag and might not rank you as high. Instead, try to use multiple keywords in one title. Don’t be afraid of using synonyms either. The goal is to ensure that someone searching for your product or service can easily find you. If they’re getting relevant results, then they’ll stay on Google, which is vital for ongoing SEO success.
3) Add Descriptive Text to Images and Videos
This is important. Anyone looking at your site should be able to tell what they are looking at without having to click on it, if they do have to click on it, an image with a caption explaining what it is they’re going to see will help with rankings. Not only this, but Google also views an image with a caption as valuable content rather than a space that doesn’t contain relevant information. The same goes for YouTube videos: If you have a video about your business, then make sure that it has descriptive tags and is easily findable once people have typed in relevant search terms.
4) Include a Sitemap
The more comprehensive the sitemap, the more pages that show up in the search results. It’s a simple process to upload a sitemap of your domain, or for a small business, there are many free and paid services available that can make this process easy for you.
5) Make Sure You’re Using the Correct Meta Tags
These should be reasonable and appropriate for your site. If you want people looking to buy an item on your site to find information about how they can purchase it, then include “Buy” in the title tag of an article (which would be something like “How to Buy”).
While these tips might seem a little self-explanatory, it’s surprising how often the simple things are overlooked. The information above is a good rule of thumb for anyone looking to get their site ranked on Google, and if you follow these five easy steps, there’s no reason why your business can’t be seen by as many people as possible.
