8 ways of improving your search ranking

Firstly, despite what some will promise, getting onto page one of the major search is never guaranteed. However…

…if you use best practice techniques, you will give your website the best chance.

Oh, did we mention: it takes a little patience too!

Write for people, not robots

Ultimately, it is people that search for websites, not search engines.

And as the search algorithms become more complex and sophisticated in their understanding of human searches, the way they rank websites will become more human-centred.

You can use this to your advantage right now by using SEO techniques aimed at humans, such as long-tail keywords.

Research long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords make up about 80% of the keywords that people search for and ultimately lead to far better ranking of your website. We’ve written an in-depth blog about keyword research.

Use commercial keywords instead of informational ones

People that search using the terms “Do I need…” or “how to…” are more likely to be looking for information and are therefore using informational keywords.

Searchers using language such as “submarine store in Liverpool” or “used yellow submarine” are far more likely to be looking to buy something.

Use this information to your advantage and focus on commercial keywords if you want to boost your sales.

Use alt text on images

Alt text, while being essential for accessibility, is also great for adding an extra bit of SEO.

All it means is adding a few words of description to any images or media you might have on your website. We published a blog a few months back which goes into more detail about website images and SEO.

Use Google Trends

Google Trends is a handy feature offered free by Google that lets you dig into popular search terms around the world.

A little but of exploration on Google Trends into similar keywords and industries as yours could prove very beneficial to your keyword research, and ultimately your business.

Be local

Data released by Google shows the importance of local optimisation for search:

• Local searches lead to more purchases than non-local searches
• 18% of local searches on smartphone lead to a purchase within a day vs. 7% of non-local searches
• 50% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day, and 34% who searched on computer/tablet did the same
• 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to find local information
• 72% of consumers who searched for local information on smartphones visit a store within 5 miles.

The evidence is clear: the more local information you include on your website the more likely your website is to appear in search rankings to people searching from that area. And the more likely they are to spend money!

Social Media Optimisation (SMO)

Google recently announced that Tweets will now show up in Google searches.

And don’t forget social media pages and accounts already show up in searches.

Combine this with the 1.5 billion people that already use Facebook alone and the case for making use of social media to boost your digital presence is pretty clear.

Producing good content (blogs etc), optimised for human searches and shared on social media can be an excellent route to increasing your search ranking.

Patience

Patience really is a virtue when it comes to search rankings.

As you produce more good content, link on social media and interact generally throughout the web, the search algorithms will gradually notice your site has more to offer and slowly bump you up the search rankings.

It might take a while to get that page one spot but using these tactics will definitely help you on the way to the podium.