Search engine optimization is the key tactic in any marketing setting. So, how do you achieve better ranks in it?
Most of the marketing strategies in the online world target SEO, i.e., search engine ranks. Considering that 68% of all online experiences are caused by search engine activity, you can understand why it’s important.
On top of that, standing out in Google is the most important thing for marketing experts. Since the search engine giant hogs up 85% of the market share of search engines, people listen to what it has to say. Hence, it’s important to understand SEO and high ranks on Google.
So, today we’ll be briefly discussing all of that, including a few important ways of ranking higher in SEO, as well as some key tips and tricks. So, let’s begin.
What Is SEO?
SEO is shortened from the term called Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of increasing the number of organic traffic, i.e., visitors to a website, by using keywords, content, and links to make it more visible in search engine results.
Content on a website is optimized for better SEO ranks in many ways. For example, it can include keywords that are relevant to the site’s topic and use those words frequently throughout the text. It can also include links back to other pages on the site that have already been optimized for SEO.
However, we’ll address that later on. For now, let us understand two key aspects of SEO to understand it:
1. What is Organic SEO Traffic?
Organic SEO traffic is the number of people who come to your website from a search engine. This is the most valuable type of traffic for a website. Why is that? Because it typically comes from people who are genuinely interested in your site’s content and are not influenced by any advertising or marketing campaigns.
Since organic keywords and your higher ranks in SERP (search engine results pages) draws this traffic, it has no direct influence from a promotional method. That’s how it earns the nickname, as the visitors are attracted to the website through a natural and structured method.
2. How Does Google Weigh A Website?
Google has a set standard in place to keep only the best websites on top, and it relies on various algorithms. Google’s ranking algorithms are one of the most important factors determining how a website will rank. Moreover, it’s updated frequently to improve search quality and prevent spam.
Furthermore, it’s updated frequently to improve search quality and prevent spam. But, a few key things that Google’s crawlers keep in mind are:
- Website’s content quality, i.e., informative value, readability, usage of media such as images and videos, stats, backlinks, etc.
- Website’s page loading speed and device optimization. Or, in other words, how well a site works on desktop and mobile phones
- Technical aspects, such as redirects, absence or presence of orphaned pages
- Keyword usage and on-page SEO elements
That’s how Google weighs a worthy website to place in its top results on the first page of the SERP.
Why Are Search Engine Ranks Important?
Search engine ranks are important because they can increase your website’s traffic and visitors. The more people search for your site, the more likely you are to appear in their search results.
This means that you will get more visitors and have a higher chance of converting them into customers. A high rank on Google is also a sign of trustworthiness in the eyes of potential customers. Here are a few reasons that make higher SERP rankings important:
- It builds trust and credibility
- It increases engagement
- Organic searches are the chief source of traffic to a website
- Improves the buying cycle and elevates user experience
Besides these, a million more reasons make high search engine ranks very important to a website.
How Experts Get Better SEO Ranks
Before we talk about tips, it’s important to have some context. For that, we’ll be understanding the few key tactics that SEO experts use. Then, we’ll analyze the tips and tricks we have. So, let’s start with four main ways SEO experts achieve higher SERP rankings.
1. Establish Authority With Content
Establishing authority with content is one of the leading practices that SEO experts employ. How exactly does content do that? Because good content is the key to higher ranks. For instance:
- Good content draws the audience
- Good content features proper keyword usage
- Prominent content in SERP features the most informative value
Now, the three main attributes of authoritative content are informative value, good keyword usage, and attention-grasping elements such as good headlines. Keep these three things in mind moving forward; it’ll be much easier to create good content and establish authority with it.
2. Website’s Design Plays A Vital Role
Website design is one of the key essentials of any high-ranked website. Now, visually appealing elements are one thing, but something easy to navigate is another. For better SEO, your website needs to feature both.
What do you think UI and UX stand for? User Interface and User Experience, both of which are essentials of any high-ranked website. As such, websites are easy to use and elevate the overall user experience.
3. Improve Your Website Authority
Improving a website’s authority is one of the necessary essentials. Now, we’re talking about the domain authority score, otherwise known as DA PA Score. You can use a DA PA checker to understand where your website stands. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- 30 or below are poor domain authority scores
- 30-50 are average
- 50 and above are almost good
- 60 and above are ideal
Therefore, you should head for higher scores, and we’ll explore a few tips to help you with that.
4. Lead With Originality & Integrity
Originality is one of the key essentials of any good website. Google has zero-tolerance for duplicity or plagiarism. SO, how do you deal with it? A few key things that SEO experts do include:
- Check plagiarism and remove it—even on already published content
- Use 301 redirects
- Avoid URL duplicity
- Use a good content management system, i.e., WordPress
Now, your website’s integrity and content’s originality will play a vital role. And that’s something you need to focus on from the get-go.
8 Essential Tips & Tricks For Better SEO
Now that we understand the necessary essentials of a high-ranked website let’s explore the 8 tips to help your site get there.
1. Anatomy of Keyword Usage
Using the right keywords in your content is important. However, using them correctly is even more important. The anatomy of keyword usage goes as:
- Find primary and secondary keywords
- Use the primary keyword in your H1 title, and the first paragraph of the intro
- Use secondary keywords as H2 headings and the first line of their paragraphs
- Spread keywords evenly
- Never use primary keywords in more than 1-2% of your content
This should help you place your keywords throughout the text evenly.
2. Find & Remove Plagiarism: Even On Content Already Published
Finding and removing plagiarism is important, even on content that you’ve already published. So, how do you do that?
- Check plagiarism in your text with an online tool.
- Find the plagiarism percentage
- Remove or paraphrase plagiarized content
- Cite the found source
This will effectively avoid content duplicity—which is important as we discussed Google’s policy earlier.
3. On-Page SEO Is The Key
On-Page SEO is one of the key essentials of SEO strategies. This element deals with content and technical aspects of SEO. So, what exactly do you need to do in it?
- Use H1 and H2 tags to spread your content evenly
- Use metadata, such as meta descriptions and titles
- Use keyword in the slug/URL of your page
Use these on-page SEO tactics, and you’ll see a clear difference in your website’s DA score.
4. CTRs & How To Use Them
CTR or click-through rates are an indication of your website being clicked in SERP. These CTRs are the clear score of your website’s generated organic traffic. So, how do you achieve higher CTR rates?
- Write gripping headlines
- Write informative content
- Write the best intro ever
- Use keywords properly
By now, you would understand that SEO is basically a circle, and each aspect is interconnected with one another. These tips will only help you tie them together firmly.
5. Backlinking Is An Important Pillar
Backlinking is a necessary essential of SEO, as it helps search engine crawlers see your website as a credible result. So, how do you acquire backlinks? By guest posting on other blogs/websites and allowing others to guest post on your domain.
6. Remove Orphaned & Zombie Pages
Orphaned and zombie pages are the ones that aren’t’ interconnected or interlinked with other pages in your domain. These pages don’t attract any inbound traffic and also decrease your DA PA score. Therefore, removing them is another vital aspect you should tend to.
7. Mobile Optimization
Mobile phone compatibility is one of the key aspects of a website ranking higher in SEO. You must ensure your website’s grid, design, and content are suitable for mobile phone users, as they make up half the traffic you wish to draw.
8. Loading Speeds
Page-loading speeds are yet another essential factor in a website standing out in SERP. You need to make sure your page loading speeds are optimal. Therefore, use a fast host, try CDN and reduce the number of HTTP requests.
Conclusion
These are some of the necessary SEO factors and the 8 tips and tricks to help you get there. Not only are they content-related, but they also feature a few key technical aspects. So, ensure you tend to each one and improve your website’s chances of a higher rank.