7 SEO Quick Wins That Rank Your Site Higher in Search
Google processes billions of search queries a day.
So your target audience is online right now searching for products and services that your business offers. Ranking at the top for those search queries can practically guarantee a steady stream of highly targeted traffic to your pages. Which ultimately means more conversions for your business.
But ranking in the search results is not easy. Google’s ranking algorithm has become increasingly sophisticated so you cannot simply slap up random content and build thousands of links. Your site will likely get penalised if you engage in any of these practices.
The good news is that SEO is not all that complicated. You can still rank in the search results but it requires optimising certain aspects of your site. Here we look at seven quick SEO wins to improve your rankings.
1. Generate and Submit an XML Sitemap
A sitemap is a file on your site that has links to all your pages.
It helps search engine find and index the content on your website. You can learn more about building a sitemap directly from Google’s Search Console page. If you use WordPress, there are also a number of plugins available that automatically create an XML sitemap. Remember to submit your sitemap in your Search Console account.
2. Use Search Engine Friendly URLs
A search engine friendly URL includes a clear structure as well as the target keywords. It is beneficial from a user and search engine standpoint. It helps Google determine what a page is about and users can glance at the URL before clicking through. An example of a search engine friendly URL would be “https://your site.com/category/your-target-keywords”. You can change the display settings in WordPress by navigating to the Permalinks Setting page.
3. Optimise On-Page Factors
Include your keywords in the following areas:
- Title tags
- Meta descriptions
- Headers
- Image ALT text
- Body
Each page should be optimised to increase the relevance of your site. But be careful not to over-optimise your content by keyword stuffing as doing so can result in a ranking penalty.
4. Check For Duplicate Content
With the Panda update, all it takes is a few pages of low quality or duplicate content to penalise the entire site. Go through each page or use a tool such as Copyscape to check for any instances of duplicate content. Then either remove those pages from your site or have them completely rewritten.
5. Add Your Business to Google My Business
If your business targets local customers, then be sure to add your site to Google My Business. Completely fill out your profile including the address, phone number, operating hours, and description fields. This increases visibility of your business across Search, Maps, and Google+.
6. Optimise For Mobile Devices
Mobile is a must and simply cannot be ignored. Google has even made mobile-friendliness a ranking factor so your site could rank lower for mobile searches if it is not optimised for mobile devices. Google’s recommended configuration is responsive design which means that the sites automatically changes to fit all screen resolutions.
7. Increase Loading Times
Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for a site to load. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insight tool to see how fast the mobile and desktop versions of your site is. Even a few seconds delay can result in lower rankings so take steps to improve your loading times.
Conclusion
SEO is incredibly effective as higher rankings means more traffic to your site. Implement each of these marketing tips above to help your site rank higher for your target keywords.