Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO for short, is a major factor in how successful your digital marketing – and in turn your business – will be online.
By now, you’ve figured out that ranking higher on Google and other search engines is crucial to the success of your business. Well, we’re here to confirm that it’s true.
In this article, we’re going to share with you a hitlist of things you can do to help your business rank higher on Google and beat your competitors. In doing so, you’ll save money on your Google Ads paid advertising, and enhance your digital marketing to boot.
So, whether you’re just starting out and trying to get your business off the ground, or you’ve been in business for a while but haven’t been seeing the results you want, read on for our top tips on how to rank higher on Google. They are some great SEO techniques that will help you with your SEO marketing, increase your online traffic to your website and get you sales.
Of course, if you want to take the shortcut in ranking well in the search engines, Ronin is well placed in addition to being one of a number of long-serving Brisbane digital marketing agencies, we have also been a Brisbane SEO agency for close to 15 years! Don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our SEO specialists to discuss our SEO services and how we can help you. You can either call us on 07 3358 5062 or arrange a FREE SEO Audit.
Google’s Search Engine Optimisation Algorithm Updates
Google’s algorithm updates can feel like a bit of a mystery, but they’re actually pretty straightforward. Google’s goal is to provide the best possible search results for its users, so it regularly updates its algorithm to exclude websites that are low quality or spammy.
These updates can sometimes cause turbulence for businesses whose websites have suddenly lost their search engine optimisation ranking, but with a little knowledge and understanding of how Google’s and other search engines algorithm works, you can work out an SEO strategy to help your website stay ahead of the curve. At the end of the day, you, as well as Google, want relevant search engine traffic.
So, here are some key things to keep in mind with Google and the major search engines. These are important ranking factors and play a strong part of a quality SEO strategy that professional SEO services use:
Volumes of Fresh Content Containing Relevant Keywords
For starters, it’s not about “SEO campaigns”. Any decent SEO consultant will tell you that you need to do extensive keyword research and get stuck into content creation. Google likes websites that are regularly updated with fresh content that in turn attracts organic traffic. So make sure you’re publishing new blog posts, articles and videos on a regular basis. These really need to use your identified search terms that will channel the relevant website traffic (and potential customers!) to your site.
Mobile Friendly Web Design is Key for Search Engine Optimisation
Google also likes websites that are mobile-friendly, and this actually factors into the keyword rankings and Google search results. (As a Brisbane SEO company, we have seen this often) So making sure that your web design is optimised for mobile devices should be a big part of your SEO strategies. In addition to some simple keyword research, knowing you’re starting from a position of solid website design that makes the search engines want to deliver you SEO success.
Engagement Makes for a Successful SEO Strategy
Google gives preference to websites with strong user engagement and internal website traffic. So make sure your business website is easy to navigate and that your call-to-action buttons are visible and easy to click.
On-Page SEO Factors for Search Engines
There are a number of on-page SEO factors you can optimise to rank higher on Google.
Some of these include your page title, meta descriptions, header tags, images and alt text, as well as your site’s URL structure. All of these play a role in how your page appears in search results and how likely it is to be clicked on.
It’s important to keep in mind that Google is always changing its algorithms, so the best way to stay ahead of the curve is to stay up-to-date on the latest changes and optimise your site accordingly.
Off-Page SEO Factors
There are a number of off-page SEO factors that you can control to help your business rank higher on Google.
Link Building Helps Your Search Rankings
One such factor is backlinking. Backlinking is the process of getting other websites to link back to your own website. The more quality websites that link to your website, the higher your website will rank on Google. And yes, achieving this is both time-consuming and difficult.
Social is More than a Digital Marketing Strategy
Another factor in your Google rankings is social media marketing. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can help amplify your content and get it in front of more people. The more shares and likes you get, the higher your website will rank on Google.
Reviews Also Power Search Engine Results
Finally, another important factor is online reviews on platforms such as Google Maps. Positive online reviews can help boost your website’s ranking on Google, while negative reviews can have the opposite effect. Reviews are also quite important to your local SEO.
Technical SEO Factors
You might be wondering what technical SEO is. Technical SEO is the process of ensuring your website is set up in a way that makes it easy for Google to find and index your content.
There are a few key things you can do to make sure your website is technically sound and primed for search engine ranking:
Use descriptive, keyword rich titles and meta descriptions
As with content creation, using words well helps Google understand what your pages are about and whether or not they’re relevant to a searcher’s query.
Optimise Your Images
Add descriptive alt text to your images so the search engine can understand what they’re about. This also helps your images show up in image search results.
Use HTTPS
Sites that don’t use HTTPS (secure sockets layer) are penalised by Google. If you’re not using HTTPS, the time to switch is way past overdue.
Site Speed Matters
Improve your site’s speed and mobile friendliness: Google wants to deliver the best possible experience to its users, so it favours websites that are fast and responsive on mobile devices. One important stop in an effective SEO strategy journey is to use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to see how you stack up and get tips on how to improve.
User Engagement Factors
The next factor is user engagement, and this part of the search engine rules is a bit more complicated. Basically, Google looks at how people interact with your website after they find it in the search results.
If they click on your listing and then immediately hit the back button, that’s a sign that your site wasn’t relevant to what they were looking for. But if they click through and spend a few minutes browsing around, that tells Google that your site was exactly what they were looking for—and that’s the kind of result we’re aiming for.
So how do you improve user engagement? Well, it starts with having a website design that’s easy to navigate. Make sure your pages are loading quickly and that your content is relevant and engaging.
And once people are on your site, you need to keep them there. You can do this by adding internal links to other pages on your site, and by using pop-ups and other forms of interactivity sparingly.
How to Measure Your SEO Success
How do you know your search engine strategies are working? Sometimes it’s more complex than seeing your site ranking higher on Google. If you SEEM to be, does that mean your SEO efforts are successful?
First, it’s important to measure your organic traffic to see if you’re on the right track—and to find out where you can improve your search engine optimisation strategies. Here are a few metrics you can use:
Search Engine Rankings: Check your position in the SERPs (search engine results pages) for the keywords you’re targeting. Use a tool like Google Search Console to track your progress over time.
Traffic: Check how much traffic your website is getting from organic search. Use Google Analytics to track organic traffic trends on the search engines over time.
Conversions: If you have goals set up in Google Analytics, you can track how many leads or sales you’re getting from organic search traffic. This will give you a good idea of whether your SEO efforts are paying off.
So, how do you measure up on search engines? If you’re not happy with your results, don’t despair—there’s always the option of getting some help.
How a Digital Marketing Agency or SEO Agency Will Help
If you want to achieve long-term success with your SEO, it’s important to partner with a digital marketing agency to get you found on the search engines. An agency will have the resources and expertise to help you rank higher on Google and beat your competitors.
At Ronin, we have a team of experienced SEO specialists who can help you identify the right keywords, optimise your website, and create high-quality content. As a Brisbane SEO agency, we also offer ongoing support so you can continue to improve your ranking and stay ahead of the competition.
If you’re serious about increasing your visibility on Google, contact us today to learn more about our SEO Brisbane services.
SEO Brisbane Services
The good news is that there are things you can do to improve your ranking on Google. You just need to know what those things are, and then implement them. Fortunately, that’s where we come in.
At Ronin, we’re the Brisbane SEO experts, and we’ve helped countless businesses achieve better results on Google. We can do the same for you. So, if you want to rank higher on Google and beat your competitors, get in touch with us today. We’d be more than happy to help you achieve your goals. Register for your FREE SEO Health Check now.
