15 Ways To Rank Higher On Google

Below are 15 inexpensive ways to rank higher on Google.

1. Write Long-Form Content

There is definitely a correlation between writing longer pieces of content (2000+ words) and higher rankings in Google. The key is to write content that your viewers and audience are concerned about and tackle it from every angle. Numerous studies have been done to see what the magic number is that will influence ranking on Google and from those studies, 1,100 words per page was the magic threshold.

2. Upload A Sitemap

A sitemap tells Google what pages are in your site and how your site is structured. An easy way to create a sitemap is by going to this site: https://www.xml-sitemaps.com/ or you can go to https://www.websiteplanet.com/webtools/sitemap-validator/ and then uploading the sitemap via Google Webmaster Tools.

3. Make Sure To Use 301 Redirects

301 Redirects (as opposed to 302s) tell Google that a URL to a page has changed and also that the content is still important, therefore passing over the “SEO Juice” to the new page.

4. Make Sure You Haven’t Blocked Google From Indexing Your Site

Check your robots.txt file and make sure nothing like this is written:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

Or if your site is built on WordPress go to Settings -> Reading -> and make sure the Search Engine Visibility setting is NOT checked to on.

5. Optimize For Mobile

To see if your site is mobile-friendly go to Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. If it’s not mobile-friendly then I would suggest hiring someone to either make a mobile version of your sites design or do a site redesign including a responsive design/layout. We can help you with a site redesign or a mobile version of your current website.

6. Your Site Needs To Load Quickly

Two tools to gauge website loading times are GTMetrix.com and Google PageSpeed Insights.

7. Use Descriptive URLs

Use descriptive URLs for all your pages and posts and don’t get sloppy or use random irrelevant numbers. Be purposeful with them and think about what people would be searching for online when choosing a URL for a page.

8. Use A .com Domain Name If Possible

More than 75% of top ranking websites use the .com domain extension, so if you can, use a .com domain name.

9. Use Internal Linking Within Your Site

When providing content to your audience, make sure to use internal linking, either to relevant topics or to similar products on your site. It is key to be natural and relevant when linking to other content on your website and to avoid keyword or link-stuffing as Google has become very good at spotting those tactics.

10. Keep Your Most Important Content On Your Root Domain

Keep your most important content on your root domain and not on a subdomain, as Google gives more importance to content branching off the main root domain of your site.

11. Title Tags Still Matter

Make sure to properly name each page with a relevant and keyword-rich Title Tag so that Google and other search engines can properly categorize and understand what your page is about.

12. Use Schema.org Markup On Your Site

Schema.org markup is another way (similar to a sitemap) of telling Google and search engines what your website is all about. To generate this markup and add to your site visit this site: https://hallanalysis.com/json-ld-generator/.

13. Write Blog Posts

Blogging at least once a week is an excellent way to drive traffic to your website. You do want the content to be relevant and of high quality so don’t just write random blog posts that have nothing to do with your business just to say that you are ‘blogging’. Write about topics that your audience is interested in.

14. Use Relevant Keywords

Keywords are still important for SEO and for ranking. Think about keywords and phrases that your audience or potential audience will most likely search for online when trying to find your website. Make sure when you find your keywords that you use them naturally in your writing and do not participate in keyword-stuffing.

15. Content Marketing Is Key

Ranking on search engines is all about providing great and relevant content to your users. It is about posting on social media and also marketing via email blasts to your audience. There are technical strategies to utilize too however people tend to forget about providing helpful and excellent content to their customers and audience, this will no doubt help you rank and keep you ranking high. Be relative and helpful first!