When you are just starting with a new business or have a brand new website, rising to the top of Google search results can seem like a daunting task. However, there are many SEO tips and tricks which will help you achieve a high Google ranking, so we’ve put together a quick list of some of our favourites to help you get started.
Choose your target keywords carefully
Make sure your website is optimised around the keywords that are important for your business. Research to decide which keywords people are likely to search for that are relevant to your product or service. From that, you can develop a strong understanding of your target market and what they are looking for. From here you can start to build a large list of target keywords by analysing user intent, looking at related search terms and using keyword research tools such as Ahrefs.
The higher the search volume is, the harder it is to gain a high search ranking for any given keyword. To start with, think about aiming for keywords that are less competitive but still highly relevant to your business, such as long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords (usually a phrase which is 3 or more words long and is related to your primary keyword) are great because they have a lower search volume. The people who are searching for these terms are most likely to have a higher purchase intent, as the search term is so specific.
Avoid keyword stuffing (cramming the same target keyword onto one page over and over again) as this leads to a bad user experience and can negatively impact your search rankings.
Use Google Search Console
Google Search Console enables you to monitor your website’s search performance. It will flag up any issues which allows you to address and improve on them. Search Console provides insights into website health, crawl errors, indexing issues, impressions, individual page performance in the search rankings and much more.
Use an SEO audit tool
Use an SEO audit tool to scan your website for any technical SEO problems. An SEO audit will flag any issues with your site that may not be visible to you, such as low-speed, issues with site-maps or crawl errors. It can also flag security issues that may be occurring on your website.
Make sure your website isn’t slow
A slow website means a bad user experience, and Google now takes it into consideration as one of their important ranking factors. Check your page loading times using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. You can use an SEO audit tool or Google Search Console to identify any individual pages on your website which are slow to load and to address any issues that might be causing this, such as uncompressed image files.
Google My Business is great for local SEO
Creating a Google My Business profile is a quick win when it comes to increasing your Google visibility. Google My Business is particularly important if you run a local business, as an optimised profile means you will be highly visible to people searching for your product or service in the local area.
Make sure your website is secure
Website security is an important Google ranking factor. An SSL certificate shows Google that your website is trustworthy and secure. In addition to this, it reassures your customers that the site is reliable and safe. This is particularly prevalent if you are handling important customer data, such as payment and contact details. Having an SSL certificate assures the potential customer that their data is secure. According to GlobalSign, up to 84% of users would abandon a purchase on an unsecure website.
If you have the budget, try Google Ads
SEO is a long-term strategy for increasing your visibility in search results, and it often takes time to see results. In the meantime, if you have the budget available, it’s worthwhile to target some of your main keywords with Google Ads in order to place your website at the top of relevant searches. If you need any advice or would like some help running your ad campaigns, check out our PPC page for more information.
Upload fresh content regularly
Have a think about the sort of content your audience will be interested in. What are their pain points, what is their search intent, and how can you help them? Create a content calendar with a series of blog topics that are insightful, educational and relevant to your business, choosing a primary target keyword for each article. Not only will this engage your audience and position you as an expert in your industry, optimising these blog posts and focusing on high priority keywords will help to improve your search engine rankings.
If you’re seeking additional guidance on elevating your position in the search engine rankings, our team is readily available to assist you. Whether you’re interested in professional SEO services or exploring options for affordable SEO packages, we’re here to provide the expertise you need. Feel free to reach out for personalised advice tailored to your specific goals.
