9 Things You Didn’t Know to Achieve a High Ranking on Google

by Robert Clough

Struggling with your SEO? There are so many secret ways to get a high ranking on Google, you probably did not know about any of these ones, here are 9 surprising ways to boost your SEO, you can thank us later!

What can you do to get a high ranking on Google?

If you know anything about SEO, you know that the higher you rank in search results, the more traffic you’ll get to your website.

The great thing about SEO traffic is that search engine users are typically ready to buy. If a local search is performed on a mobile device, about half of those searches result in a store visit or purchase.

The power of search is undeniable, but that power is usually reserved for the first few search results. Anything beyond the first page won’t do you any good.

How can you boost your search results?

Take a look at these tips to get higher rankings in search results.

1. Intent Takes over Keywords

When webmasters first realized the importance of ranking high in search engines, they could optimize their website by focusing only on keywords.

They’d put keywords in content whether it belonged or not. They resorted to tactics like hiding keywords by making the text the same color as backgrounds.

Those tactics no longer work. If you tried them today, you could actually get your site pulled from search results.

When you need to focus on is the user intent. You’ll find that there are multiple ways to find information for the same thing.

That’s why long-tail keywords are so important. They help drill down the user’s intent.

A fitness coach might be interested in anyone who looks up fitness. This is too broad, and searchers could be looking for gear instead of a way to lose weight.

Now, if they focus on keywords like how to lose weight safely, they’re likely to reach their target audience.

2. Guest Blogging Works Wonders for SEO

Backlinks are an important part of an SEO strategy.

Search engines view them as a way to tell which sites have something worth linking to. They might be authority sites or have great content.

A link to your site is an indication that there’s something of value there, so it will rank higher in search results.

Guest blogging has many benefits besides backlinks to your site. You position yourself as an authority in your field and you have the opportunity to get in front of a new audience. Read more about guest blogging here.

3. Make Your Titles & Descriptions Clickworthy

If someone is scanning search results, they’re looking for something related to their search term. They’re going to click on the most interesting headline and description.

A lot of folks overlook these. The title of the article is just like a headline on a landing page. It has to be catchy, speak to a problem, and make the person want to read more.

The description of the article is where you tell readers what the article is about and why they should click on it.

Your job here is to make them want to read more.

4. Your Content Has to Be Great

When you have your titles and descriptions down to the point where the user wants to read more, you have to keep them on your site with great content.

Your content has to provide value, answer a question, or help someone solve a problem.

It can be overwhelming to have to sit down and write something great all of the time.

Start with the most frequently asked questions you get and write about them.

5. Links Matter

We already talked about the importance of links going to your site.

Linking to other sites within your content is an important indicator that your content is trustworthy and can rank higher in search engines.

That doesn’t mean that your site for be full of links. A few of them to other authority sites will be enough to establish trust with search engines.

You also need to link to other pages on your site, too. They allow users to find more information about your site and they tell search engines which pages are important.

6. Fix Broken Links

When search engines crawl your site, they can come across old pages that were deleted or moved without a redirect.

If you have too many of these errors, search engines can interpret that as a sign you’ve neglected your site for a while.

Plus, a bunch of 404 errors can give your readers a poor impression of your site.

You don’t have to go through every single page of your website to see if there’s a broken link. Check Google’s Search Console or any other tool that can scan your site for broken links.

7. Check Your Site’s Architecture

Your website should have a hierarchy that lets search engines and users figure out what the site is about right away.

There should be the main topic of your site, then a few subcategories. Your content should fall into those subcategories.

8. Focus on the User Experience

Ultimately, everything you do to improve your blog’s rankings in Google should come down to the user’s experience on your site.

After all, you’re doing all of this to get traffic to your site.

Make sure that your site isn’t too cluttered with information, and it’s easy to navigate. A clean design that loads quickly will help your users and your search rankings.

9 Mobile Matters More Than Ever

Speaking of the user experience, more searches occur on mobile devices. If your site isn’t set up for mobile, set that up right away.

If your site isn’t ready for mobile, you do run the risk of being ranked lower because Google has prioritized mobile sites in search results.

A High Ranking is Around the Corner

SEO success depends on your ability to get on the first page of search results. That’s where the vast majority of clicks happen.

When you focus on the user experience, most of your SEO work to get a high ranking is easy. Your content is great, your website is clean and fast, and you have guest blogs to position yourself as an expert in your industry.

If you want more great tips on getting traffic from search check out our blog today.

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