If your company website is starting to slide down the Google rankings, then it’s time to take action. Ideally, businesses should be aiming to tweak their SEO before their website falls down to the second page of results. That’s because three-quarters of users will never scroll past the first page! The good news is that you can begin to climb back up the ranking ladder again using these 10 simple steps.
1. Address Any Major Issues
If your website suddenly seems to have taken a hit, then there’s a good chance that you’ve been given a Google penalty. With Google now incorporating real-time aspects into their algorithms, decreases and increases in rankings can happen almost instantly. Webmaster tools and Google Analytics can highlight any significant issues which may have caused the drop, such as plagiarization or keyword spamming, for example. Before taking any other measure, be sure to address these major issues first and foremost.
2. Sort Out Your Keywords
Relevant keywords are the backbone of any good SEO strategy, but there’s a fine line between too much and too little. Density is almost as important as the keywords themselves, and in recent years Google has certainly cracked down on black hat techniques, which it considers to go against its ‘best practices’. With the introduction of the Google Penguin algorithm, the search engine is penalizing websites with too high a keyword density; an SEO method which often makes content unreadable for the average visitor.
3. Give Your Audience What They Want
Consider whether or not you’re giving your target audience what it is they want. After all, regardless of how well matched your customer’s needs are to what you’re offering, it is all ultimately pointless unless you’re both on the right page…at least as far as Google is concerned. Think about the specific keywords and phrases that your audiences may be searching for (and undertake some keyword analysis, too), and make sure to include them — naturally, of course — throughout your content for improved relevance.
4. Keep it Relevant
Google likes to stay up-to-date, and it favors websites that do the same. In many cases, Google knows that its users will be searching for recent information that’s still relevant, so it can be a good idea to create a publishing schedule to ensure that you’re producing and publishing content on a regular basis. Research shows that websites that publish upwards of 16 new pieces of content each month receive more than 3 times the traffic than websites that post fewer; possibly a result of better search rankings.
5. Don’t Forget Your Metadata
Search engines such as Google are designed in such a way that there’s a big difference between what a user sees, and what the search engine itself sees. Users will see relevant results, whereas the search engine will see the underlying data that makes a result relevant to the search terms. You can help to highlight your website’s relevance for specific terms by including meta tags; small snippets of information which Google can use to identify your website as it’s trawling through possibilities.
6. Reach Out
Many businesses include link building techniques in their overall SEO strategy, but not all links were created equal. In fact, backlinks to your website from what Google considers to be low quality or ‘spammy’ sites can actually hurt your ranking. Businesses should always be striving for backlinks from authoritative websites. Of course, these links are harder to secure, but one of the most effective ways is to create something and market it to the right people; believe it or not, email marketing isn’t dead yet!.
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7. Check Your Web Design
One of the most important metrics that Google uses to assign a value to a website is ‘time on page’. This is the length of time that a user remains active on your website. At a time when an increasing number of users are browsing on mobile, it has never been more important for businesses to check their web design and ensure they’re able to offer their visitors a ‘responsive’ site; a site that’s suited to mobile. Unresponsive websites can offer a poor user experience, minimizing how long a visitor sticks around for.
8. Work On Your Content
When it comes to content, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ length; a piece of content should be as long as it needs to be to accurately convey your message using your business’ style and tone. However, when it comes to rankings, research does show a link between longer content and a higher position. In one study, the highest ranking websites all seemed to include pieces of content that averaged around 700 words, while an average of 500 words was associated with a much lower position; around rank 20.
9. Consider Rich Media
Rich media such as videos can be an important part of boosting rankings, especially as search engines like Google tend to prioritize video results over text-based results. And improved rankings isn’t the only reason to use video. In fact, the use of videos, images, and other forms of creative media can significantly boost audience engagement and improve brand recall through the use of visual elements that the mind is quick to absorb. The same is true for colors, fonts, and other visual stimulants.
10. Tweak Your URLs
Typically, a URL must be shorter than 2083 characters, which sometimes means that businesses must shorten a page title to ensure it fits. However, shortening a title for URL purposes can negatively affect rankings if not done correctly. The best way to ensure that your URLs are working in your favor is to make sure you include a relevant keyword which allows Google to easily understand your page’s relevance in relation to a specific search term. Also, try to keep your URLs simple and compelling.
About the Author:
Andrew is the CEO of Next Level Web, a trusted marketing agency based in San Diego, California. He has three lovely daughters and the most patient wife of all time. They specialize in Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, PPC Advertising, and Email Marketing (The Agency – not the daughters… yet). See case studies & results of happy clients at www.NextLevelWeb.com.The post Is Your Website in Internet Slums? 10 Steps to Get You Back on Track appeared first on Mailbird.