Most businesses already know the value of appearing on the first page of Google. Fewer know how to get there. There are too many factors in the Google algorithm for your company to consider them all. Each piece of the puzzle carries a certain amount of weight—some have more importance than others.
Because it is impossible to know all of the elements that make up Google’s algorithm and even more impossible for your site to address them all, the best strategy is to focus on the top five. These same tools apply to all businesses, from a pediatrician in Little Rock to a chef in Albuquerque.
This article shows an in-depth look at the central SEO marketing considerations your business should dedicate their time and energy to bring more traffic to your website.
Security and Accessibility
Making sure your website is safe and secure for your visitors is important for all businesses, whether you are a carpenter in Boston or a pediatrician in Maple Shade. You will want to have the right URL, one that Google’s bots can crawl. Crawling refers to AI that is collecting data that search engines use to rank your site. So, if your business doesn’t have an accessible URL, it is impossible to rank.
One way to make your site more accessible is to add a sitemap. A sitemap is a list of pages on a website. If your website is properly linked, usually Google can successfully crawl it. But for larger, more complex websites, a sitemap gives bots clear instructions on how to navigate it.
Page Speed
People don’t like to wait in line, and people definitely do not want to wait for a website to load. This is why your site needs to load quickly on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Page speed is one of the most important ranking factors. There are ways to test how quickly our site loads with free tools.
If your site is loading too slowly, it might be an indication of too much data on a webpage. This can be optimized by resizing videos and photos to the appropriate size for the web. Google Search Console may be the best tool one can use to determine how to improve. It measures your site’s traffic and also highlights issues that need to be fixed.
Mobile Friendliness
Each year, mobile searches increase compared to any other device. Because of this, a mobile-optimized site has become more important than desktop considerations. To do this, use responsive design which will automatically organize a site based on the device a person is using.
Some other considerations include using larger font sizes since the text is more difficult to read on a smaller screen. You will also want to make certain all of your web page information is visible. Be sure to explore all the ways you can enhance your online presence through mobile.
Domain Name and Age
Most of the highest-ranking sites on Google—over 60 percent— are at least three years old or older. Very few young sites have a high ranking. Age shows that your business or service has been around for a while and that people find it useful.
It is also advantageous to create an URL that best reflects your business. So, if you are a pediatrician in Fairhope, a good idea would be to include the name of your practice as the domain name. Google punishes companies that use exact keywords in domain names, such as pediatricianinsalem.com, so it’s best to choose a representative domain that isn’t too on the nose.
Optimized Content
Optimized content encompasses a slew of different techniques, such as keywords, content length, etc. Keywords refer to a phrase that relates to a search a person is making. You will want to discover what keywords relate to your business then incorporate those into your website in an organic way, such as targeted blog posts.
Just be sure not to overdo it with keyword stuffing, the act of unnaturally cramming a webpage full of keywords. Google penalizes this behavior.
Blog content should also be longer, around one to two thousand words. Google often ranks pages with longer word counts than those with little content, although this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Another thing you can do to optimize your content is to add videos and images. Visual content is one way to boost your rankings, and most internet users are seeking this type of information.
The best strategy, however, is to make user-friendly content. Because Google’s algorithm is trying to find the best way to serve users, your site should have the same aim. Be sure to research other ways in which you can optimize your content.
Links
One way Google ranks a webpage’s authority is if other people find it useful. A sign that people find your site useful is if other people in the industry reference it. For instance, if you are a pediatrician in Highland Park, it may be helpful for you to create a source for people to find important information on children’s health. This way if someone shares your content, your site will gain more authority in the eyes of Google bots.
You will want to incorporate links internally as well. Internal links also help visitors navigate your site easily. One simple way to incorporate internal links on your website is to create a table of contents on your homepage. Internal links also give users another way to move around your website easily.
These are just five of the many aspects of SEO. Other points to take note of include listing your business properly, maintaining a constant stream of online reviews, among many other suggestions. To make the most out of your website, you should dig deeper into other tips and tricks, but sticking to these five considerations will serve as a great starting point for your online business.
