Investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for businesses that want to generate more leads and boost sales. Several businesses have finally realized that SEO has become a priority, and it is not just a necessity these days. In fact, if you are wondering how to improve your Google rankings, then SEO is the answer.
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The process of Search Engine Optimization enables you to optimize the visibility of your business website in Google and other search engines. This will in turn make it simple for your potential audience and customers to find your website on the internet. Businesses that are wondering how to rank higher on Google should consider using the best SEO practices.
You might have probably heard several online marketers claiming that SEO is dead. However, it is one of the popular misconceptions in the digital world and SEO is very much alive. If you are looking for ways to improve your Google rank, then Search Engine Optimization is your best bet.
Why SEO Is Important In 2021 And Beyond
Most people have become very much dependent on Google and other search engines. In fact, the search engine giant, Google, has been processing more than 5.6 billion search queries every single day. Google would have received more than 300,000 queries before you finish reading this single sentence. This means that Google receives approximately 40,000 queries per second.
If you want to get noticed in the competitive digital world, then you will need to properly optimize your website. Businesses that optimize their website will be able to stay on top of their competition by gaining better online traffic and improving the Google rank of their website. Here are a few simple tips on how to optimize your website to improve Google search ranking.
Improve Website Loading Time
Most of you would be probably aware that Google prioritizes highly optimized websites that offer a fine experience to website visitors. Most internet users will prefer not to visit non-responsive or slow websites. The Website Builder Expert revealed that approximately 40 percent of website visitors prefer not to wait more than 3 seconds before deciding to leave a website.
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According to the Website Builder Expert, the average loading time for websites on desktop devices is around 10.3 seconds whereas the same for mobile devices is approximately 27.3 seconds. So, the first and most important thing you need to do is to ensure that your website loads faster.
If you do not know if your website loading time is great or not, then it is best to check it asap. You must optimize the images you are adding to your website, remove unnecessary ones, and conduct regular tests to make sure that your website loads fast on both mobile and desktop devices.
Improve Website Security with SSL Certificates
Website security is another important factor that you will need to consider if you want your site to get higher rankings on Google. Websites that are not secure will struggle to get better ranks because Google will not prioritize such websites. In fact, most website visitors will also prefer not to visit and shop from unsafe websites.
So, you must improve the security of your website by following several essential security practices such as keeping plugins and software up to date, using SSL certificates, using a secure web host, and more.
Businesses that want to keep their website will have to find a secure URL. If website visitors send private information to your website, then you will need HTTPS instead of HTTP.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure or HTTPS can be described as a protocol that is used for providing security over the web. HTTPS prevents interruptions and interceptions from happening when data is in transit.
If you want to ensure a secure connection online, you will also need SSL certificate and use it on your website. If you request website visitors to sign-up, register, or make transactions, then you must encrypt the connection by using SSL certificates. In case if you are not certain about choice of SSL cert, then you can find low cost yet strong website security from SSL providers. For example, in case of single domain, you can choose GeoTrust, RapidSSL, Comodo like Comodo Positive SSL or any branded SSL that can fulfil security requirement. SSL certificates will serve the crucial purpose of denying access to individuals who have no authority to view or access data.
Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Most of us prefer to browse the web and search for products through our mobile devices instead of using desktops. There has been a significant rise in the number of mobile internet users in recent years. It is also important to note that mobile devices have accounted for over 70 percent of the entire web traffic.
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As a result, you must ensure that existing and potential customers who are visiting your website through smartphones and other mobile devices will be easily able to navigate through the site and find what they are looking for. Here are a few things you should do to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly.
- Optimize the website menu for mobile internet users
- Ensure that the contact info is clear to visitors
- Visitors should be able to easily access the cart icon
- Include CTA buttons and do not make visitors scroll far to find it
- Test all pages on your website by using a smartphone, as it will help you identify issues if any
Ensure That Your Website Has Been Listed with Google
Do you know that the search engine giant, Google accounts for more than 88 percent of the mobile search engine market share? Likewise, Google accounts for over 70 percent of the desktop search engine market share. This is one of the reasons why it is crucial for businesses to make use of Google tools for increasing visibility and capitalizing on their massive share of search traffic.
Businesses of all sizes and types should create a Google My Business account, complete the profile, and update with new offers, product launches, and other relevant info as possible.
In addition to that, businesses must also create and use a Google Search Console. This will help Google to see what pages are on your website along with helping you to resolve issues that Google thinks your website has.
Finally, you must also add Google Analytics to your website. This will enable you to easily see what visitors are doing to your website. In other words, you will be able to identify the pages they are visiting, their device type, location, and more.
Focus On Onsite SEO
It is evident that most businesses would like to occupy a position on the first SERP page of Google. A study shared by Zero Limit Web indicated that just the first 5 results on Google’s first page account for more than 67 percent of the total clicks. So, you would want to position your website among the first five results.
Fortunately, you can achieve this by making use of onsite keywords. You will also need to create a blog section and regularly add new posts to it. You can optimize each article or blog for a particular keyword or more. People who are searching for the keyword will be able to find your article on Google if you can draft an engaging and relevant article.
You must also cross-link your website to related blog posts or pages on your website. You can also add some relevant external links within the article. Make sure to use attractive images and add a catchy heading to instantly grab the attention of users.
Final Thoughts
Designing a website for your business is an excellent investment, but you will need to implement some of the best SEO practices if you want to get a higher ranking on Google. This is why optimizing your website for SEO should be considered as one of the most important priorities.
Implementing they might seem challenging, and it can be quite time consuming. However, SEO is a proven cost-effective strategy that can increase the visibility of your website and attract more customers, which makes it a worthy investment.
