By Kyle Courtright
Where you rank in search engine results can be a huge way to drive potential customers to your business website. That elusive first page can be tricky to land on, but it is possible! There are some things you can do that will give your rankings a boost.
Before we look at the 3 tips, for those of you who don’t know what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is, let me give you a brief overview. In its simplest form, it’s the way that search engines process information on your page and then determine where your site ranks in search results. SEO can be very complicated, but there are some simple things you can do to help with your ranking.
Let’s take a look and see how to help outrank your competition.
1. Keyword Phrases
Make sure that the content on your website uses strong keywords phrases. If you have a photography business but there isn’t any content on your site using keywords or phrases like, “Los Angeles photographer” or “affordable Indianapolis photography,” you are hurting your ranking in search engine results by not having these types of locally-driven phrases.
2. Need for Speed
Believe it or not, the faster your site loads the higher it will rank. So, how do you make your website load faster? There are quite a few ways to get your pages loading faster. Optimized images, cleaning up your database and getting rid of unnecessary plugins are just a few to consider. Take a look at this blog post by Neil Patel over at Quicksprout for a list of ways to make your website faster. Trust me, it will pay off. Not only does a faster site improve search engine ranking, but it also will increase conversions on your website. Win, win.
3. Networking
We all know that networking is an important aspect of business. Those connections can come in handy and can really help to grow a business. The same is true with online networking for SEO/ranking purposes. One factor that search engines look at is how many other sites are linking back to your site or sharing the content on your site. Think of the back links as an endorsement. Those links validate the relevancy of your website. Talk to influencers in your space. Ask if they would be open to you doing a guest post on your blog and allowing you to have your website link on there as well. Get creative, work on getting those back links. It will boost your SEO and help you to rank higher in those search engine results.
These tips, of course, just scratch the surface of things you can do to help with your rankings. If you really need a rankings boost, think about hiring an SEO consultant to help you navigate through the process of optimizing your site for a higher search engine ranking. I hope these tips were helpful! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below.
