6 Easy Steps to Improve your Search Engine Results

Every other month, a rumour spreads about the way search engines are changing. This can sometimes spark fear in business owners as they worry that their carefully crafted website may drop in Google rankings. Understandable, considering the number 1 spot is 10 times more likely to receive a click than number 10! But put away the pitchforks because we have 6 sure-fire ways you can improve your results:

SEO tip #1 – Improve your Keyword Use

This is, THE way to see fast improvements in your Google ranking. And it’s the easiest. By simply loading your website text (a.k.a ‘copy’) with specific keywords, and re-ordering some of those keywords, you can see your ranking creep up within a few days.

However, it is not as simple as creating lists of targeted words or ‘keyword stuffing’. You need to be smart about the way you imbed keywords on your site. Some practical ways to do it include:

• Starting a blog;
• Shuffling your keywords to the start of headings or sentences;
• Writing in full sentences;
• Peppering the keywords throughout the page;

SEO tip #2 – Utilise your Google Analytics

In August, we told you how to get the most out of your Google Analytics. By scrupulously examining the reports generated by Google Analytics, you will gain a better insight into the possible areas for improvement of your site. The reports can show you:

• The keywords or phrases you rank well for, and the ones you do not;
• The number of times you have made impressions with new customers;
• The number of times your site has been visited and at what point customers have left your site; and so much more.

SEO tip #3 – Add some Quality, External Links

The number, and quality, of links to your site, can drastically affect your search results. Hence why on our blog you will find no fewer than two external links in each post.

But how does an external link help on your site? In the eyes of search engines, the link creates a relevant bond between the source page and the target page. This then creates a ‘knowledge hub’ in cyberspace that makes your content look important.

Quality links are also crucial, because the more verifiable the source, the more trustworthy you will appear.

SEO tip #4 – Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are the 155-character snippets which appear under search results. They are reliant on keywords or phrases for optimal results, so, getting the right words is crucial. 

Some ways to improve your meta descriptions include:

• Making them short and sharp – no more than 156 characters;
• Include your focus keywords;
• Make sure the description matches the page content; and
• Have a strong Call to Action – make the searcher WANT to click the result.

SEO tip #5 – Mobile Optimisation

In 2020, more than 50% of the world’s internet traffic was driven by mobile devices. This means that you will need to ensure your website is mobile user-friendly if you want to rank well. And, Google made it even more vital when they introduced, ‘mobile-first indexing’ in September 2020.

If you are unsure if your website is mobile optimised, please reach out for a no-obligation appraisal. 

SEO tip #6 – Improve your Site’s Load Speed

Site speed is another factor which can drastically affect your ranking – both directly and indirectly. Pages which have slower load times tend to get higher bounce rates, that is the user becomes impatient with the page loading and clicks away from the site. This then affects your conversion rates.

Two simple ways YOU can improve a site’s load speed are to reduce the number of redirects and optimise the images. However, many of the other improvements will need to be done by a professional as they involve the site’s backend, which can cause your website to break if done wrong.

This is just the start

SEO is one of those things which you will never be done working on. Not only are you continually having to outdo your competitors, but search engine providers make it more challenging by continuously changing the landscape.

So, why not take the hassle out of it, and hire someone else to be in charge of your rankings? At Snippets Development, we make it our mission to stay on top of the latest trends and changes to Google and other search engine providers. This way, we ensure that our clients are never left scrambling to reach the summit of results.