Harnessing the power of SEO: strategies for higher rankings

The internet is clearly the first port of call for anyone looking for a particular product or service, either before or instead of shopping for it at a physical premises.

So, understandably, all businesses are keen to get themselves noticed online, and improve their rankings with the major search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.

What is SEO, and why does it matter?

Put simply, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is about designing your website and its content to appear as close as possible to the top of the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).

The likes of Google use algorithms to rank sites according to various factors from speed and relevance to brand authority. This allows searchers to find the results which best suit their search term or question. And your website will appear in a stronger position in the search results the more it meets the search engine’s criteria.

It matters because, well, think about it: when did you last visit the second page of Google results? (There’s an old joke that it’s a ‘good place to bury the bodies’.) And, as reported by Smart Insight, the first five organic search results account for just over two-thirds (67%) of all clicks.

Some tips to gain higher SERP rankings:

Remember the importance of keywords

If, for example, you fit bathrooms, it’s a safe bet that the word ‘bathrooms’ crops up at least once on your web pages. A search engine will count how many times the word a searcher has looked for (the keyword) displays on a website. So, the more frequently it shows up, the more Google or another big search engine will believe it’s relevant.

But (and it’s a big but) don’t go overboard. You could be penalised for what’s known as ‘keyword stuffing’, and your content still needs to read well and naturally so that it’s as relevant to the potential customer as possible.

Small businesses, in particular, can make the most of specific and local SEO keywords. So, for example, you can try and rank for ‘bathroom fitters Reading’ to reach the audience nearest you.

How user-friendly is your website?

When you’re browsing online yourself, of course, you’ll find slow-loading pages frustrating, as are those riddled with errors or broken links. How long do you persevere before giving up?

If people take no action and click away quickly, what’s known as your ‘bounce rate’ will be high and the less likely you’ll be to appear on the first page of the SERPs.

Accurate, relevant and timely content will help, as will links which are fully functioning at all times. Equally, make it easy for people to order from you, to learn more and to contact you.

Finally, user-friendliness includes being mobile-friendly and straightforward to navigate.

How up-to-date is your website?

An up-to-date, user-friendly website not only encourages browsers to spend time (and money) with you – but also lets big search engines know that it remains active. So, rather than trying to produce a huge volume of content in one go, aim to create a little on a weekly basis, in the manner of a marathon rather than a sprint.

That could include, for example:

• Adding links to newly launched products – plus writing blogs about them
• Sharing recipes or guides on how to do something
• Updating relevant pages with fresh information

Get into backlinking

When another website links to yours, this is called backlinking. You can also link to other websites, for example if you’ve been interviewed somewhere, something you offer has been featured in an article, or your blog has been shared.

So don’t be shy about asking for a link if someone is mentioning you online.

Writing with the end customer in mind

A person, not a machine, will ultimately read your content. Try to see your content through the eyes of a potential customer. Search engines will soon recognise your popularity, and push you higher up their search results pages.

In truth, no one knows the exact processes that search engines use to come up with their rankings. But follow some of the guidelines given above and you’ll soon start to be noticed online.

Higher searching rankings with SWSweb

We offer a range of effective SEO services, provided through our partnership with Front Page Advantage, including technical and link-building services. Whatever your size, whatever you do, we can help. If you’re an e-commerce store, for example, we can help you boost sales and visibility. And we can do lots for local businesses particularly to bring in more nearby business.

Take the first step towards greater online visibility today and get in touch.