On-Page SEO: Optimizing Your Content for Better Rankings

For any business that has a website, its Google ranking is one of the most important factors to be mindful of. Appearing on the first page of search results, preferably within the first couple in the list of rankings, makes a massive difference in the amount of traffic that visits a website. Unfortunately, with Google’s ever-changing algorithms, ranking in the top results can be difficult if not impossible. In addition, not understanding how to properly harness on-page SEO techniques doesn’t help either.

If you’re ready to make the necessary changes to ensure your company’s website has better rankings, these SEO optimisation tips will prove to be extremely helpful.

Does the Site Have a Secure Connection

Here's a very simple tip, and that's to ensure your site has a secure connection. Having a secure site will help Google's ranking and it will help build trust with visitors/customers.

How do you know if your site has a secure connection? Look at the bar where the website URL is located and it should show a lock symbol and then the letters "https". This indicates that the website server and web browser have a secure connection using encryption.

Make Use of Strong Keywords

Keywords are another must-use tip when it comes to improving search ranking. But you want to be careful about the specific keywords you use and the type. Many online tools can help you generate the best keywords, and tips on keyword placement. Keywords need to appear naturally and the text should never feel forced or stuffed with them. Those mistakes will cost you where the ranking is concerned.

In terms of the types of keywords, using a variety is usually best. Some of the most common types of keywords include:

• Long-tail

• Unbranded

• Branded

• Seed

• Low competition

• Informational

Optimise the Site for Mobile-Use

This should be seen as a necessary step rather than an optional step to take. Optimising the site for mobile use means that visitors will have the same experience on their desktop computer as on their mobile device (smartphone or tablet).

So why does that matter in terms of the Google ranking? When Google is crawling the internet, indexing and then ranking sites, the algorithm factors in the mobile ranking and indexing results. If it's not optimised, you can expect to take a hit in terms of the ranking.

Optimising the site for mobile use also makes good business sense nowadays. Considering the amount of time people spend on their smartphones or tablet, you’d be missing out on a key demographic if you don’t appeal to mobile users.

Understand That Results May Not Be Immediate

It's important to remind business owners that even by making changes and improving their SEO practices, results don't necessarily happen overnight. They may trickle in at first and then pick up steam. Some experts suggest that it may even take several weeks for the true results to be apparent. This means some patience is needed.

This is exactly why tracking key metrics is important. You’ll be able to see in real-time how effective your tweaks and adjustments have been, which can help you figure out what needs to be adjusted further.

High-Quality Content Is a Non-Negotiable

If you're following all the above-mentioned tips but not posting high-quality, authoritative and relevant content, then you can't expect the best results. Ultimately, the content will drive your search rankings. If it's poor-quality content, it will be next to impossible to move up in the rankings.

It may be that you need to hire a professional writer, create a library of blogs, or bring in guest bloggers and industry experts. Blogs should also be consistent, meaning content is updated regularly so it doesn’t become stagnant and irrelevant. The better a job you do at positioning your brand as an authority in that niche or market, the better the ranking will be. A few other tips from experts where content is concerned is to use heading tags, italics and bold.

It's tempting to write with SEO being the priority but remember, it is people that will be reading it, so you need to appeal to readers.

Persistence Pays Off Where Traffic Is Concerned

If you’re on a quest to better your company’s website search ranking, then these tips can help you turn things around. Over time you’ll start to notice a positive difference where organic traffic is concerned, with the hope that it translates into a larger customer base. Remember, you’ll need to keep up with your efforts if you want to maintain a top spot on Google search results.