As a top SEO company in Colchester, at VerriBerri, we know exactly what it takes to get your website ranking. Unfortunately, it’s far from a simple process, nor something that can be picked up overnight with a few YouTube tutorials. It requires years upon years of tinkering with the Google algorithm to understand exactly what strategies and techniques works best. Let’s just say it’s a full-time job in and of itself, and with this, the stakes are high.
Get your SEO right, and you’ll soon be seeing unprecedented inflows of traffic to your website. Get it wrong, however, and you’ll find yourself plummeting down the search rankings never to be seen again! But with so many tips and tricks getting thrown around, how can you determine which ones will actually benefit you?
What Actually is SEO?
Before we delve into our go-to tips on how to improve your SEO, let’s first explain what this technique is. Essentially, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, or the process of adapting your website to enhance your Google SERP ranking. You’re probably well aware of the fact that people don’t like sifting through page after page of search results. After all, how often do you do this? We’d wager pretty rarely. Understandably, users want to stick with the first few results. They’re usually well-known names, and of course, take the least amount of time to click on. We’re only human after all! Therefore, if your business isn’t one of them, you’re severely limiting your website traffic.
How Does Google Determine My Position?
This is something our SEO company in Colchester is constantly asked, and apologies in advance, it’s about to get technical. Before all else, Google looks to prioritise user experience. This means fast loading websites, as well as engaging and relevant content. To determine which websites meet these criteria, Google will follow a three-step process; crawling, indexing, and ranking.
Before all else, Google sends out little bots called crawlers to scour the internet for new content. These robots begin by looking over the code of each URL they locate, and then follow links on these pages to find new URLs. This could be a new blog post, an updated home page, images, videos, or PDFs as a few examples. Any new content discovered by these crawlers is added to a massive database of URLs. When something is searched, Google will scour this database for the most relevant URLs to display on the SERP. The more relevant you’re deemed to be, the higher you’ll rank!
But What Criteria Does It Use?
To determine how relevant your content is, Google uses an algorithm to see how many of its criteria you satisfy. The more boxes you tick, the higher you rank. Simple, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy – it just wouldn’t be, would it! To rank your content, Google uses hundreds of different variables. These range from website typology, to context, to word count, and even sentence length. Oh, and they don’t like to tell us what these factors are. That’s something you have to work out for yourself.
Even if you do manage to do this, the algorithm is constantly changing – sometimes up to 8 times each day. Unsurprisingly, Google doesn’t tell us when these updates occur either. Sometimes you won’t even notice until you see your website fall down the rankings despite not changing a thing. Google certainly likes to keep us on our toes!
So, What Can I Do to Improve My Ranking?
Here are a few ranking tips from our SEO company in Colchester…
Website Load Speed
Who has the patience these days to wait 4 or 5 seconds for a website to load? Most of us don’t, and Google knows it. That’s why it considers the speed of your website to be one of the most important ranking factors. You may write the best and most engaging content ever, but if it doesn’t load, it’s all for nothing! Without a fast loading speed, you’ll really struggle to rank highly. In order to check your site loading speed, you need to undertake a site audit. This will show you your current loading speed, as well as the areas which may be slowing it down.
Utilise Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions are essentially a small paragraph on the SERP that explains what the page is actually discussing. Often, these short extracts are what encourage many people to click on your website. To satisfy Google, however, meta descriptions should be 150 characters or less, and contain a keyword relevant to the page. Keywords are absolutely essential for any website looking to rank highly, and you can find out why by clicking here.
Internal Links
At this point, you’re probably sick of being told how beneficial backlinks are to your SEO value. Did you know, however, that internal links can have the same benefits? These are essentially links within your content to other pages on your website. Perhaps you’re linking to an old blog post to provide the reader with more information, for example. Whatever the reason may be, internal links must always be attached to anchor text, rather than just pasted into text.
Mobile Optimisation
Nowadays, more and more people are using mobile devices to go online. In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 60% of Google’s searches come from them. Understandably, it’s important your website is optimised to account for this. Not only does Google rank websites that do higher, but it also enhances user’s experiences on your website. Websites are often the first point of contact for many consumers, and if they deem it poor quality and dated, there’s a strong chance they’ll think the same of your brand.
Contact Our SEO Company in Colchester
There’s no doubting that SEO is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. After reading this, if it’s something you feel like you need some help with, why not get in touch? To reach our SEO company in Colchester specialists, call us today on 01376 386 850. Alternatively, click here!