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How to Rank High in Search Organically

AT A GLANCE

Truth be told, first page always matters.

Google Search sorts through billions of web pages and offers the most relevant and useful results within the shortest time possible. The websites that appear on the first page of Google receive the highest clicks and continue to receive more website visits because of their prominent visibility, leading to better lead generation. Also, being consistently visible in search results establishes credibility and authority, which can lead to increased brand loyalty.

Here are some guidelines to help your website rank higher on Google.

Create high-quality content that meets search intent

You need to create relevant and engaging content that provides value and answers to possible topics and questions your target audience may have. It needs to be the type of content your audience would want to share on social media and to which they will link. Google's algorithm takes into account backlinks. The more backlinks your site has, the higher you may be able to rank.

Before creating content, you must conduct keyword research to identify the most relevant topics and phrases that resonate with your target audience.

  • First, list keywords related to your business, products, or services. At this step, you should also rank keywords in order of importance. What does your company want to be known for?

  • From there, cross-check the keywords through competitive benchmarking. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can help you see which competitive keywords are driving traffic to your sites.

  • You should also identify LSI keywords - words and phrases related to the topic of each page you create. You can find these words by typing seed words on Google Search and letting autocomplete display the word extensions. The words in bold are the LSI keywords.

  • Check possible long-tail keywords. These phrases with three or more words can help you attract more traffic because of lower competition and higher conversion rates.

  • Once you have your final list of keywords, evaluate their difficulty and develop your keyword strategy. The best mix includes high-volume, low-difficulty, and competitive keywords relevant to your business, product, or service.

  • Group keywords into categories and topic buckets to help you create targeted content. Pepper your keywords throughout the page.

It would help if you also considered the search intent behind the keywords. Before creating content, you'll need to study your target audience. Are they looking for information? Do they want to make a purchase? Are they looking for a particular service? Narrowly focused content can hurt your search ranking. If you want your content to increase reach, you have to broaden the scope of your content while staying consistent with your topic.

How does one know what keywords to use? There are different ways to identify keywords.

This is an example of how to find LSI keywords. Simply type seed words on Google Search, and let autocomplete display the word extensions in bold.

Monitor your technical SEO

Technical SEO issues can hurt your site's rankings.

 Technical SEO ensures that your website meets the technical requirements of modern search engines. Paying close attention to your technical SEO metrics can significantly improve user experience and your website ranking on search.

Here are some strategies to improve your technical SEO:

  • Ensure Mobile-Friendliness: With mobile-first indexing becoming standard, ensure your website is responsive and provides a seamless experience across devices. Test your sites using tools such as PageSpeed Insights or Google Search Console. If you are using WordPress, you can also use the Yoast SEO plugin.

  • Improve Site Speed: A fast-loading website is important for user experience and SEO. Optimize images, minimize HTTP requests, and leverage browser caching to enhance site speed. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help identify areas for improvement.

  • Improve Site Architecture: A well-organized site structure helps users and search engines navigate your content easily. Use a logical hierarchy with clear categories and internal linking to enhance discoverability.

  • Create an XML Sitemap: An XML sitemap helps search engines discover and index your pages more efficiently. Ensure your sitemap is up-to-date and submitted to the Google Search Console.

  • Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Craft unique, keyword-rich title tags and compelling meta descriptions for each page. These elements help search engines understand your pages' content while enticing users to click through to your site.

  • Use Headings Effectively: Organize your content with clear headings (H1, H2, H3) incorporating relevant keywords. This structure improves readability and helps search engines better understand the hierarchy and context of your content.

  • Enhance URL Structure: Create clean, descriptive URLs that include target keywords. Avoid using complex strings of numbers or irrelevant characters; instead, use straightforward language that reflects the page's content.

  • Incorporate Internal and External Links: Use internal links to connect related content within your site, improving navigation and helping search engines index your pages more effectively. Additionally, link your page to reputable external sources to enhance credibility and provide additional value to readers.

  • Optimize Images: Compress images for faster loading times to ensure they are optimized for web use. Use descriptive filenames and include alt tags to improve accessibility and help search engines understand the context of the images.

  • Fix Crawl Errors: Regularly check for crawl errors using tools like Google Search Console. Address issues such as broken links or redirects that can hinder search engines from indexing your site effectively

  • Ensure Website Security with HTTPS: Implement SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to secure your website with HTTPS. SSL not only protects user data but also signals to search engines that your site is trustworthy, positively impacting your rankings.

 Monitor and update SEO regularly

Regularly monitoring and updating your SEO leads to better traffic, increased engagement, and improved business outcomes. Maintaining and improving your website's visibility in search engine results is a critical practice

Monitoring your SEO allows you to stay relevant in a changing landscape, especially with so much competition constantly evolving in the digital space. It also allows you to identify new opportunities for content creation and optimization, helping you stay ahead of competitors.

Search engines favour websites that provide fresh, high-quality content. By consistently updating your site, you signal to search engines like Google that your website is active, which can lead to improved rankings and increased visibility. More importantly, fresh content encourages users to return to your site, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

 Ongoing monitoring helps you quickly identify and resolve technical issues that could hinder your site's performance, such as broken links or slow loading times. This proactive approach minimizes negative impacts on user experience and SEO rankings.

 Need help understanding your current SEO score and improving your ranking on search? Straits Creative provides expertise through a comprehensive range of SEO services, covering all facets from keyword research, technical, on-page and off-page SEO to content writing.

 Schedule a discovery call with us today. Get in touch with tisha@straitscreative.com.

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