This is the question that every website owner asks me and the one to which there is no straightforward easy answer. My dad always used to impress upon me that you can’t get something for nothing. Google is the same. You want a top rank, you’re going to have to put in some effort. Quick fixes invariably don’t work.
Here’s how I answer the impossible question: “How do I get to number one in Google?”
- Stop fixating on positions!
Seriously, why bother giving yourself this headache? Rankings fluctuate all the time and if you bury yourself in reams of ranking reports, you will have a miserable life! It’s useful to keep an eye on your various rankings, on say a monthly basis, but this should not be your focus. - Write great content!
That’s what your visitors come looking for, that’s what Google is interested in, so that’s what is required for better rankings. However, don’t go writing loads of keyword heavy splurge – Google won’t be fooled, and your visitors won’t be sticking around or coming back. Remember: you write your content for your visitors, not the search engine. It’s critical to understand that point. - Use a variety of media types.
Supplement your text content with images (complete with ALT descriptions of course), because that will make your content more readable. Users generally won’t read pages upon pages of pure text – you need to break it up with diagrams and images wherever possible. Consider using video on some of your pages, and make sure you syndicate this to YouTube, Doodacky and others. Also, transcribe the content of the video for users with hearing difficulty… remember, Google is a user with hearing difficulty. - Allow social interaction.
Let your visitors comment on your articles, or review your products. This builds trust and creates a community feel to your website. Additionally, your users will be creating search engine friendly content for you! - Regular updates.
Regularly updated and fresh content is important.
You’ll notice I didn’t mention links there, and yet Google is very interested in inbound links to your website. The simple reason is: if you’re creating great content, people will link to you, and that’s the best sort of link building you can do.
SEO isn’t so much about tweaking tags and keywords any more. Google keeps raising the bar and making its algorithm smarter. So, why not just do the smart thing, and focus on making your website better and better? As a result, your visitors will come back, your website will be generating a “buzz” online, and Google will take note.
If you focus on the content first, the rankings will come. If you have no patience, chuck some money at AdWords!
