For gaining SEO advantage by staying at the top of the game, you have to walk the extra mile to stay tuned to the current best practices. Even in your wildest dreams, you should never have the faintest inclination for cutting corners that can lead to black hat practices and spell the doom for your SEO campaign. Google algorithms are always changing so also the rules of the game that you have to be aware of so that compliance is never an issue.
Amid the raging debate whether it is worth trying to earn the top spot in Google ranking, one thing is evident that even if the top spot might have lost some its importance, remaining on the first page preferably in the upper ranks is still essential.
In this article, we will highlight some techniques and tactics of SEO strategy that helps to achieve your SEO goals of high ranking while staying in tune with the current guidelines.
Optimize content with search engines in mind
Create high-quality content with the audience in mind but when you are optimising it, focus on search engines. Never make the mistake of creating content for search engines as it could land you in problems because Google might look down upon it as black hat SEO. Since you are targeting to rank the content, optimise it in such way so that it is easy for the search bots to crawl the page for indexing. The more convenient it is for search bots to crawl web pages, better is the indexing and higher the chances of earning good ranks in search results..
Conduct keyword research
Keywords have neither lost its importance nor its worth for implementing SEO effectively. Keywords are central to gaining the attention of search engines as it helps to highlight the content that creates viewer engagement. Viewer engagement sends a positive signal to Google about the website quality and influences search rankings.
Carry out keyword research continuously because it is a significant contributor in improving page ranking. Use Google Keywords finder or any other tool of your choice to pick keywords that have a high impact on search engines and matches with the user intent. Begin with a primary keyword and then identify as many related keywords as possible around which you have to carry out the research. Use long tail keywords that provide lots of variations that match with the expanded search horizon based on user intent.
Judge keyword relevance from Google’s perspective
Along with your keyword research carry out a separate activity to gauge the significance of keywords in the way Google perceives it. It is like stepping into Google’s shoes to understand which keywords are relevant by carefully scanning the SERP. By gauging the relevance, you will understand better the user intent behind keywords that should help to make better choices of keywords that are more user intent-oriented. This will help to understand how to base your SEO with respect to user intent.
Be consistent with content quality
Create a pool of resources for creating content and make a shortlist of the star performers because you can rely on them for producing quality and authoritative content consistently. You have to highlight such content to draw Google’s attention. Consistent quality helps to build credibility which Google values a lot and encourage viewers to keep clicking on the link. Sites with lower authority fail to attract clicks as viewers would choose some other sites that demonstrate authority. Inability to produce quality content consistently will bring down the search ranks.
Create a high impacting Meta description
You cannot take Meta descriptions lightly because of its powers in positioning your website in the upper ranks of search results. Do some research and acquire the skills for creating Meta descriptions that draw all attention. The small description is highly compelling in influencing viewers to click on the link because the quality of information helps Google to award ranks accordingly. Optimized Meta descriptions help Google to determine how to rank the page. By inserting keywords in the Meta description, you can make the page rank higher.
The Meta description is like the hook that attracts the audience towards it and keeps them engaged. If the Meta description fails to generate interest among viewers, they will not click on the link. The information in the Meta description has to crisp and useful.
Include related keywords
Your keyword inventory has to be all encompassing for which you cannot stop after finding the best keyword. Including closely associated keywords along with targeted keywords is extremely important to gain an edge in competition. It improves the chances of Google considering your page more relevant and picking it more frequently as it figures in a variety of searches. For keywords, the diverse is the portfolio, better are the results.
Pay attention to rich snippets
Spend time in creating snippets, the small boxes that hold useful information about web pages and appear alongside search results. Like Meta descriptions, the snippets are also very powerful in attracting viewers and play a critical role in enhancing the visibility of links in the search results page. Snippets have the power of attracting clicks even if your position is slightly below the top crust of search results. If you are not creating your bits, Google might do it for you, but it will not have the desired impact as it would have had you done it on your own.
Page loading time is critical
Everyone loves fast loading websites, and Google too favours it so much that it has now included page loading speed as a factor for ranking. Slow sites fail to draw Google’s attention. Remember that page loading time affects your bottom line and you have to ensure that page loading time is as close as possible to 2 seconds.
None of these is hard work but needs sincere and consistent efforts with patience as you have to give it some time to provide results.
